Dutch showjumper Stefanie van den Brink, meanwhile, had a Bolesworth debut to savour when she landed the four-star opener – a two-phase competition sponsored by Harthill Stud.
And Bolesworth’s international appeal was highlighted by the fact that the first five riders represented five different countries – Holland, Egypt, Ireland, Britain and Belgium.
Riding Merida 8, van den Brink’s time of 24.49 seconds proved just enough to edge out Egypt’s Karim Elzoghby and Colour Girl, with Irish challenger Dermott Lennon (Fleur IV) third, Britain’s Harriett Nuttall (Silver Lift) fourth and Belgium’s Francois Mathy Jr (Falco van der Clehoeve) taking fifth.
Reflecting on her win, van den Brink said:
“I followed my own plan, and it worked out well. We didn’t expect to win, but he went really well.
This is my first Bolesworth. I heard a lot of good things about it, and it is certainly a very enjoyable show.”
