Proudley and Murphy Soar to Shared Puissance Glory at Bolesworth

The LeMieux Puissance took centre stage in the International Arena on Saturday evening, with Great Britain’s Rachel Proudley and Ireland’s Brendan Murphy both clearing 2.20m to share the win. The class featured 11 combinations and offered a total prize fund of €8,800, drawing top names and emerging talent to one of the day’s main highlights at the Bolesworth International, presented by Al Shira’aa.

With the Bolesworth Puissance wall record of 2.21m – set in 2024 by Guy Williams and Elliot Smith – still fresh in everyone’s minds, expectations were high for a thrilling showdown. This year’s line-up included 2019 winner Holly Smith, returning crowd favourite Jack Whitaker, recent Al Shira’aa Derby winner Robert Whitaker, and Maisie Williams, who finished third in last year’s Puissance. Turkish social media favourite Demir Topcu made his debut, while Alexander Mclean also tackled his first ever Puissance.

The opening round at 1.70m saw 10 combinations go clear, with Topcu exiting early following a refusal. At 1.90m, Holly Smith and Martins Candy Gold tipped the wall, reducing the field to 10. Round 3 at 2.05m saw exits for the USA’s Kylar Wireman and Citoki, Ireland’s Sven Hadley and Brandonview First Edition, and Robert Whitaker, who elected not to present Capital Levubu.

By Round 4 at 2.15m, only six remained. Will Fletcher and Quintine Van d’Abdijhoeve tipped the bricks, and Alexander Mclean retired after a strong performance with Johnnie Walker. Maisie Williams and Dalton d’Hoyo also touched the wall, ending a solid run for the British rider.

Three combinations advanced to the fifth and final round which towered at 2.20m. Jack Whitaker and D&H Q Paravatti N were knocked out after a bold attempt, leaving Rachel Proudley with Easy Boy de Laubry Z and Brendan Murphy with Erne Riverrun to battle it out. Both cleared the imposing wall and were crowned joint winners of the 2025 Bolesworth LeMieux Puissance.

“I’m quite lost for words, it’s an amazing feeling, Easy Boy was great today, he was fantastic,” said Rachel. “We didn’t really have high expectations, but he got better every round. He’s so brave and you can trust him all the way – it really helps. He’s incredible.”

Brendan added: “It’s brilliant – we only came over to Bolesworth with the one horse, so to pull off a win – it’s been amazing.” He explained that after missing the Royal Dublin qualifier in Mullingar due to Erne Riverrun not being fit enough, they redirected their focus to Bolesworth — a plan that paid off.

Other Top Results Today Include:

Ireland’s Michael Pender claimed victory in the CSI3* 1.45m Speed Class, sponsored by Al Shira’aa, riding Marion Hughes’ HHS Fortune. John Whitaker finished second, with Mark Edwards in third.

“I’m delighted with today’s result, it’s always a pleasure to be at Bolesworth and to have a result like this today, icing on the cake,” said Pender. “HHS Fortune is always very fast and I’m very lucky to ride such a fantastic and competitive horse. I had her out in UAE at the start of our 2025 campaign, where she went fantastically too – forever grateful to Al Shira’aa for the opportunities they have created within the sport.”

In the CSIYH1* 6-Year-Old Two Phase 1.20m Special, UAE rider Mabkhout Owaida Alkirbi stormed to the win with Oleta, finishing the second phase in just 21.03 seconds.

“I’m delighted to win at Bolesworth, it’s my first time here and I’ve only been riding the mare a few days,” he said. “She is very straightforward with a big stride so it made my job easy today. I’m very thankful to Sheikha Fatima for my time here in England with the team and to my trainer Duncan Inglis. It’s a great show with a great atmosphere.”

With 20 more riders qualifying today, they join the 30 who advanced on Friday – all set to compete in Sunday’s feature event, the Al Shira’aa CSI3* Grand Prix, which begins at 18:15 BST.