ANOTHER breeder at Badminton was Kate Stevens (Jackson) who bred the 2019 winner Vanir Kamira (Camiro de Haar Z x Dixi). With ‘Tilly’ now retired, the pressure was off Kate this year and she was another of the Badminton faithful, despite the weather, to enjoy the occasion.

“Trevor [Dickens, Vanir Kamira’s owner] rang me before they announced her retirement and I agreed it was the right thing to do,” Kate told The Irish Field this week.

“My son and his partner took me today, muddy but great fun!”

Kate’s husband Al, recovering from a knee replacement, watched from home. “He looked after the little hairy sausage dog, Topsy. I feared she may have been lost in the mire!”