Charlotte Dujardin will defend her Olympic dressage gold on relative newcomer Gio, rather than Valegro’s immediate successor, Mount St John Freestyle. Dujardin made the decision after assessing which of her top-string horses would cope best with the heat and humidity expected in Tokyo.

Gio came out in Grand Prix last year and goes to the Olympic Games with even less competition experience than Valegro had in 2012, although Dujardin is confident Gio will deliver.

The chestnut 10-year-old was spotted by Dujardin during a clinic in the US in 2016. He has been seen infrequently in the arena while progressing through the levels. He performed his first FEI Grand Prix Special at Wellington, Hampshire, a late-arranged show in May, scoring 81.43%. On Wednesday, Gio appeared unfazed by 1,000 spectators at Royal Windsor Horse Show, where Britain’s Olympic dressage and eventing riders took part in an open training session.

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