A monster of a performance from Graffalo

    9 May 2022   

It was the most exciting (and nerve-wracking) of competitions for connections of Lordships Graffalo and his rider, World Champion Ros Canter, who finished in a thrilling second place just 4.6penalties behind the winners, Laura Collett and London 52. It was a Badminton debut for the ten-year-old SHB(GB) registered gelding who produced a double clear inside the time, to win the SHB(GB) trophy presented by the Princess Royal to the owner of the highest placed horse by an SHB(GB) approved stallion. Ros also received the Frank Weldon memorial trophy for the highest placed young horse.

‘Walter’ owned by Michele Saul, was bred by the Lordships Stud at Writtle college when Pennie Wallace was a senior lecturer and loaned her mare Cornish Queen to the stud to be bred to the Stallion Company’s Trakehner stallion Grafenstolz. To those who always proclaimed that event horses couldn’t be bred Walter could not have a greater eventing and SHB(GB) pedigree. His sire – formerly ridden by Michael Jung – achieved 5 two-star wins and two 3* placings. His dam Cornish Queen was bred by former Olympian and chair of BE selectors Bridget Parker and was by the former SHB(GB) advanced eventing stallion Rock King who was by the leading sire Just a Monarch. Just as importantly Cornish Queen was out of Cornish Faer by Ben Faerie xx who with Bridget’s daughter Katie Parker was 21^st at Badminton in 1995 and long-listed for the Atlanta Olympics.

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Graffalo was one of four SHB(GB) registered horses that finished in the top 15. Irish rider Austin O’Connor produced a double clear with the Salty Syndicate’ grey Colorado Blue to rise 50 places up the leader board to a final eighth place. Bred by Kate Jarvey Colorado Blue is by the WBFSH number one sire Jaguar Mail out of Rock Me Baby who is also by Rock King out of a mare by Shaab xx.

Jonelle Price and the former winner Classic Moet (Classic xx- Bohemond xx) produced another clear cross-country round inside the time – no mean feat for the evergreen 19-year-old SHB(GB) graded mare to finish in 11^th while William Fox-Pitt and the SHB(GB) registered gelding Oratorio by his former winner Oslo Biats was 14^th. Dorset-based first timer Rosie Fry placed 47^th of the 52 finishers with True Blue Too by the SHB(GB) Jumbo son Jigilo.