Ros and Walter win rain-soaked Badminton at a Canter

ROS Canter defied conditions to take her first Badminton Horse Trials title with a huge 15-penalty advantage aboard Lordships Graffalo.

Leading from start to finish, Ros carried a dressage score of 22.1 into the demanding crosscountry phase, where heavy rain made the going testing and led to just 30 horse and rider combinations completing the course out of 58 who had set out to tackle it.

No-one got round within the optimum time but former world eventing champion Ros and her 11-year-old bay gelding, known as Walter, were the second quickest and earned praise for their seemingly effortless performance.

They then went clear in the final day’s showjumping phase, accruing just 1.6 time penalties to finish on a final score of 35.3.

They were way ahead of runner-up Oliver Townend and his Olympic team gold medallist Ballaghmor Class, and thirdplaced Irish Olympian Austin O’Connor on Colorado Blue.

Double Olympic medallist Tom McEwen, from Gloucestershire, was fourth on Toledo De Kerser, Tom Jackson took fifth position with Capels Hollow Drift and Gemma Stevens was sixth with Jalapeno.

Ros also rode her second horse, Pencos Crown Jewel, into ninth place.

She said: "Walter is an amazing horse - it’s a privilege to have him in our lives.

"The cross-country was a serious question but he’s really light on his feet and so honest.

"This was one of the most challenging riding weeks I’ve ever had but to win at Badminton is just what dreams are made of."

The international, presented by Mars Equestrian, had accepted 64 starters but six withdrew before the feature cross-country phase.

Top 16 finishers included past Badminton winners Pippa Funnell (Majas Hope) and William Fox-Pitt (Grafennacht), as well as South Gloucestershire former Team GB rider Harry Meade (Away Cruising).

Harry, of West Littleton, near Tormarton, said: "This is a really special moment. I tried to ride him sensibly from the start on the cross-country because of the conditions and we got home."

But Bristol’s Alexander Whewell and North Somerset’s Selina Milnes were among 11 who retired on the cross-country course.

A further 17 eliminations included Oliver Townend, on his other horse Swallow Springs, who was pulled up by the officiating ground jury and given a warning for dangerous riding.

Lynne Hutchinson