Olympians Carl Hester and Richard Davison will spearhead the British charge in the grand prix class at this year’s Windsor CDI (14-15 May).
Carl will ride Nip Tuck, hoping to improve on last year’s third place at the show behind Charlotte Dujardin (Uthopia) and Michael Eilberg (Half Moon Delphi).
This will be the Don x Ruto Animo gelding’s ninth international show.
Even newer to the scene is Richard Davison’s nine-year-old Bubblingh (pictured at home). He will be making his debut — at any level — under the London 2012 rider. The pair have never competed together before.
The only result on the horse’s national record to date is a lone elementary test, which he won under Richard’s wife Gillian in 2011.
He is illustriously bred, being by the grand prix stallion Lingh and out of Richard’s former Olympic mount Ballaseyr Royale (pictured with Bubblingh as a young horse).
Seven British riders make up the 13-strong field with riders from five countries descending on Windsor Great Park.
Lara Griffith will rider the Bechtolsheimer family’s Rubin Al Asad, on whom she was a plus-71% grand prix special winner in Florida in February.
Fiona Bigwood’s hotly-tipped Gribaldi mare Atterupgaards Orthilia banged herself in Saumur (see report in H&H 7 May), so provided she is fully fit will be a treat for British audiences as she has only been to three shows in the UK until now.
Henriette Andersen and Warlocks Charm, a 12-year-old gelding by Jazz, will also be looking to attract the selectors’ eye after posting plus-70% and over 72% at their last show together in Barcelona.
British-based competitors Sune Hansen (Charmeur), Ulrik Moelgaard (Michigan, who is by the same sire — Michellino — as Laura Tomlinson’s former top ride Mistral Hojris) and Anders Dahl (on his wife Fiona Bigwood’s Wie-Atlantico De Ymas) all line up, too.
Katherine Bateson-Chandler, a long-time pupil of Carl’s who spends the summer seasons over in the UK training with him from her native America, brings Alcazar. The horse is a Contango x Ferro 10-year-old who is fresh from two grand prix victories on the Florida circuit earlier this year in the pair’s debut international season at the level.
The show is also running an advanced medium class on Wednesday 13 May, but entries are yet to be released.
The full confirmed entries list for the international grand prix classes are:
BAHRAIN
Abdulredha Abdulhadi Alafoo on Tout De Suite
DENMARK
Anders Dahl on Wie-Atlantico De Ymas
Sune Hansen on Charmeur
Ulrik Moelgaard on Michigan
GREAT BRITAIN
Henriette Andersen on Warlocks Charm
Fiona Bigwood on Atterupgaards Orthilia
Richard Davison on Bubblingh
Lara Griffith on Rubin Al Asad
Carl Hester on Nip Tuck
Alice Oppenheimer on Headmore Delegate
Hayley Watson-Greaves on Rubins Nite
NETHERLANDS
Katja Gevers on Thriller
USA
Katherine Bateson-Chandler on Alcazar
