EquiRatings Eventing Podcast

Rising Lions vs Stars and Stripes. The first ever Blenheim Challenge is here, and things are already getting competitive.
Nicole is firmly flying the flag for Britain, while Diarm and Annie are backing the US team, with a very handy Australian thrown into the mix. With head-to-head matchups in every phase, joker cards to play and £50,000 in prize money on the line, there is plenty to get stuck into.
Who has the strongest team on paper? Where could the points be won and lost? And, most importantly, who are we backing to come out on top?
Highlights
How the new Blenheim Challenge actually works
Rising Lions vs Stars and Stripes across all three phases
Why Oliver Barrett and Sandhills Briar could be the pair to beat
The joker cards we would play and when
Why Saturday could be the Rising Lions' chance to take control
The serious show jumping strength on the Stars and Stripes side
Our picks to win the first ever Blenheim Challenge
Guests
Nicole Brown
Nicole takes up the Rising Lions cause and makes the case for why a big Saturday could put the British team in the driving seat.
Diarmuid Byrne
Diarm is very firmly Team Stars and Stripes and is already putting himself forward for the team manager job.
Annie Bishop
Annie brings the US perspective, digging into the form of the Stars and Stripes combinations and where they could have the edge.
The Blenheim Challenge gets underway this week. Listen now wherever you get your podcasts.

Nicole is joined by Catherine Austen from Cornbury House International for a look at a week that feels like an important one for the event's future.
The brand-new Advanced Under 25 class brings together an international field as Cornbury starts learning, testing and preparing ahead of hosting the FEI Eventing World Championships for Under 25s in 2027. And they'll face a new challenge, with the courses reversed for the first time and a brand-new Advanced track ready to be tested.
There's plenty happening beyond the U25s too. The British Eventing Young Horse Championships bring some of the country's best five, six and seven-year-olds together, the £45,000 Racehorse to Eventer Challenge Cup returns, and there are seriously good horses and riders to follow right across the sections.
Highlights
Cornbury's first step towards the 2027 U25 World Championships
The international names to watch in the Advanced U25
A brand-new Advanced cross-country track
Five, six and seven-year-olds chasing national titles
£45,000 on the line for the Thoroughbreds
The combinations to follow across a packed week
Guest Catherine Austen – on site at Cornbury with the inside track on the competition, the horses and what's ahead.

Gemma Stevens and Chilli Knight are your 2026 Defender Burghley champions, and they did it in some style.
Nicole, Diarm and Ali are back to debrief a brilliant weekend of sport, from Gemma's record-breaking performance and Katie Magee's superb second place to the stories, surprises and standout performances across the leaderboard.
Plus, the HPRs land mid-recording, giving us the first chance to put some numbers around what we just watched.
Highlights
Gemma and Chilli Knight finishing on their dressage score and joining Burghley's 1% Club
Putting that huge winning margin into context
How Katie Magee and Treworra climbed from 19th after dressage to second
The HPRs are in, and we find out how Gemma's performance stacks up against the other big five-star performances of 2026
Global Quest, Hawk Eye and the combinations who exceeded expectations
The moments that completely changed the shape of the competition
A very deserved Nicola Wilson appreciation moment
Guests
Nicole Brown
Nicole looks back at the performances, people and stories that made Burghley 2026 one to remember.
Diarm Byrne
Diarm gets into the numbers and what they tell us about how this year's Burghley was won and lost.
Ali Barrett
Ali brings the freshly landed HPRs, her standout performances and plenty from a busy week on the ground at Burghley.

Katie Magee show: https://open.spotify.com/episode/03oBSF12G8beXOa1ow1DJr
Listen now wherever you get your podcasts.

Saturday at Burghley was everything we thought it might be, and then some. 🎙️
Nicole, D and Ali settle in with a Pimms and an incredible Burghley sunset to unpack a rollercoaster of a cross-country day. Gemma Stevens and Chilli Knight are out in front with a rail in hand, Tim Price and Global Quest deliver a hugely emotional round, and Holly Richardson rockets from 28th to third after one of the performances of the day.
There's plenty more to unpack, from Caroline Pamukcu proving the Blake doubters wrong to the heartbreak of Sarah Bullimore and Corimiro, plus Andrew Hoy and Derek di Grazia get unexpectedly pulled into the debrief along the way.
Highlights
Gemma and Chilli Knight take control
The incredible Global Quest story
Holly Richardson's 25-place climb
HSH Blake proves he's a Burghley horse
Heartbreak for Sarah and Corimiro
Derek's verdict on his cross-country day
Who wins Burghley tomorrow?
🎧 Defender Burghley Diaries: Saturday is out now.

We're live from the Media Centre at Defender Burghley! Diarmuid Byrne is joined by Catherine Austen and Ali Barrett to preview the wide open field. From Holly Richardson's speed, to crushes on Will Coleman, and naming Lucy Latta the Pirate Queen, this episode has it all.

🎥 Watch every moment on Burghley TV: exclusive live coverage, replays, and behind-the-scenes access all week.
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