Harry Charles won the 1m50 CSI5* Longines FEI World Cup Grand Prix qualifier class on Friday, December 1st riding Billabong du Roumois. It’s the U25 top-ranking rider’s second year in a row to have won the class, this year beating off top competition from France.

The French riders, who had taken the first two places in the previous class, were also dominating the CaixaBank Trophy.

Julien Epaillard was leading the table with “Cancun Torel Z”, a mare that has been in the French rider’s stable for a very short time, winning four of the last six classes she has competed in. Their time of 56’03 seemed impossible to beat. At that moment, another French rider was in second place: Julien Anquetin with Blood Diamond du Pont, with 56’42 seconds.

When it seemed that the French triumph was sentenced, young Harry Charles, who has lea the FEI U-25 ranking for the last 23 months, came out ready to win the class with “Billabong du Roumois”.

The British rider stopped the clock in 55`64 seconds, a time that allowed him to win the class for the second year in a row.

The packed grandstands of the Casas Novas Equestrian Center rewarded the British rider with a long ovation as he received his trophy from Juan Pedro Badiola, territorial director of the northern area of CaixaBank.

Feature image: Harry Charles receiving the class trophy. Image credit Oxer Sport / CSI A Coruña