Top British rider Laura Renwick’s Midas touch landed on the CSI4* Al Shira’aa grand prix at Bolesworth as she grasped a seismic victory in front of a home crowd aboard Marseille.
Laura is on a superb run of form and this win is further testament to the gold-standard of her production of young horses and a gilded step on the pathway to rebuild to the very top.
Marseille is only an eight-year-old and still relatively green, but while he is light on experience, he has ability and generosity of character in abundance.
“He’s got huge amounts of scope – I don’t think there’s a fence he couldn’t jump,” said Laura.
“It’s just a case of containing it all; he’s just learning now how to prop, to shorten, and how to do all these different things. I’m really excited about where he could end up.
“We’re going to manage him well this year and just see where we go; we’re not going to overdo him. I think these two weeks here have been an incredible experience for him.
“Thank you to Al Shira’aa and Nina Barbour for putting on such a great show. It’s really special to be here, they learn a lot in this arena – he’s probably gained a few months of experience in just two weeks.”
She added: “Most of the [jump-off] round didn’t quite go as I planned. I shouldn’t really be complaining about that now, but if I went and did it again, I’d probably do a bit differently – as it turned out it worked. He tried so hard for me. I’ve got to give this victory to him, it’s nothing to do with me, I’m sure!”
Laura has enjoyed excellent success across Hickstead and Bolesworth in recent weeks, with her stellar squad of home-breds and future stars collecting sash after sash. The grand prix is her third victory of the week at Bolesworth International, presented by Al Shira’aa, all three wins coming aboard different horses.
Marseille, who she owns with Neil Fiddes, joined her team a year ago and won Hickstead’s seven- and eight-year-old championship at Hickstead shortly after.
“That was our first test with him, then we’ve just taken our time to build him up. We’ve never doubted his ability, and it all came together today amazingly well,” she said.
Rafael Suarez’s first-round course thinned the field from 44 starters to a jump-off of 10 competitors from six different nations. With seven double clears, this became a test of speed.
Ireland’s David Simpson, a former Bolesworth grand prix winner, came closest – crossing the finish line eight hundredths of a second behind Laura to take the runner-up spot with his 2023 Hickstead Derby hero Pjotr Van De Kruishoeve.
“Laura is amazing; any time you’re riding into the ring and she’s in the lead, you know that you really have to give everything to try and beat her,” said David.
“I just didn’t do enough today, but I’m super happy with my horse and the way he performed today.
“The next goal for him is Hickstead for the Nations Cup and the King George V. For the last two years, since he won the Derby, it’s really been a focus to win the King George. I don’t think there’s too many horses that have done both, and I think he shows that he’s so clever and intelligent that he can put his hand to most things.”
Fellow Irish rider Jessica Burke finished third, stepping on to the podium with a sense of redemption after kicking herself for her performance in last week’s CSI3* grand prix.
“This was a massive target for me,” said Jessica, who rides the striking grey nine-year-old Good Star Du Bary for owner Erica Nicholas.
“I was annoyed at myself in the grand prix last week – I made a mistake and felt I let the horse down.
“I’m delighted with the horse. I watched the [results on the] phone, and when I saw Laura was clear [in the first round and then drawn after me in the jump-off], I thought, ‘Okay, however fast I can go, I don’t think I can beat her today’, so I’m happy to be sitting here.”
Bolesworth grand prix: how the class played out
The first-round course was a relentless, up-to-height challenge, as you would expect for a CSI4* grand prix. Faults were well spread and while there was no singular bogey fence, the final line – the Abbey Road double to a final oxer – was a late heartbreaker for a number of competitors who had answered every other question.
The time, too, was also a big factor in that first round. Sweden’s Alexander Zetterman and Anakin C were the first combination to net their spot in the jump-off. They were swiftly followed by US rider Skylar Wireman and Tornado – a real power-pack of a horse, with the acceleration of a F1 car and the lift of a rocket.
Sally Golding and Vivalgot were the first British combination to leave the fences standing, but costly time-penalties brought their challenge to an end. Tim Gredley (Medoc De Toxandria), Joe Whitaker (Hulahupe JR), Billy Twomey (Jumping Jack Van De Kalevallei), Anastasia Bondarieva (Calder) also within a whisper of progressing, with a smattering of time-faults cutting short their chances to chase for grand prix glory.
This year marks Bolesworth’s return to CSI4* status for the first time since 2019.
“It’s been so amazing for me to see – for the first time since Brexit, for the first time in six years – a truly international field here, with a host of riders from all across mainland Europe here,” said Bolesworth managing director Nina Barbour, congratulating Laura and thanking Al Shira’aa for its support.
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