Posted: 13th June 2018 | Back to news feed
Charlotte Dujardin and Mount St John Freestyle served further notice of their rich potential as a partnership by claiming victory in Wednesday's headllne dressage class at the Equerry Bolesworth International Horse Show.
The double Olympic dressage champion - individual gold medallist at London 2012 and Rio 2016 - has high hopes for the talented nine-year-old mare.
Having won their first three grand prix classes together, they duly made it four in front of a knowledgeable and appreciative audience to land Bolesworth's three-star grand prix, sponsored by F&Co Equine/Theraplate.
Their score of 79.652 per cent thwarted the victory ambitions of her mentor and fellow dressage superstar Carl Hester, who delivered a polished, accurate performance with Hawtins Delicato to score 77.217 per cent.
"God damn, she was just 0.4 per cent off scoring 80 per cent today!" a delighted Charlotte said.
"She is so close to a big score, it is just the little things that push the marks down.
"There is so much to come from her, and there is so much to give. She is such a tryer."
The pair are being talked about as a potential Great Britain team combination for the World Equestrian Games in Tryon, North Carolina in three months' time, and their impressive progress, which continued in fine style at Bolesworth, did nothing to dilute that prospect.
Charlotte rose to iconic dressage status on the brillant Valegro, and after concentrating on developing her young horses last year following Valegro's retirement, she continues to build an enviable string of competitors.
A high-class grand prix competition was dominated by a strong British contingent, with GB team member Gareth Hughes completing the podium places on Classic Briolinca, scoring 74.435 per cent, while Emile Faurie and Dono Di Maggio took fourth spot on 73.522 per cent.
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