The curtain came down on a spectacular fortnight of international showjumping at the Al
Shira’aa Bolesworth International on Sunday, with Great Britain’s Holly Smith claiming her fifth
international victory of the show in the feature CSI4* Medium Tour Final, while titles in the
prestigious Young Horse Finals also went to the United Arab Emirates’ Omar Abdul Aziz Al
Marzooqi and Great Britain’s Robert Bevis.

With elite combinations from around the globe competing across two weeks of international
competition, the final day once again showcased the depth of talent attracted to Bolesworth,
underlining the event’s growing reputation as one of the UK’s leading international equestrian
fixtures.

The feature CSI4* Longines Ranking 1.45m Medium Tour Final, sponsored by Grosvenor
Insurance, attracted 68 combinations, all bidding to secure the final ranking class victory of the
second week.

The challenging first round track immediately proved influential, with riders finding the time
allowed achievable but the technical questions, particularly the final line, catching out
combination after combination. At the halfway stage, not a single rider had managed to
produce a clear round.

That changed when Ireland’s Trevor Breen delivered a masterclass aboard Drewmain
Musachino, becoming the first rider to lay down a clear round in 76.65 seconds.

Moments later, Great Britain’s Holly Smith produced another immaculate round aboard the
experienced Fruselli in 76.75 seconds. The momentum continued as Jay Halim and Midnight, a
horse purchased through the Bolesworth Elite Auction, added a third consecutive clear before
Mark Edwards and Dillinger NE followed suit.

Christopher Smith and Messarado Blue then booked their place in the jump off, with Guy
Williams and Kermit Van Overis completing an impressive line-up of six combinations to return
against the clock.

Breen was first to return and immediately laid down the challenge, producing the class’s first
double clear in 40.46 seconds.

However, Holly Smith was not prepared to settle for second. Riding the experienced Fruselli,
Smith shaved almost four seconds from Breen’s target to stop the clock in an incredible 36.52
seconds and move into the lead.

Jay Halim maintained his excellent form with another clear in 46.09 seconds, while Mark
Edwards incurred a single rail. Christopher Smith suffered two fences down alongside time
penalties, leaving Guy Williams as the final challenger. Williams produced another polished
clear in 44.44 seconds, but it was not enough to deny Smith her fifth international victory of an
outstanding fortnight.

The victory represented a fitting finale to an exceptional Al Shira’aa Bolesworth International for
Smith and her team, having claimed five international wins across the two-week show.

“I can’t quite believe it to be honest,” said Smith. “Fruselli is 16 years old, I’ve had him since he
was seven, and he’s been off work for two years through injury. He’s won Grand Prix’s for me,
he’s won my daughter a Children on Horses European medal, and he comes back and just does
this. It’s a credit to the whole team for getting him back, his owners who are his biggest fans,
and we just couldn’t love him anymore.”

Reflecting on today’s course, she added:
“I ended up changing my plan in round one from fence two to three. It did walk on seven, but I
was drawn quite late on and everyone seemed to be getting a funny angle at the red vertical, so I
decided to go another stride there. From the stile to the water tray oxer, I thought about adding
another stride too, but I stuck to my original plan. I got a good jump over the stile which set me
up perfectly and thankfully it all worked out. It certainly helps having such an experienced
horse.”

Summing up her remarkable fortnight, Smith said:
“The horses and the whole team have been in incredible form. This has really been a coming-ofage show for many of my younger horses, so to produce these results has been fantastic.
Shows of this calibre are very rare in the UK and I’m so grateful to Al Shira’aa and Bolesworth for
creating opportunities like this. I hope we’ve provided excellent sport for them and everyone
who attended the show.

Earlier in the day, the CSIYH1* Seven Year Old Final, sponsored by Stratstone Ferrari, saw 46
combinations contest the championship, with just nine progressing to the jump-off.
Five riders produced double clears, but it was UAE rider Omar Abdul Aziz Al Marzooqi who
claimed the 2026 Al Shira’aa Bolesworth Seven Year Old title aboard his own Billy Morzine in an
unbeatable 33.02 seconds.

Britain’s Holly Smith finished second with United Boy 3 in 34.82 seconds, while Lauren Caroline
completed the podium aboard Wellfields Charcoal Blue in 35.52 seconds.
Speaking after the victory, Al Marzooqi said:

“I’m really happy with the mare. She flew in from Abu Dhabi around 10 days ago and she’s been
clear over the last three days, placing each day before winning today. She’s naturally fast and
has now won almost 20 classes internationally and nationally.”

Having owned Billy Morzine since she was four years old, Al Marzooqi has developed the mare
patiently through the age classes.

“She didn’t do much as a four-year-old and only a couple of shows as a five-year-old, but she
really progressed as a six year old. She jumped in the final of the WBFSH World Breeding
Championship for Young Horses in 2025 and finished tenth, so we’re delighted with how she’s
continued to develop.”

He also thanked Al Shira’aa Stables and the UAE Jumping Team for their continued support,
describing it as “a privilege” to ride such exceptional horses.

The CSIYH1* Six Year Old Final, sponsored by Natural Flake Wood Shavings, brought together
59 promising young horses, with 15 combinations progressing to the jump-off representing
Great Britain, Ireland and the UAE.

Eleven combinations produced double clears, but it was Great Britain’s Robert Bevis who
emerged victorious aboard Sarah Williams’ Cicerouna, stopping the clock in 38.04 seconds to
be crowned the 2026 Al Shira’aa Bolesworth Six-Year-Old Champion.

Ireland’s Anthony Condon finished second aboard SFS Dodged’EM in 38.42 seconds, narrowly
ahead of Britain’s Georgia Cooper Hall and Ukira van de Helle in 38.52 seconds.

“I was lucky to be drawn towards the end because I honestly didn’t think I’d beat Anthony after
seeing how quick he was last week,” said Bevis. “This has been a bit of a surprise.”

Having only partnered the mare for a month, and with Cicerouna having competed at only a
handful of shows, the victory marked a special moment for both horse, rider and owner.
Reflecting on another hugely successful Al Shira’aa Bolesworth International, Managing
Director Nina Barbour said:

“As we bring another incredible Al Shira’aa Bolesworth International to a close, I’d like to thank
every rider, owner, groom, official, volunteer, sponsor, member of our team and, of course, our
fantastic spectators who have made the past two weeks so special. Events like this simply
couldn’t happen without the dedication and passion of so many people working behind the
scenes.

“We’ve witnessed exceptional sport from some of the very best combinations in the world,
alongside the next generation of talent, and that’s exactly what this event was created to
achieve. Together with Al Shira’aa, we share a vision of creating meaningful opportunities for
riders at every stage of their careers while bringing world-class international competition to
Britain.

“I’m incredibly proud of what we’ve built here at Bolesworth and of the role this event continues
to play on the British equestrian calendar. Seeing riders from across the globe choosing to
compete here reinforces that vision, and we look forward to welcoming everyone back next
year.”