Rising three-day eventing star Katie Magee hits the heights at Badminton

“To compete against riders I have spent most of my life watching and being alongside them in the prize-giving was amazing,” she said of her latest success. “It was something a few years ago I thought would never happen. It is a bit of a dream come true - I can’t believe what has happened.”

Katie, now based at Barnard Castle, has had a long and winding journey to the top of the sport she only reached in her forties – she worked in the racing industry and for a local four-star rider in her early days to fund her own eventing career. She added success is reward for Angela Hislop who sent Treworra to Katie when he was aged five and had also supplied her with other rides.

The success earned Angela a £26,100 pay day – the biggest cash prize of Treworra’s career with Magee saying: “It was lovely, especially for Angela as the sport is so expensive. Angela has made a huge difference to my career. I would have probably given up but for her. I have a lot to thank her for.”

Katie has also worked closely with Olympic silver medallist Nicola Wilson, the Morton-on-Swale-based three-day eventer whose glittering career ended after a life-changing fall at Badminton in 2022. She said: “Nicola has been an amazing help for my dressage which wasn’t Wilf’s strongest phase. She walked the cross-country course twice with me and the showjumping one which was invaluable. She pushes me in a nice way, and I cannot thank her enough.”

Katie added that Wilf, who she described as being a diva, had been spoilt rotten in the week leading up to Badminton as Hislop must have fed him about six bags of carrots. It certainly worked as Wilf produced his A-game with his best result, which began with a dressage test which left the pair in 26th place. Katie said: “He was a good boy producing and good and clear test, though it was not his best. We did the test on the Thursday when it was quieter than Friday which would have been better as we could have done with a bigger audience. He sparkles as he thinks the crowd is there all for him and he likes to show off.”

Wilf certainly responded on cross-country day – there was a crowd of around 100,000 - when he went clear and was only one of six competitors to get inside the optimum time of 11min 30sec. “His ears pricked up and it was lovely to hear the cheer of support which he lapped up,” she said.

The heroics on cross-country day catapulted Katie and Wilf up the leaderboard to fourth place. “I stayed in my own bubble and tried not to think about it too much about it – Wilf did a lot of grazing, and I focused on looking after him,” she continued. “Wilf is not the most natural jumper, and it was a big, technical track. We both needed to be on our game and not do anything silly – Wilf likes to touch the odd rail – and I was trying not to think what would happen if a pole falls. In the end we had four faults and I couldn’t have been more delighted as there were only a handful of clear rounds.”

Katie added it was special to be at Badminton where history was made when Ros Canter became the first rider to win the event on the same horse, Lordships Graffalo, as they collected £125,000. “It was brilliant to be there in the flesh when history was made when ‘Walter’ won for the third time. To witness it was special,” she added.

Holly Richardson, 32, who is based at her family’s farm at Richmond, also celebrated after completing her first Badminton on Ballyneety Silver Service. And their reward was receiving the Laurence Rook Trophy for being the best British rider not previously to have completed Badminton. They were 55th out of 61 in the dressage before a brilliant cross-country clear inside the time lifted them to 23rd. Showjumping did not go to plan with 21.6 penalties which dropped them to 27th.

Oliver Townend, last year’s runner-up on Cooley Rosalent, pulled out before the event as his horse was unsound, so the Huddersfield-raised rider will have to wait before competing in his 100th five-star event