Wednesday, 08 April 2026
It's been an exciting couple of weeks for our World Class Programme athletes, with a number of international podium placings at home and abroad. We've rounded up just some of the fantastic results.
Mari Durward-Akhurst and Athene Lindebjerg continued their campaign for World Championship selection with three wins – and two personal bests – in the Grade 1 CEPDI3* at Hartpury.
Lottie Fry and Glamourdale finished their indoor season with second place in the FEI World Cup qualifier at The Dutch Masters in s’Hertogenbosch. Their flying-themed Grand Prix Freestyle once again had the crowd tapping their toes as they watched the pair miss out on the top step of the podium by fractions of a percentage.
The Eventing Spring Carnival at Thoresby Park proved to be a bit of an emotional rollercoaster for Gemma Stevens, but she finished on a high with a coveted win in the Grantham Cup CCI4*-S with Cooley Park Muze – known as Rex by his friends.
The Eventing Spring Carnival also proved a happy hunting ground for Tom Jackson and his string. He piloted United 36 to a win in the other CCI4*-S section, with My Star Turn and Brookfield William also finishing in the top-10, followed by finishing as runner-up to Gemma in the Grantham Cup with Hawk Eye. The podium was completed by Max Warburton with Coburg and Isabelle Cook with Cymoon "F" Z.
The Brits were on fire in the CCI4*-S at Kronenberg in the Netherlands. Tom McEwen and JL Dublin finished on their dressage score on their first international outing of the season, ahead of Gemma Stevens and Flash Cooley. Bubby Upton and Cola completed the podium. A further four British combinations featured in the top 10.
Joe Stockdale’s Cacharel was back to her winning ways in Arezzo, Spain, taking the CSI4* Grand Prix class after a five-horse jump-off.
Scott Brash notched up a career-first when he won the Hermès Grand Prix CSI5* with Hello Chadora Lady at the 2026 Saut Hermès show, held at the picturesque Grand Palais in Paris. This marks an incredible seventh Grand Prix win for Scott since the start of the year.
Donald Whitaker and Millfield Colette secured their first victory on USA soil when they finished top of the Wheels Up Grand Prix CSIO5* at the World Equestrian Center in Ocala. The pair then went on to represent Great Britain in the Longines League of Nations, where the team finished fourth.
Ben Maher capped off a successful trip to the World Equestrian Festival in Florida by finishing second in the $1,000,000 Rolex US Equestrian Open Grand Prix with Enjeu de Grisien.
Jack Whitaker headed Stateside for the Longines Global Champions Tour, where he achieved one of his biggest results to date – second place in the Grand Prix of Miami with Izara des Dames. The champagne certainly flew during the prize-giving!