Fry leads team to dressage silver at FEI World Championships

Charlotte Fry booked British Equestrian their ticket to Paris 2024 by winning a brilliant team silver at the FEI Dressage World Championships in Denmark.

The Tokyo 2020 Olympic bronze medallist came second in the Individual Dressage Grand Prix with a personal best of 80.838, helping Britain secure a place at the Olympic Games in two years’ time.

Fry was joined by Charlotte Dujardin, Gareth Hughes and Richard Davison to secure silver behind host country Denmark.

As a team, Britain accumulated a total of 234.223 and Fry impressed on 11-year-old Glamourdale at the horse's first major championships, finishing closely behind Denmark's Cathrine Laudrup-Dufour.

The 26-year-old and her stallion generated an audible gasp and applause from the crowd during their strong routine as Fry made her debut as Britain's anchor woman in the event.

She said: "I wasn't expecting [the applause] and then it came and Glamourdale came up a little and realised there were people there. I think I started smiling at that point at the judges and he was just smiling back.

"He's been such a pro. This is the furthest he's ever travelled and the longest he's ever been away in competition so it's a lot of firsts for him but he's taking it all in his stride.

"I loved it, luckily Gareth and Charlotte put me in a really good place and it was a great team feeling and lots of support."

Dujardin, Team GB's second most decorated female Olympian of all time, finished with a score of 77.407%, testing the reins of nine-year-old gelding Imhotep who was also making his major championship debut.

And the 37-year-old hopes that the horse's powerful frame will become a key component as he builds on experience.

She said: "He's a very inexperienced horse, I had no idea how he was going to cope in there.

"I've done shows at home and one show abroad which had no real spectators as such so for him to go in there and to have the crowd and the buzz. I was just so proud of him.

"I had the one little blip but it was just a miscommunication more than anything.

"I trust him, he trusts me. It's that fine line I don't want to overdo it but I want to do enough that we get the points and he's still confident.

"He does so many amazing things but I can't tell you how big everything feels. In a year or two, when he can manage all that power it's just going to be incredible.

"As he does more, he'll get better and better and he'll get confident and know what he has to do."

Hughes and Classic Briolonca scored 75.978 to make up the team scores with Davison and Bubblingh being the drop score.

The event marked Davison's first senior championships appearance since the London 2012 Olympic Games.

Great Britain will ride again in the Grand Prix Special tomorrow and Freestyle Dressage on Wednesday.