Superlatives were being heaped on Charlotte Dujardin for her flawless display in the esoteric sport of equestrian dressage, winning her a third Olympic Gold on Valegro (known around the stable as Blueberry).
“She is the Simone Biles of the parade ring, the Usain Bolt of horse disco, the Michael Phelps of the piaffe. She is less a sports person than an artist show woman of finesse, dexterity and absolute, total control.”
“She has raised the bar for the sport and confirmed her status as its great innovator and current all-round superstar.” She’s the most successful British dressage rider in the history of the sport and the winner of all major titles and world records in the sport.
Born 13 July 1985 just outside London, she grew up in a pony-mad though not rich family, joined a dressage stable as a groom and went on from there.
She’s got an enormously determined, disciplined and obsessively conscientious chart as befits this most exacting of sports. Her Sun Mars in Cancer are trine Saturn in Scorpio; with Saturn in a Fixed Grand Cross opposition North Node (Moon) in earthy Taurus square Mercury opposition Jupiter in Aquarius.
Valegro was foaled in the Netherlands on 5 July 2002, so has a Cancer Sun like Charlotte, and, even more helpful, his exuberant Jupiter Mars in Cancer are conjunct her Sun Mars. Their relationship chart has an affectionate composite Sun Venus conjunct pro-active Mars, all in a controlled, possessive trine to Pluto and opposition a creative Uranus Neptune conjunction. There may also be a composite Moon Jupiter trine Saturn – a great mix of closeness and discipline in a sport that relies on a working partnership.
Another success story from unlikely beginnings is Brit Laura Trott, 24 April 1992, a track and road cyclist, with three Olympic Golds to her credit and 20 golds in all. She was born prematurely with a collapsed lung and later developed asthma which stopped her trampolining but not, for some reason, scaling the heights in cycling.
She’s an earthy Sun Taurus trine Jupiter in Virgo; with a formidable mini-Grand Trine of Pluto trine Mars in Pisces sextiling onto Uranus Neptune in Capricorn; and a tough-minded Pluto square Saturn in Aquarius.
Just goes to show there’s little to stop those with drive and talent from getting to the top.