'He should be celebrated'

The wettest Badminton since 2014 is dominated by young British talents Ros Canter and Lordships Graffalo, while an Irishman rules on cross-country day and a true stalwart of the sport takes the runner-up spot

- GEMMA REDRUP

FINAL PLACINGS

1st Ros Canter (GBR) on Lordships Graffalo

2nd Oliver Townend (GBR) on Ballaghmor Class

3rd Austin O’Connor (IRL) on Colorado Blue

Winning owner: Michele Saul

Winning breeder: Lordships Stud

Winning grooms: Sarah Charnley and Travis Leigh

Badminton Horse Trials, presented by Mars Equestrian, Glos 

THERE’S winning Badminton, and then there’s winning Badminton with the biggest margin since short format was introduced at the event in 2006. That’s exactly what Ros Canter did at this year’s event.

Ros is very much a familiar face on the top-flight eventing circuit, and on British teams too. She is world number three in the current FEI rider rankings. Yet prior to this year’s event, Ros, who is 37, had started at Badminton just five times – the first was in 2016, when she withdrew after dressage, then a year later she finished fifth on the wonderful Allstar B, with whom she was world champion in 2018.

She also took much of the 2019 season out to have a baby, so her five-star career is comparatively short, when you take into consideration riders can spend many years trying to achieve a Badminton victory.

Ros was victorious aboard Lordships Graffalo, who at just the age of 11 has already finished runner-up here in 2022, and was best of the Brits at the World Eventing Championships in Pratoni last year, where he claimed fourth, settling on the same score as the individual bronze medallist.