How up to speed are you on Liz Halliday-Sharp facts? We bring you all you need to know about the US event rider…
1. Liz first came to Britain to base herself with William Fox-Pitt during a year out from college. She ended up staying for 20 years.
2. She was studying marine biology as her major at college: “We built our house in England and we had a giant marine fish tank diving two rooms. It‘s something I’m still passionate about, but life has taken me in another direction and that’s a good thing.”
3. Liz’s best placing at five-star is eighth at Luhmühlen Horse Trials in 2018 on Deniro Z. The pair also finished 15th at Burghley Horse Trials in 2019.
4. In 2020, Liz won more international classes than any other rider in the world, with nine victories in total, including three at four-star short – two on Deniro Z and one on Fernhill By Night.
5. Liz’s husband Al is British and is an ex-policeman. They met in 2007 and married in November 2010. Halliday is Liz’s maiden name and she has added Al’s surname, Sharp.
6. She sources many of her horses from Ireland, particularly from Richard Sheane at Cooley Farm. “I have a great relationship with Richard and trust him 100% – he knows the type of horses I like and has a brilliant eye for a talented horse.”
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7. Liz combined eventing with being a semi-professional racing driver for many years (this is our favourite Liz Halliday-Sharp fact!). Her favourite kind of racing was 24-hour races, where a team of drivers circulate in the same car – she took part in seven of them, three of them at Le Mans.
8. She was in the minority as a woman racing driver, competing with men on equal terms: “Two years at Le Mans, I was the only woman out of over 80 drivers. You could let yourself slip into thinking, ‘I’m doing ok for a girl’ but I used to say, ‘I’m not a man or a woman when I’m here, I’m just a driver.’ At the highest level, as long as you were fast enough, everybody respected you. At the lower levels, I found it a bit more of a challenge – I’d quite often be told I was cheating if I won.”
9. Liz has also worked as a commentator and pit reporter for Eurosport at Le Mans and says she loves the challenge and adrenalin rush of live television.
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