Defending champion Sam Griffiths is determined to play his part in ensuring that recent southern hemisphere domination of the Mitsubishi Motors Badminton Horse Trials continues this week.

Eventing's blue riband competition will unfold over the next four days, with Britain seeking its first winner since Yorkshireman Oliver Townend triumphed aboard Flint Curtis in 2009.

Townend's victory ended a four-year wait for British glory, but another barren run has been generated by the subsequent successes of Australian pair Griffiths and Paul Tapner, in addition to New Zealand duo Mark Todd and Jonathan Paget.

The home-based challenge, led by last year's runner-up Townend on Armada and former world number one William Fox-Pitt riding his world and European individual bronze medal-winning stallion Chilli Morning, will potentially be a strong one.

The claims of experienced campaigners like Tina Cook and Pippa Funnell also cannot be ignored, while three of British eventing's most exciting prospects - Izzy Taylor, Gemma Tattersall and Laura Collett - will hope to arrive at Sunday's showjumping finale firmly in contention.

With the FEI European Eventing Championships taking place in just four months' time at Blair Castle in Scotland, Badminton will provide a strong early season form guide for Great Britain team boss Yogi Breisner.

But an £80,000 top prize is also being targeted by the likes of Griffiths, Todd, Paget, three more outstanding New Zealanders in Andrew Nicholson, plus husband and wife Tim and Jonelle Price, and Germany's Ingrid Klimke, who has a major chance with Horseware Hale Bob.

"I get tingles down my spine now, thinking about last year. It was a great feeling, and a dream come true," said Griffiths, who is based on the Dorset/Somerset border.

"I don't think many people have retained the Badminton title, but I am trying to take pressure off myself.

"I know when I drive through the gates at Badminton I will be saying to myself 'I know I can win this event, I have done it before'. I will try to enjoy myself, but I am sure I will feel the pressure a bit.

"I am coming with a really strong hand.

"I've got two horses in Paulank Brockagh, who won last year, and Happy Times, who has come third at Badminton before, so if I am ever going to retain the title, hopefully it will be on one of those two horses. I am feeling pretty confident.

"Trying to win an event like Badminton, you are going to be under pressure. But I try not to think about the result, I just try to concentrate on doing each jump at a time, and then worry about the result once I have done it."

Saturday's cross-country action, which follows two days of dressage, again promises to be the pivotal phase of a competition that saw Italian course designer Giuseppe della Chiesa make his mark 12 months ago.

"Giuseppe breathed a bit of fire into it," added Griffiths, reflecting on a 2014 course that tested every combination to the maximum.

"Last year, the going was quite soft and very sappy on the horses, with strong winds as well. It really took it out of them.

"The middle of that cross-country course was really tough. I always call it power-jumping, with big bold jump after big bold jump, and any chink in your armour, Giuseppe seemed to find it out.

"You needed a bit of luck as well, but I was just so lucky that I was on a power-jumper."

Fox-Pitt, whose only Badminton win among a remarkable 13 career four-star titles came in 2004, looks likely to contend strongly with Chilli Morning, while Townend's ride Armada is among the finest cross-country performers around at elite level.

Townend said: "He (Armada) feels in great form. It's just about getting him right for the day now.

"Like any big sporting occasion, especially involving horses, a lot has to go right. It takes a special horse.

"I never see the (cross-country) course before I get to Badminton, so I don't really know what to expect, but I would hope it is not too much different from last year.

"My hunger in the sport is more than ever, and you can't not hope and dream.

"I have got some very nice horses coming through, some good horse-power and lots of options."