Charlotte Dujardin took both first and second spots in the Andrews Bowen 2022 LeMieux National Dressage Championships advanced medium gold final with two mares.
Her winner, Ampere seven-year-old Times Kismet, finished on 80%, while second placed Hawtins San Floriana, a 10-year-old by San Amour, scored 77.58%.
Harry Payne, the judge sitting at H, gave Charlotte the highest mark out of the five judges: “What I saw today was so exciting. It was everything you could possibly want in a young horse. She was beautifully correct, showing power, balance and self-carriage.”
Of her winner, Times Kismet, who is co-owned by Charlotte and her breeder Peter Belshaw, Charlotte said: “She was just amazing. It’s the biggest show she’s done so far, she missed coming last year due to the Olympics. I’m so excited about her future. At home she’s got 10 ones, piaffe and passage, so she’s well ahead of where she needs to be, but she finds it so easy. Obviously she’ll have down time through the winter while I’m sidelined but she’s 17.1hh and it will be good for her.”
That said, this is one mare that will not follow the normal Hester turn out routine.
“It’s well known how keen Carl is on having horses out in the field, but he’s tried everything with this one and she just hates being out,” said Charlotte. “We’ve tried with a friend, without one and with loads of friends but she does not like it. She creates in the stable when she’s not in pole position, but once she’s worked she settles straight away; in fact you can’t believe the horse in the stable is the one I ride!”
In the past the Belshaw family, through their Times Of Wigan company, have bred some absolute crackers in the field of racing including Newspaperofrecord who won the Breeders Cup Juvenile Turf in 2018, and Question Times whose offspring include classic winner Latrobe. But just maybe this homebred seven-year-old could eclipse them all.
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