EquiRatings Eventing Podcast

Ownership in eventing rarely follows a straight line. For Alex Wakeley, it has been shaped by family history, a first tentative run at BE80, and a young grey bought quietly after the Rio Olympics who would go on to win at Le Lion d'Angers. In this episode of Through the Owners' Eyes, Nicole Brown sits down with Alex, owner of Cristal Fontaine and Chairman of the Event Horse Owners Association, to talk about what ownership really looks like.
From the highs of a six-year-old World Championship title with Kitty King to the realities of injury management, long seasons, and knowing when a horse owes you nothing more, Alex reflects on the full ownership journey. 
Highlights
From first event nerves to owning a Le Lion d'Angers six-year-old World Champion
Buying young, trusting instinct, and choosing the right rider
The realities of injuries, longevity, and horse welfare at the top level
Syndicates, access, and bringing younger owners into the sport
The role of the Event Horse Owners Association, from hospitality to advocacy
Guest
Alex Wakeley, event horse owner, Chairman of the Event Horse Owners Association
For more information on the Event Horse Owners Association, including membership, owner hospitality at events, and grassroots initiatives, visit the Event Horse Owners Association.
This episode is powered by EquiRatings Horse Sales,the data-driven way to find your next superstar. From performance metrics to potential and price, EquiRatings helps take the guesswork out of buying and selling horses. Find out more here.
EquiRatings Eventing Podcast:
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We've set the scene at Bruce's Field. Now it's time to turn to the field itself.
Nicole Brown is joined by Frankie Thieriot-Stutes, Annie Bishop and Diarmuid Byrne to break down the contenders for the $100,000 LiftMaster Grand-Prix Eventing Showcase presented by Taylor Harris Insurance Services.
And the numbers matter here. Winners almost always come from the top three after dressage. No one has ever won with a rail down. And if you're leading after show jumping, history says you are very hard to catch.
So who fits that profile in 2026?
This is your full preview before the action begins in Aiken.
Highlights
What the data says about the winning formula
Why show jumping could be the decisive phase
Which horses are built for this tight, electric atmosphere
How the $100,000 prize fund changes the mindset
Full podium predictions from the team
Guests
Frankie Thieriot-Stutes 
Annie Bishop 
Diarmuid Byrne 
EquiRatings Eventing Podcast
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🎟️ Be there when it happens. Tickets on sale now.

The season starts here.
The $100,000 LiftMaster Grand Prix Eventing Showcase presented by Taylor Harris Insurance Services returns to Bruce's Field, and with it comes one of the most unique tests on the calendar.
This episode is a behind-the-scenes preview of how it all comes together. Course designer Jay Hambly and Event Director Joanie Morris explain how the track is built, how the format is structured, and how Bruce's Field transforms into a spectator-driven production that feels closer to a championship arena than a traditional cross country field.
Highlights
How the Showcase format works and why it is different from a standard advanced
Jay Hambly on designing within Mark Phillips' blueprint and making the time influential
Key features to watch, including the Bridge, the Brushes and new track adjustments
Joanie Morris on building a two-day event that blends top-level sport with packed crowds
Why the $100,000 prize fund raises the stakes at the very start of the season
Guests
Jay Hambly – Cross Country Course Designer
Joanie Morris – Event Director
EquiRatings Eventing Podcast
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What happens when you look beyond the feed room door?
Across three episodes, this series takes listeners inside Connolly's Red Mills. From the grain stores of rural Ireland to world championship warm-ups, it follows the journey of a brand built on one idea: better performance through better nutrition.
In this episode, top riders including Tom Rowland, Kirsty Chabert, Alex Bragg, Aoife Clark and Sam Watson step inside the mill to see the process for themselves. They talk about clean sport, confidence in testing, the scale of the operation, and what it means to stand behind the product you feed your horses every day. There are surprises along the way, yes, including camel feed, but the consistent theme is attention to detail and a culture built around solving problems for horse performance.
From grassroots riders to five-star champions, the message is the same. Quality matters. Trust matters. And the details count.
Highlights
Inside the Red Mills story, from 1908 to today
Riders reflect on clean sport and laboratory testing
How nutrition impacts performance at every level
The scale of a global operation rooted in rural Ireland
Sam Watson on performance, marginal gains and long-term partnership
Why attention to detail keeps coming up in every conversation
Guests
Tom Rowland – British international event rider and producer of horses through the levels.
Cameron Beer – British event rider and coach producing horses and riders through the grassroots and performance pathways.
Kirsty Chabert – Five-star British event rider with experience producing horses from youngstock to championship level.
Alex Bragg – International event rider known for producing competitive horses through to five-star.
Aoife Clark – Irish Olympian and five-star event rider based in the heart of horse country.
Sam Watson – Irish Olympian, performance analyst and co-founder of EquiRatings.
Gareth Connolly – Director of Connolly's Red Mills and fourth-generation member of the Connolly family.
Connolly's Red Mills are offering 15% off Foran Equine products to Eventing Podcast listeners! Use the code EquiRatingsPodcast15 to receive your discount. View the full collection here.
Note this does not apply to the already discounted Pre-Fuel & Refuel combo packs.
If you have any other questions regarding feeding click here to ask the Connolly's RED MILLS experts.

It starts with a seed. It ends with a bag. Every stage in between matters.
In Chapter 2 of the documentary series, Nicole Brown steps inside Connolly's Red Mills to follow the full journey from raw ingredient to finished feed. From seed plants and grain stores to laboratories and production lines, this episode shows how consistency is built long before a product ever leaves the mill.
The people behind each stage explain what their roles really mean. Grain is grown with trusted local farmers, tested on arrival, analysed again before release, and tracked through a system designed to remove uncertainty. Technology supports it, but detail drives it. If something does not meet the standard, it does not move forward.
The scale is global. The operation is local. And everything still comes back to the same place where the story began.
Highlights
From seed selection to harvest, how the raw materials are sourced
The intake process that tests every delivery of grain
Inside the lab screening for nutrients, contaminants and prohibited substances
Technology that supports consistency across every batch
The logistics behind supplying more than 80 countries worldwide
Why full in-house production remains central to the philosophy
Guests
Gareth Connolly – CEO of Connolly's Red Mills and fifth-generation family member
Martin Bolger – Seed Plant Manager at Connolly's Red Mills
Mike Shields – Chief Technical Officer overseeing quality and compliance
Paul Connolly – Project and Systems Engineer
John Connolly – Chief Operating Officer responsible for operations and logistics
Jane Davis – Head of Marketing at Connolly's Red Mills
Connolly's Red Mills are offering 15% off Foran Equine products to Eventing Podcast listeners! Use the code EquiRatingsPodcast15 to receive your discount. View the full collection here.
Note this does not apply to the already discounted Pre-Fuel & Refuel combo packs.
If you have any other questions regarding feeding click here to ask the Connolly's RED MILLS experts.