Great Britain’s Charlotte Dujardin & Imhotep are officially in the hunt for 2024 Longines FEI Dressage World Cup™ Finals.
The fan-favorite pair set ExCeL arena alight on day two of the London International Horse Show in the FEI Dressage World Cup™ Freestyle to Music, earning a score of 89.465%.
With this win, the 2022 World Championship Team silver medal-winning combination took home 20 points toward the Final in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia in April. Dujardin currently sits 16th in the standings.
“This was Imhotep’s first indoor show and it was a full house tonight, you could hear the crowd in the warm-up, which was really incredible,” the Olympic Individual gold medalist said after her win. “I was so proud of him, he has never been in that kind of atmosphere before, and so it was a great learning experience for him. Even though he was nervous, he was still with me, which is all I can ask for.”
Dujardin topped the all-British podium and a father-son, one-two finish. Double FEI World Championship gold medalist Lottie Fry claimed the runner-up spot with the 14-year-old KWPN stallion Everdale—Imhotep’s sire—with a score of 85.040%.
Becky Moody, who was making her debut at both London International and in the FEI World Cup™ Qualifier series, was third on her homebred, Jagerbomb. The British rider said she was delighted by her 9-year-old KWPN gelding’s score of 83.675%.
“You dream about riding at this show. It is somewhere that we all aspire to compete at,” Moody said. “I was incredibly nervous in the build up, and my horse is a legend. Being on the podium with Lottie Fry and Charlotte Dujardin is amazing—they both inspire me on a daily basis.
“It is incredible being sat next to them. But I do have every intention of beating them in the future!”
Though Dujardin & Imhotep’s score was slightly below the career-high 91.396% the pair earned in their last international Freestyle outing this year at the FEI European Championship in Riesenbeck, Germany—where they helped the British squad to Team gold and claimed Individual bronze in both the Grand Prix Special and Freestyle—Dujardin said she couldn’t be happier with the 10-year-old KWPN gelding’s performance.
“He is still a young horse and has so much more to give,” she said. “I am very excited for what is to come next year!”