Belgium's Francois Mathy Jr had a day to remember at CSI4* Bolesworth International as he claimed two notable victories on Saturday. 

He began Saturday's action by winning the Young Horse Handicap Final for six and seven-year-old horses, sponsored by Whitley Neill Gin, in stylish fashion on Diddo van sint Maarden (Kannan x Diamant De Semilly). 

Then he triumphed in the 1.45 Longines Ranking class, sponsored by Equigrip, when Falco ven der Clehoeve (Quickfeuer van Koekshof x Fellini) clipped more than a second off the time of Ireland's Marion Hughes (Lord Z x Weinberg) after being drawn last but one to go in a class that had 63 starters landing a prize of £6,400.

"The times were getting faster and faster, but my horse was careful enough and everything worked out," Mathy said of his second International Arena victory that was watched by a bumper Saturday afternoon crowd.

"My horse has quite a big stride, but I tried to turn tight. I knew that I'd had a good round, but you need to look at that clock just to be sure. He is a very competitive horse in these kind of classes. They are the type of classes where he is most comfortable."

The young horse jump-off time of 31.42 seconds thwarted the Czech Republic's Emma Augier de Moussac's bid for a third Bolesworth victory in 48 hours on Brighton Bay (Ultimo x Kreator), as she finished second, with Italy's Luca Maria Moneta third aboard Ambramarie Del Beiro (Quintender x Grandeur).

And Mathy said of his winning ride: "He is a stallion that we bought as a foal. He is owned by Team Harmony, and as a seven-year-old is still a young horse, but has a great brain, is very attentive and always listens."

"He coped well with a tight turn from fences one to two, and when I asked him again at the double, he was sharp and quick. The plan is to develop him slowly in young horse classes and let him progress steadily without pushing him. We based him at the Newmarket stables from a three to six-year-old, and he was well educated, so had a good start," said Mathy Jr. 

Hughes, meanwhile, became the latest two-time winner at the 2016 Bolesworth event when she claimed a thrilling victory in the four-star 1.35 two phase competition, sponsored by Horse & Hound. Irish challenger Hughes had already showcased the talent of Heritage HHS Fortuna (Heritage Fortunus x Cavalier) by dominating a speed class on Thursday, and with time again of the essence, they did not disappoint and took the victory.

Source: Press release from Bolesworth International // Picture © Bolesworth International