Press release from Al Shira'aa Bolesworth International, edited by World of Showjumping

Great Britain's Guy Williams demonstrated exactly why he has earned a reputation as one of the sport's quickest riders, producing a superb round on BH Gringos Legacy (Tullibards Bennys Legacy x Colourfield) to win Friday's CSI4* 1.50m sponsored by Rolls-Royce Sunningdale, and secure victory in the final qualifier for Saturday's prestigious Al Shira'aa Grand Prix.

A total of 49 horse-and-rider combinations representing seven nations tackled course designer Rafael Suarez's 15 effort track, all aiming to qualify for Saturday's CSI4* 1.55m Longines Ranking Al Shira'aa Grand Prix and compete for their share of the impressive 106,000 Euro prize fund made possible through the continued support of Al Shira'aa.

Multi-Olympian Laura Kraut (USA) was the first rider to produce a clear round, guiding Carquilara PS (Caligula x Quilot) home in 66.63 seconds with a confident and composed performance to eventually finish third. The United Arab Emirates's Omar Abdul Aziz Al Marzooqi continued his excellent run of form aboard Al Shira'aa Farms Chacco Bay (Chaccato x Heops). Fresh from victory in the Al Shira’aa CSIO3* of Lisbon, the pair stopped the clock in an impressive 66.15 seconds to finish second.

However, none could match the pace of Guy Williams. Riding the talented 11-year-old mare BH Gringos Legacy, owned by James Adam Riley, the experienced Brit made full use of his mare's natural speed to stop the clock in 63.84 seconds and top the leaderboard from a total of nine clear rounds.

Speaking after his win, Williams explained how watching several of the early combinations helped shape his plan. "I just watched a few go. I had a good draw. I watched Harry go and he was very quick compared to the others. I just saw if I'd done the numbers, my horse moves fast, then I should be alright to catch the leader."

Despite her competitive nature in the ring, Williams revealed BH Gringos Legacy is remarkably straightforward at home. "She's easy to deal with. My wife hacks her out and she lives out in the field most of the time."

Reflecting on Rafael Suarez's course, Williams said it required riders to stay fully committed throughout. "You have to ride the round like you're going to jump clear, and if you're going to win you're not worried about knocking the jumps down — you're worried about being quick and jumping clear, so you don't want any other thoughts in your head."

Looking ahead to Saturday's Al Shira’aa LR 1.55m Grand Prix, Williams expects another closely contested class. "It'll be very close. There are some top-class combinations qualified and anything can happen. The main aim is just to jump a clear and get into the jump off."