A Burghley dream

The "unreal" Lordships Graffalo helps Ros Canter tick a box she thought might always elude her, at a vintage edition of the local five-star where it all started for her

- LUCY ELDER

WHEN Ros Canter looked at her phone on Sunday afternoon, a message from two of her best friends from the Pony Club flashed up.

"It read, 'I can't believe you've just won the event that we came to every year together as children," said Ros.

For the former world number one, who counts a Badminton title, European, world and Olympic gold medals among her successes, that single message bottles the essence of what this win means.

Those medals, those titles, all begin with a childhood dream.

And for Ros, that dream started at Burghley.

Ros is a Lincolnshire lass, a little further north than Stamford but close enough to feel this is her event. Her Burghley career started in the Pony Club showjumping here as a teenager, before moving on to the young event horse classes, which for a while, she thought might be her peak.

"It's been quite a journey at Burghley," said Ros, who did her first five-star here in 2015 and now holds the record for the lowest finishing score in this classic's history.

For an event that holds such a special place in her heart, Ros has had relatively little experience - or luck in the five-star. Her four previous rides are headed by 11th in 2022 with Pencos Crown Jewel.

"I wasn't sure I'd ever tick the Burghley box. The last few performances have been all right, but we've not quite made it," she said.

"It turns out you just need a horse like 'Walter, don't you? He's absolutely unreal. What a machine." Ros and Walter, the 12-yearold Lordships Graffalo who is owned by Archie and Michele Saul, show such strength through the confidence in their relationship. It feels like a contradiction to say that watching them in any phase is both thrilling and calming.

The hallmark of a true master is to make their skill appear effortless, and these two take it to the next level.