Canter's in the Clover

A horse with a brother who has been on the podium at fivestar secures the five-year-old final

- GEMMA REDRUP

COOLEY CLOVERLAND went one better when he won the five-year-old Dubarry Burghley young event horse final, having finished second in the four-year-old showdown last year.

The winner – who is by Cavalier Land out of Clover Light Girl (by Clover Hill) and owned by Kate and Joe Walls and Rob and Tricia Sargent – led the competition from start to finish under Ros Canter. He is a full brother to Kate’s Cooley Lands, who was third at Badminton under Chris Burton in 2019, and finished an impressive 6.75 marks ahead of his nearest rival.

“He was so laid-back and took it all in his stride,” said Ros, who was awarded 24.75 out of 30 for the dressage ( judged by Sue Baxter and Les Smith), 39 out of 40 for the jumping (judged by Nicola Wilson and Jane Holderness-Roddam) and 14 out of 20 for suitability and type (judged by Jenny Hall). Andrew Nicholson, who was responsible for judging the gallop, cemented Cooley Cloverland’s victory by awarding him top marks.