'Winning never entered my mind'

A breakthrough star, the retirement of a legend and a shock result are among the factors making this a superb milestone edition of Badminton

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AS the week of the 75th anniversary edition of Badminton unfolded, one brilliant winner’s story after another came into focus through the rays of perfectly timed sunshine.

Oliver Townend wins the Rolex Grand Slam. William Fox-Pitt lands his 15th fivestar and retires. Tim Price finally coaxes a showjumping clear from Vitali to hold on to victory. Emily King becomes a second-generation five-star winner on her first completion and fifth start here. An unknown Irish amateur debutante trounces everyone. Bubby Upton makes a victorious comeback from a potentially career-ending injury less than a year ago.

And yet, one after another, these stories faded away. In their place, galloping round in the winner’s rug when all was said and done, were New Zealand’s Caroline Powell and Greenacres Special Cavalier, owned by Chris and Michelle Mann and her rider.

No one expected Caroline to win. Data analytics experts EquiRatings put her victory chance at 2% before the event.

“It never entered my mind that we would win it – you get to an age where you start slowing down a little bit and said Caroline, 51, admitting that at one point in the buildup she had told her groom Tristan Hudson never to let her enter again.

It is 14 years since Caroline, who is based in Suffolk, won Burghley in 2010 with the much-loved Lenamore; she has never been on a fivestar podium bar that result, although the cheeky, popular grey gave her plenty of top 10s.

“You always come here and hope to get your double clear and everyone go home safe and happy, but to win it is just unbelievable,” she declared.