"I'm very happy for Casper to get this win," Harry Charles commented to World of Showjumping. "He’s been a bit of an unsung hero behind Romeo and Sherlock, but he’s done so much for me." Photo © Lukasz Kowalski.
Text © World of Showjumping
The first week of competition at Al Shaqab in Doha, Qatar, saw the H.H. The Father Amir's Prix conclude with the CSI4* 1.55m Grand Prix on Sunday.
Counting for the Longines Rankings Group A, Sunday’s Grand Prix saw 33 horse-and-rider combinations line up for the challenge set by the German course designer Olaf Petersen Jr. Six pairs delivered a clear in the first round, but when Neal Fearon (IRL) and Cocktail de Talma (Baloubet du Rouet x Dobel’s Cento) withdrew from the jump-off, the battle was left between five horse-and-rider combinations; Ines Joly (FRA) on Crack d’Aiguilly Z (Comme Il Faut 5 x Nabab de Reve), Anastasia Nielsen (MON) with ESI Rocky (Stakkato Gold x For Pleasure), Janakabhorn Karunayadhaj (THA) on Maxwin Kinmar Bespoke (O-Piloth x Aganix du Seigneur), Harry Charles (GBR) and Casquo Blue (Chacco-Blue x Carthago Z) as well as Scott Brash (GBR) aboard Hello Folie (Luidam x Diamant de Semilly).
In the end, it was Harry Charles and Casquo Blue that were unbeatable with their time of 38.20, while Brash and Hello Folie had to settle for the runner-up spot in 38.48. While Karunayadhaj on Maxwin Kinmar Bespoke completed the podium in third, Nielsen and ESI Rocky finished fourth, followed by Joly and Crack d’Aiguilly Z in fifth.
Harry Charles and Casquo Blue won Sunday's CSI4* 1.55m Grand Prix in Doha. Photo © Lukasz Kowalski.
"I'm very happy for Casper to get this win," Harry Charles commented to World of Showjumping. "He’s been a bit of an unsung hero behind Romeo and Sherlock, but he’s done so much for me in Nations Cups and helped me out so much, I’d have been really stuck without him. It’s so great for him to get his moment. Also, it’s only going to get harder to beat Scott and Folie, so that was quite cool!"
The second four-star class of the day, a 1.45m counting for the Longines Rankings Group D, went to Italy’s Emanuele Gaudiano and Vasco 118 (Vivant x Chacco-Blue). With a time of 31.12 in the second phase, the Italian took the win ahead of his compatriot Roberto Previtali and Chaquano PS (Chacco-Blue x Cartogan) in second in 32.27, while 32.68 left Millie Allen (GBR) aboard Quickly D vh Ijzerenlindehof (Quint vh Maarlo Z x Nevado van de Rostal) third.
Then