Biography

After a 9-year hiatus Irish team rider and data analyst Sam Watson (39) returned to Badminton last year completing with SAP Talisman. Sam has now completed Badminton on five occasions – four of them his former team ride Horseware Bushman. It will however be a first 5* for this year’s entry Ballyneety Rocketman with who he won the 4*L at Millstreet last year. In 2023 with SAP Talisman Sam completed Burghley (13^th) and was a member of the Irish team at the 2021 European championships. During his career Sam has contested 11 major championships on five different horses – he is wondering whether Rocket will make it 12 on 6.

Sam, who is based at the Ballybolger Stud in Co Carlow, was a member of the Irish team at the 2014 WEG. With former ride Horseware Bushman he represented Ireland on five senior championship teams and Horseware Bushman was Ireland’s all-time highest points scoring horse. The combination also represented Ireland in Juniors and Young Riders and in 2006 was fourth at the YR European Championships (missing an individual medal by just 0.4pen)

In 2009 he won his first three-day, the two-star at Weston Park with Hoyo (by Puissance and a three-quarter brother to Bushman) and that year made his Badminton debut with Bushman and competed in the European Championships in Fontainebleau. In 2010 the pair was selected for the WEG where they finished in 26th place and in 2011 they competed at the European Championships.

Sam combined studying at Trinity College (in Management Science and Information Systems) with eventing. At the end of 2014, and with a nod to his degree, he founded EquiRatings, a company that analyses equestrian sports data.

Sam comes from an equestrian family; his father John competed at Badminton and won individual silver at the 1978 World Championships in Kentucky as well as European Team bronze and gold in ‘77 and ’79 (with Cambridge Blue); sister Rozzie flew the flag at Junior and Young Riders with the Watson’s first homebred mare Floating. She now heads the horse sales team at EquiRatings.

Sam is a ‘massive National Hunt enthusiast he now enjoys breeding and producing racehorses. In 2012 Sam married Hannah (Sparkles) Bailey – a rider and former groom to Pippa Funnell – and the couple has two sons; Archie (11) and Toby (10).

Ballyneety Rocketman is an 11-year-old Irish Sport Horse registered gelding. Bred by James Hickey he is by Diamond Discovery out of a mare by Errigal Flight. He was acquired by Sam from the Go for Gold sale in 2018 and is owned by Sam and his ‘supermum, supergroom and superwife’ Hannah.