Rosalind Canter in the driving seat at Badminton

Rosalind Canter was the star of a dramatic and thrilling day of cross-country sport at Badminton Horse Trials, presented by Mars Equestrian.

The 2018 world champion has two show jumps in hand to win her first five-star after a stirring performance at the end of the day aboard Michelle Saul’s 11-year-old Lordships Graffalo, the runner-up at Badminton and fourth at the world championships in 2022.

Ros was only three seconds slower than experienced Irishman Austin O’Connor (riding Colorado Blue), whose best previous Badminton result was fourth in 1999 – in similarly boggy conditions. The pair were easily the fastest in the field, with 11.6 and 10.8 time penalties respectively, on a day when the sticky ground conditions exerted a toll on horses’ stamina.

Loud cheering greeted Ros and “Walter” as they galloped back into the arena. “We all love Walter, and he had to dig deeper today than ever before, but I think he had a nice day out,” said Ros. “I had the benefit of going round on my first horse [Pencos Crown Jewel, seventh – Ros was the only rider to get two horses round] so I knew where there was time to be saved.”

Please click here to read the rest of the article as it appears on the Badmintion Horse Trials website.