AHEAD of the 2026 MARS Badminton Horse Trials, there was a chance that Ros Canter and Lordships Graffalo could make history by becoming the first combination to win the CCI5* three times. As the weekend unfolded, it looked less like a chance than a foregone conclusion, as the pairing excelled in every phase, putting in an apparently effortless performance to win by a margin of more that eight penalties on a final score of 25.7. This feat seems all the more incredible in light of the fact that Canter gave birth to her second child less than four months previously, and that Lordships Graffalo was also second here on his first attempt, making it four from four podium placings at Badminton for them.

Canter and Graffalo established their lead in the dressage phase, when the Ground Jury of Christina Klingspor, Angela Tucker and Amanda Miller awarded them a score of 23.7, over four marks ahead of the Thursday night leaders Tiana Coudray and Cancaras Girl. A clear round inside the time on Saturday, when Coudray stopped at the cottage on top of the bank and incurred further penalties for activating a frangible device, extended their lead, and gave them a comfortable margin in which to produce a precisely ridden clear show jumping round, just five seconds over the time allowed.