Lucy Latta

The young Irish event rider was an overnight sensation at Badminton when she finished second. Pippa Roome meets her to hear more about her two jobs

BRAVE but measured," are the words Ireland's Lucy Latta uses to describe her Badminton runner-up RCA Patron Saintand I think these words apply to her too.

Lucy and "Paddy" started the Gloucestershire classic in May as rank outsiders. Interviewing this 27-year-old five-star first-timer after dressage, the touchpoints for journalists were her blueblooded horsey family and the fact she is a rare amateur in top-flight horse sport.

By the end of cross-country day, she was a serious contender for the title in third overnight, a new arrival in the world of elite event riders.

Through it all, this small, slight rider was calm, polite and articulate and she's just the same when we speak six weeks later responsive to messages, helpful and a good talker without waffling. She's had a lot of attention since Badminton, but her personality and her non-equestrian experience have prepared her well.

"The media side after cross-country was something different, but having done a master's and coming from a corporate job, where you're doing endless presentations, I'm quite used to having to answer questions in front of people," she says.

"I'm quite a level-headed person and going into Sunday, the first step was to get through the trot-up. Then it was a case of honing in and focusing on the task at hand.

"I have a 1.30m track to jump on my horse, I've done this endless times. It's not the easiest thing in the world to do, but that's the mindset that I was in - to try and block out the fact I'm at Badminton and in third, and focus on trying to jump clear." That didn't quite come off - a fault-free round would have meant victory - but so influential was the final phase that two poles down still raised Lucy to second.