Aboard Carl Hester’s 14-year-old Metall stallion Uthopia, Great-Britain's dressage queen, Charlotte Dujardin , impressed not only the crowds but also the judges, scoring 77.46% to claim the top spot in Tuesday night’s Reem Acra FEI World Cup dressage grand prix.
The pair pipped Carl Hester to the post, he and his own and Jane de la Mare’s Don Ruto 11-year-old Nip Tuck posting 76.66% to finish second with an athletic, confident performance to make it a British one-two.
Dutch rider Hans Peter Minderhoud filled third position with the Florestan I 14-year-old Glock’s Flirt, snapping at Carl’s heels with a score of 76.12%. The pair made it look easy with a virtually mistake-free test, just marred by a loss of balance in the piaffe on the final centre line.