Flying high at olympia fry and glamourdale shine as london international ignites

Day two of the London International Horse Show delivered top-class drama and star power, as Britain’s Lottie Fry and the brilliant Glamourdale lit up Olympia with a commanding FEI Dressage World Cup™ freestyle victory, while Luxembourg’s Victor Bettendorf continued his dream debut with a second CSI5* win in as many days.

Fresh from Thursday’s Grand Prix success, Fry and the 14-year-old Glamourdale completed a clean sweep with an electrifying freestyle performance, scoring 89.17% to earn a standing ovation from the home crowd. Riding to a high-energy “flying” soundtrack featuring her own airline-style voiceover, Fry underlined why the pair are among the sport’s global standard-bearers. Becky Moody took second for Britain on Jagerbomb with 86.41%, ahead of Norway’s Isabel Freese, as the host nation placed five riders in the top five.

In the CSI5* Longines Christmas Cracker, Bettendorf once again proved untouchable. Partnering Doha de Riverland, he set a blistering jump-off time that narrowly held off Donald Whitaker by just 0.13 seconds. It followed Thursday’s speed-stakes triumph and capped a flying start to Bettendorf’s first appearance at the Show. Sanne Thijssen finished third, with Britain’s Jessica Mendoza close behind.

Mendoza, however, had already given the home crowd plenty to cheer earlier in the day, storming to victory in the CSI5* Brilliance Auction Snowball Stakes on I-Cap CL Z with the fastest round of the class. Meanwhile, world number one Boyd Exell showcased his trademark authority in the Extreme Driving Challenge, topping the drive-off despite competing with a broken foot and finishing over five seconds clear of his nearest rival.

Elsewhere, new champions were crowned across the showing rings, with Jocelyne Cleveland and De Kobdashian claiming the Rising Star Cob title, and Grace Gibbon producing an emotional win in the Rising Star of Working Type Championship. As the London International gathers momentum, world-class performances, home success and elite competition have set the tone for an exhilarating week ahead.