OLIVER Townend has long been saying that Cooley Rosalent is among the most special horses he has ever ridden and the nine-year-old Irish Sport Horse mare proved it last weekend when winning the CCI4*-S eight/nine-year-old class at Blenheim Palace International Horse Trials.

By Valent out of the thoroughbred mare Bellaney Jewel (Roselier), she was bred by Woods Rosbotham and has been at Townend’s yard since she was four. A Le Lion silver medallist in 2020, she picked up 20 penalties on her first five-star start at Luhmühlen in June and was second here after dressage on a score of 24.7 which they finished on.