Izilot comes of age

Ros Canter nets a third top-level win this season ina duel between the world champion and the world number one. And Harry Meade has a second top result this month

- LUCY ELDER

WORLD number one Ros Canter and Izilot DHI added the Blenheim trophy to their collection of silverware with their flawless showjumping round sealing their place on the roll of honour.

Ros and the 10-yearold gelding cantered into the showjumping on their two-phase score of 22. They produced a textbook round to pile pressure on world champions Yasmin Ingham and Banzai Du Loir, who led from the first phase.

Yasmin and Banzai, winners of this class in 2021, could afford a smattering of time-faults, but no rails. The 12-year-old gelding, owned by Janette Chinn and The Sue Davies Fund, glided across the coloured poles with his usual ease and flair.

But the one true certainty in horse sport is that it can be relied upon to be unpredictable. The final fence fell for Yasmin, and the 2023 Blenheim crown landed on Ros’s head.

“More than the result, I’m so proud of how he’s dealt with the whole week and how he jumped today, particularly with how sprightly he felt,” said Ros.

"He was quite peaky and spooky, and that's his personality. The last couple of times he has done a three-day, he's been a bit flatter ahead of the showjumping. Today, he felt strong and well, so it's exciting that he's getting stronger in his body. He is still a weak horse and there's lots more development to come." Izilot DHI, whom Ros owns with Alex Moody, is a supremely talented, somewhat mercurial character. That complexity is both his strength and at times his Achilles heel. He is also not immune to a 20 penalties for a spooky moment.