Oliver Fletcher enjoyed a dream outing on his home leg of the Longines Global Champions Tour.
The 21-year-old from Faringdon opened the London event with CSI5* 1.45m victory on inexperienced gelding Cajus 42.
It was the start of what was set to be a very successful weekend for the pair, jumping to a successful seventh place in the same event on Sunday.
And despite believing in his horse’s abilities and hard work, Fletcher admitted that he was rather surprised by the horse’s performance as they thrived on 5* debut in front of a roaring crowd.
“He’s a very inexperienced horse at this level and atmosphere,” she said. “I’m not saying he’s surprised us but he has a little bit both days.
“I just couldn’t have asked for more from him so I’m delighted to put our best foot forward and show what he can do.
“This event was about focussing on giving him confidence and having a good time.
“I wasn’t too bothered on whether we placed or won anything, I just really believe in the horse so I wanted him to have a good experience at his first biggest show.
“The first day he felt comfortable and confident and we went and won.
“Then we’ve not necessarily gone fast since but snuck in the placings so I’m thrilled with that.”
Fletcher came into London off the back of recent Young Rider European Championship success.
An event he has been attending for almost a decade came clutch at the final moment, now aging out of the competition, as Fletcher roared to gold on his more experienced gelding Hello William.
And Fletcher admitted that victory gave him confidence ahead of returning to the Global Tour where he has only seen his top form continue in abundance.
“Europeans was fantastic,” he said. “I’ve been doing that event now for nine or ten years and this was my last year of doing it.
“I just pulled all of my mistakes from previous years together and put everything in the right order, so we pulled it off.
“The Europeans were my goal for a while and when that went well I turned my attention to the Global Tour so it’s great to see how well 8it’s all gone.”
LONGINES Global Champions Tour. Unique and iconic locations in dynamic capital cities and breathtaking Riviera destinations. The best riders guaranteeing high octane top sport for fans at every event. Precision, power, and elegance combined in one spectacular championship series. For more information visit www.gcglobalchampions.com
