“WHAT is happening this week… I can’t speak!”

Those were the words from 22-year-old Harry Charles after he won the five-star London Grand Prix on Monday evening at the London International Horse Show. The victory came just 24 hours after he won the FEI World Cup Qualifier at the venue, marking the first World Cup and five-star Grand Prix wins of his career on the same weekend.

The last person to win both classes in the same year was Robert Smith in 2005.

“I’ll never have a show like this again. I’ve won my first five-star Grand Prix and my first World Cup within 24 hours, it’s a dream, it’s so so special,” Charles said immediately afterwards at the ExCel London, where the show is being held while the usual Olympia venue undergoes renovations.

Looking at his record from the weekend, Charles rode three horses at the show, and did not touch a single pole. He won three times, as well as finished second, third and 10th.

Sunday night’s FEI World Cup qualifier attracted attracted a startlist of 35 riders. In an edge-of-the-seat 11-horse jump-off against the clock, Charles and the Princess Haya-owned 11-year-old mare Stardust produced a brilliant round that proved just too good for the rest, pinning The Netherlands’ Harrie Smolders and Monaco into runner-up spot while British legend John Whitaker finished third with Unick du Francport.

Mayo’s Michael G. Duffy (26) produced the first clear when third to go against the clock with Carl Hanley Sporthorses’ Irish Sport Horse gelding Lapuccino (Livello) in a time of 39.38. In the end, that was good enough to finished in sixth place to earn just under €10,000.

Charles was third-last to go and he had his own plan and he was going to stick to it. Setting off in a perfect rhythm, his mare met every fence on a perfect stride before racing through the finish beams in 35.91 seconds to shoot to the top of the leaderboard. The crowd jumped to their feet to celebrate their young star, who’s year has included an Olympic debut in Tokyo.

When Switzerland’s Martin Fuchs’ Connor Jei clipped the first element at fence eight and then, last to go, fellow-Briton Matthew Sampson had a stop with Geneve R at the third from home it was a done deal.

Bucket list

“This is a bucket-list thing, I’ve grown up watching this show every year and it’s been one of my dreams to win the World Cup in London!” Charles said. “I knew Martin [Fuchs] was on absolute fire here, he won three classes this week and I was bit worried about him. But I know my own horse is so quick. Harrie’s horse is also quick and I had beaten him so I was secretly confident, but I couldn’t be sure until the very end.”

Asked afterwards if he had consulted with his father Peter, team gold medallist at the London 2012 Olympic Games and co-owner of Stardust along with Princess Haya bint Al-Hussein, before going into the jump-off today, Charles said his father told him not to get “caught up on numbers”.

“I chose to not watch anyone and he said okay, I trust you so good luck, you can do it – they were his last words before I went in and won it!”

He described his winning mare, Stardust, as “incredible, she’s making her way to the number one spot on my team. She only stepped up to this level in the last two months, she only did her first five-star Grand Prix at Madrid World Cup which was not so long ago (three weeks ago). Her mentality – she is absolutely everything I want in a horse and she’s a real yard favourite. She has so much blood, she’s so careful and she’s a natural winner.

“We’ve built up a great partnership, I think the world of her and when we get to the Finals I think she’ll be the horse I’ll use. I think I’ve got enough points now!”

“It’s been a helluva year, so much cool stuff has happened, I’ve had so many great opportunities and to come here and finish out the year doing something like this – my first five-star Grand Prix World Cup win – I couldn’t ask for better than that,” he happily concluded.

With 38 points racked up, Charles has shot up to second spot on the league leaderboard which continues to be led by Ireland’s Denis Lynch.

Grand Prix double

The curtain came down on a spectacular five days of sport at the new venue with Charles once again lead in the victory lap in Monday night’s 1.60m Grand Prix, this time aboard Heathcroft Farm’s Borsato, beating the Olympic champion on his Tokyo teammate Ben Maher and Ginger-Blue into second place.

Charles was first to go in the nine-horse jump-off with the 15-year-old gelding who he has ridden since early 2019. After a foot-perfect round, he set the standard in 33.5 seconds, and he didn’t bother watching the rest of the jump-off, instead went back to the stables with his horse.

“It wasn’t a great draw, but this is the horse’s third win in a row. He is a jumping machine. I found out on the screen that I had won,” Charles said.

Maher was second last to go with Jane Forbes Clark’s 10-year-old mare Ginger-Blue and came very close, but ultimately had to settle for second place in 33.94 seconds. Frenchman Edward Levy slotted into third with Rebeca LS in 34.30. The Netherlands’ Harrie Smolders was last of the clears in fourth with Dolinn N.O.P.

Ireland’s Denis Lynch placed seventh with Sebastien Schatzmann’s nine-year-old stallion Cornets Iberio when picking up four faults against the clock.

Irish placed

It was a good weekend all-round for Mayo’s Michael G. Duffy who was third in the Le Mieux Six Bar on Friday evening with Lapuccino. The pair knocked the final fence which stood at 1.85m in the fourth round. Victory was shared between Britain’s Alfie Bradstock, who rode Susan Oakes’ Puissance specialist H. d’Or, and Austria’s Max Kuher with EIC Coriolis des Isles. Both cleared the fifth round at 1.90m.

Tipperary’s Shane Breen placed third in Sunday’s 1.45m Mistletoe Speed Stakes with the nine-year-old stallion Cuick Star Kervec, owned by Breen Equestrian and Quirke Sport Horses.