Ros Canter and Lordships Graffalo (pictured top) produced the performance Britain needed at Aachen today (15 August), moving into individual silver and helping Great Britain establish a commanding team lead after a thrilling cross-country day at the 2026 eventing World Championships.
The British anchorwoman delivered a clear inside the 9min 50sec optimum time, leaving her on her dressage score of 23.4 and just 0.4 penalties behind Germany’s Michael Jung. Laura Collett and London 52 are third on 23.6, with Tom McEwen and JL Dublin in fourth on 28.6, meaning three British combinations occupy the top four places going into Sunday’s final showjumping phase.
The cross-country was action-packed where only six of the 85 starters jumped clear inside the optimum time. The 5,600m track, designed by Giuseppe della Chiesa, demanded relentless accuracy as well as speed, with little opportunity for horses and riders to take a breather between fences.
Ros, who is still breastfeeding her seven-month-old daughter Seneh, said she was “just over the moon”, although she admitted she was “quite relieved” too.
“It’s been a long wait today, and it’s a very, very intense track to ride,” she said. “Badminton and Burghley feel a little bit easier for ‘Walter’ because you can cruise along in-between, whereas today you have to go so fast between fences, and there doesn’t seem to be any space to do that because all of a sudden you’ve got another jump to jump.”
Yet Lordships Graffalo, who is a dual Badminton and Burghley champion, looked every inch the championship horse.
“What an amazing horse he is,” Ros said. “He just absolutely loves it, doesn’t he? And as soon as he came over to the cross-country warm-up, his ears pricked. He just gives me the utmost confidence, he really does.”
Ros took the direct options throughout the intense track, but there was one moment when she nearly chose a long route. Having watched Tom McEwen take the long route at fence 17, Ros was tempted to do the same.
“I was really, really tempted to go long because he just felt like he’d got a little bit strung out,” she explained. “Then came the pep talk: “But then I thought ‘for goodness’ sake, you haven’t come to the World Championships to wimp out of it. So get on with it because you know you’re on a good horse.’”
Ros now sits just 0.4 penalties behind cross-country leaders Michael Jung and fischerChipmunk FRH for Germany.
Laura Collett: “The best round I’ve ever had”
Laura Collett produced another extraordinary performance with the 17-year-old London 52, finishing clear and only two seconds over the optimum time, moving down one place into individual bronze on 23.6. The pair are just 0.2 penalties behind Ros and only 0.6 from Michael’s lead.
“This horse is just unbelievable,” Laura said. “It felt like he’d walked the course and knew what I was wanting him to do even before I got there. He gave me so much confidence from start to finish. He never wavered off line.”
There was, however, a worrying moment approaching the final water when London 52 slipped and nearly fell.
“We had a bit of a scary moment because he pulled off a shoe and turning to the last water he was nearly on his side,” Laura said. “I don’t know how he jumped quite a big fence into water but he is just the most amazing horse. The ground looked very close at one stage.
“That was probably the best round I’ve ever had on him.”
Laura also had to make a decision at a late combination, initially considering the long route. But after watching Tom, and with British team coach Chris Bartle, British eventing high performance coach, urging her on, she committed to the direct line.
“My horse was on fire, reading everything, so I knew I could trust him,” she said. “Chris Bartle grabbed hold of me and said, ‘I believe in you. Go straight.’ And there was no reason to doubt him.”
The British team’s success was made more poignant by the pressure created when Gemma Stevens was eliminated earlier in the day following three refusals attempting to jump into the first part of a rail, ditch rail combination with Flash Cooley, meaning Britain could not afford another non-score.
“I’m so proud of all the horses,” Laura said. “They are all real performers. They love the big stage.”
Tom McEwen: ‘I let him set sail’
Tom McEwen and JL Dublin, already bronze medallists individually at last year’s Europeans, produced a fast clear to climb to fourth individually on 28.6, adding just two time penalties.
“‘Dubs’ for me was brilliant,” Tom said. “I let him set sail, never felt like I was rushing and tried to leave enough petrol in the tank.”
