Charlotte Fry and Glamourdale set the Excel alight on day two of London International Horse Show as they took victory in the FEI Dressage World Cup™ Freestyle to Music, presented by Bret Willson Dressage International Ltd and supported by Horse & Hound. Earlier in the day CSI5*-W Jumping action continued, with Matthew Sampson winning The Christmas Pudding Speed Stakes and Olivier Philippaerts clinching victory in The Santa Stakes.
Meanwhile, the New Horizon Plastics London Arena hosted a range of high-quality Showing classes, including the Rising Star of the Working Type Championship, sponsored by Mr. and Mrs. Phil Swallow, as well as the second of the LeMieux Masterclasses, which today featured Pippa and William Funnell.
FEI Dressage World Cup Freestyle
The pinnacle event of Thursday’s schedule came from the FEI Dressage World Cup™ Freestyle to Music, presented by Bret Willson Dressage International Ltd and supported by Horse & Hound. The competition captivated the passionate crowd, who were impressed by the musicality and harmony of the 14 partnerships contesting the prestigious competition.
Yesterday’s third-placed combination, Charlotte Fry and the 11-year-old stallion Glamourdale, performed their test to her Freestyle signature music, setting the International Arena alight. Their spectacular performance earned a standing ovation and a score of 86.645%, enabling them to repeat their victory from 2022.
Norwegian rider Isabel Freese maintained consistency, matching her result from yesterday to once again claim the runner-up spot. Meanwhile, World No. 4 Dinja van Liere improved on her performance from the FEI Dressage World Cup™ Qualifier in Lyon to secure third place.
Home favourites Becky Moody and Jagerbomb, winners of yesterday’s Grand Prix, debuted their new music; however, an early mistake proved costly for the partnership, leaving them out of the top-three placings this evening.
An emotional Fry exclaimed, “The feeling that I had in the arena tonight was something that I have never felt before. He was absolutely amazing and on fire! I am so thankful to be able to produce a test like this in London in front of this incredible crowd. I can’t thank the public enough for your support, not only tonight but this year. In the run-up to Paris and also in Paris we could feel all of your support. It makes me a little emotional to come back to England and to be able to ride in front of this crowd is truly an honour.”
The Christmas Pudding Speed Stakes
The opening CSI5*-W Jumping class of the day, The Christmas Pudding Speed Stakes, saw 33 of the world’s best show jumpers go head-to-head against the clock. Many of those contesting Bernardo Costa Cabral’s 12 fence course accrued faults under the pressure of setting a pace fast enough to take the victory and it was not until ninth to go – 64-year-old Geir Gulliksen – that a clear round was posted. Playing it safe, the Norwegian rider’s time of 68.61 seconds left the door ajar to those who followed, and World No. 9 Martin Fuchs took over the lead aboard L&L Lorde at the halfway point.
Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal is presented with a lifetime achievement award by British Equestrian Media Association (BEMA) Chairman, Rupert Bell at London International Horse Show. (LondonInternationalHorseShow/Peter Nixon)
Fuch’s lead was short-lived, with Germany’s Mario Stevens gaining the top spot momentarily, before Matthew Sampson put on an impressive performance, much to the delight of the home crowd, to take almost four seconds off Stevens’ time. The 2023 Leading Rider of the Show, riding the 16-year-old Daniel, saw his time beaten on several occasions in the latter stages of the competition; however, with faults picked up along the way, Sampson’s lead remained. France’s Kevin Staut came closest, riding his 15-year-old bay mare, Visconti du Telman, with Stevens taking eventual third.
Speaking after his win, Sampson said, “I’m very lucky to have a horse like Daniel, he’s amazing, he makes my job a lot easier. He’s going to do the Grand Prix tomorrow, but he’s not really a horse who likes to go in and do a slow schooling round, so I just did a round that I thought was comfortable for him. Luckily it was enough! The course walked like it was going to be quite easy, but the fences came up quickly and it caused a few challenges – it was a good course because there were faults in all different areas.”
Referring to the Show, Sampson continued, “We aim for this Show all year, we’re always thinking about qualifying to come here, so to be able to come, with my family here too, it’s special – we’re very lucky to have this show in our country.”
The Santa Stakes
The Santa Stakes continued the world-class action at the Excel, with crowds once again treated to impressive displays of skill and horsemanship. To proceed to the jump-off and keep their winning hopes alive, riders needed to remain faultless over Bernardo Costa Cabral’s testing first-round course. Belgium’s Olivier Philippaerts was the first to do so and was quickly followed by Tim Gredley, a regular on the British FEI Nations Cup™ team. Neither Scott Brash nor Ben Maher could produce the rounds they would have hoped for, however, much to the delight of the home crowd, FEI Young Rider European individual gold medallist Oliver Fletcher joined the exclusive list of riders who would proceed to the second round.
In total, seven combinations advanced to the shortened course and re-entered the arena in the same order as the first round. First into the International Arena, Philippaerts set the standard with a time of 34.00 seconds. Both British riders, Tim Gredley and Oliver Fletcher, produced faultless jumping rounds but could not match the pace set by the Belgian. The remaining combinations also fell short, and so Philippaerts claimed his first victory at the Show, with Gredley taking third and Fletcher fourth.
Philippaerts said, “It’s very satisfying, I didn’t really know what to expect as it’s only my second class with her, but she was placed yesterday in the big class, and today also, so I am very very happy about it. She is very quick over the ground and I think that’s what made a difference. It’s the first time I have won a class here so I am very happy with it – it’s a great crowd so I am delighted with the win today.”
Results here.
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