Newlywed Harry Charles returns to competition with a win on a future star
Thursday 21 August 2025
Newly married Harry Charles was soon back to work and form to secure victory in the feature 2* Grand Prix with ride of six months Kannandillo at Peelbergen Equestrian Centre in The Netherlands.
Victory was no mean feat as 31 from the original field of 31 posted initial clears over course-designer Gerard Lachat’s 13-fence, 16-effort 1.45m track. Nonetheless, the experienced Harry – who married Eve Jobs at the end of July – was swift, skilled and decisive to guide the Kannandillo Group’s nine-year-old stallion into the top spot by 0.84 seconds.
It was a nice course but perhaps a little too easy with so many clears, but this is such a difficult class to build for with such a wide variety of competitors, especially at this venue, with top riders, professional producers, amateurs and young horses stepping up,” said Harry. “But I was very happy to win such big jump-off; it was very fast! He’s very quick so I had that on my side, and he hasn’t got the biggest stride, so I could go down the distances quicker than most.”
Kannandillo (Kannan x Candillo) was talent spotted last year.
“My dad [Peter] spotted him as an eight-year-old and thought he’d be a good horse for me, so we put a little syndicate together to buy him. He’s a beautiful stallion, picture-perfect and super-talented, but it’s taken the last six months to adjust and get to know me,” said Harry. “He won 62 classes as an eight-year-old and he was fast, so we’re trying to slow him down – he’s never jumped a bad round, just made a few innocent mistakes, but the last few shows it has all started to come together.”
Long-term, Harry has plans for the future of this eye-catching, talented horse, but intends to take his time.
“I’ve not pushed him too much and he’s jumping 1.45/1.50m and I’ll take him to Brussels next as the third horse to see how he handles the different atmosphere. Ultimately, I’d like to take him to London at the end of the year for the World Cup or Grand Prix, but we’ll see nearer the time. Next year, I’m hoping for bigger stuff – he’s got all the ingredients, but we’re still putting it together,” added Harry.
Jess Mendoza narrowly misses out on a five-star Grand Prix win
One rail cost Jess Mendoza dear in the top-billed $340,000 5* RBC Royal Bank Grand Prix in Ottawa, Canada, with Summerhouse, but she still pocketed a $93,099 paycheck.
Twenty-four riders came forward to face course-designer Marina Azevedo’s (BRA) strong 1.60m track, but the challenging technicalities took their toll and only three returned initial clears to access the jump-off.
First to go, Jess had no choice but to try and set a sizzling target and proved the fastest of the three by more than two seconds on the Guidam Sohn x Indoctro 10-year-old, but a crucial rail fell.
Second ride Elena Haas (USA) similarly lowered a pole on Claude, but in a slower time to leave Jess in the top spot. But last to go The USA’s Adrienne Sternlicht knew exactly what she had to do and delivered the sole double clear to take victory with Origia V/H Zuid-Pa Pajottenland.
Jess jumped to the top in the opening Aztec Equestrian 2* 1.40m with new ride Bullesye 111 Z at Ottawa’s Gold Tour series in Canada.
Fourteen of the 30 starters returned for the jump-off with Jess and the Bamako De Muze x Der Senaat 111 10-year-old edging ahead by 0.37 seconds.
Nathan Bull, Izac Ketteridge, Jake Ward, Tamarin Christie and Lauren Edwards are winners in Europe
Elsewhere in Europe, Nathan Bull claimed an outright win in St Margarethen’s Venus and Moon Six Bar with Casaltonia in France, jumping the sole clear in the three-way final decider, while Izac Ketteridge scored a win in the Six-year-old 1.25m Final by 2.71 seconds in a 12-horse jump-off with the Escape Z sired Airscape.
In Bonheiden, Belgium, Jake Ward headed a 63-strong 2* 1.30m speed on Davinci VD Bosrand with 0.60 seconds over second-placed fellow Brit Vicky Lovegrove’s Boudicca. Tamarin Christie claimed a narrow 0.01 second win in the 13-horse jump-off of the Seven and Eight-year-old 1.35/1.45m with the seven-year-old Tatou Van Het Wimpelhof Z (Otangelo x Toulon), and Lauren Edwards returned triumphant in the 1* 1.25m 18-strong jump-off with Andrew Doswell’s seven-year-old Deputy (Diamant De Semilly x Corland).