But a late combination presented a dilemma. Having hoped to take the direct route, Tom made the decision to protect the team score.
“I made the quick decision and sped as quickly as I could round the long route, which is clearly much safer,” he said. “It’s a good option. Obviously, the straight route should be great, but team comes first.”
Tom admitted JL Dublin was beginning to tire towards the finish.
“He was just starting to get a little bit tired there,” he said. “Galloping around Aachen is tiring, not just for the horse physically, but mentally, and that’s the same with the riders.”
The pair finished five seconds over the optimum time for two time-faults but, crucially, jumped clear and kept Britain’s team challenge on track.
Michael Jung: “I have no words”
At the top of the individual leaderboard sits the seemingly ageless Michael Jung with fischerChipmunk FRH. The German maestro delivered one of the day’s only clear rounds inside the time, finishing on 23 penalties and moving 0.4 ahead of Ros.
“FischerChipmunk is amazing and I have no words,” Michael said of the 18-year-old. “He’s an unbelievable horse, he is full of energy, he’s galloping, he’s jumping.”
He added: “He was listening so well today and was so lovely to ride and it is such an honour to have this horse.
“The ground was perfect. The conditions were perfect. It was a bit cloudy, and that helps for sure also.”
The German rider went on to explain how managing energy was crucial around today’s track.
“If you went too fast in the beginning and you had no energy in the end, the last jumps get so difficult,” he explained. “The time is not everything.
“In the end, I was fighting a bit more, and he was absolutely with me, and that’s a great feeling.”
It was also another extraordinary championship milestone for the pair, with Chipmunk becoming only the second horse after La Biosthetique-Sam FBW to make the optimum time at five separate championships.
Caroline Harris: another big performance
Britain’s individual rider Caroline Harris and her mount D. Day were also very impressive today. The pair jumped clear and finished only three seconds outside the optimum time, leaving them 14th individually, having been 40th after the dressage.
“Oh my God, that horse is just something else,” Caroline said. “He was class.
“I knew as soon as we jumped the trakehner early in the course that he was going to be on it today because he can sometimes go a little bit ‘ditchy’,” she said. “But I think this year he’s just grown up and is a phenomenal horse to ride cross-country.”
Caroline, who won Luhmühlen’s five-star earlier this year and also won the five-star at Pau in 2024 with D. Day, but then fell uncharacteristically at the European Championships at Blenheim last September, said their partnership has developed significantly this season.
“He loves it. He’s always great, and we just have 100% faith in each other now,” she said. “We learnt a lot last year, as everyone likes to keep reminding me. But we’ve come out this year, and he just feels a totally different horse.”
She added: “He’s so straight. He always just wants to look for the flags and jump between them.”
Germany’s Julia Krajewski and Uelzener’s Nickel, who were overnight individual leaders after their brilliant 22 dressage, slipped to 20th after picking up time penalties across country, but this wasn’t a huge shock as this horse hasn’t finished within the optimum time since he was competing at two-star level in 2022.
Britain clear at the top – but Germany remain dangerous
In the team standings, Britain sits on 75.6, giving them a 14.8 advantage over Germany on 90.4. Switzerland is third on 106.5, followed by Ireland on 110.1, the USA on 112.3 and France on 113.9.
Individual top six after cross-country
- Michael Jung (GER) – fischerChipmunk FRH: 23.0
- Ros Canter (GBR) – Lordships Graffalo: 23.4
- Laura Collett (GBR) – London 52: 23.6
- Tom McEwen (GBR) – JL Dublin: 28.6
- Christoph Wahler (GER) – D’Accord FRH: 29.4
- William Coleman (USA) – Diabolo: 30.0
Team standings after cross-country
- Great Britain – 75.6
- Germany – 90.4
- Switzerland – 106.5
- Ireland – 110.1
- USA – 112.3
- France – 113.9
The final horse inspection takes place at 8.30am (UK time) on Sunday morning, with the final showjumping phase scheduled to kick off at midday (UK time).
Images: © FEI and Tim Wilkinson
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