Chris Smith lands the world ranking Grand Prix at Chepstow Spring International with Messarado Blue
Tuesday 05 May 2026
Chris Smith landed the top-billed 2* Grand Prix at Chepstow Spring International with his wife Nicola and father-in-law Jim Barry’s home-bred Messarado Blue.
The 51 participants faced a tough 1.45m track in the second of the world ranking classes on offer here, with technical questions and rider problems asked all the way. Only six qualified for the jump-off, although two left all the fences up but finished with time faults to be denied a jump-off chance.
“Colm [Quinn] and Ben [Townley] built fantastic tracks all week and the Grand Prix was no exception. The time was tight enough, fences fell everywhere on the track, and the last line took a lot of jumping,” said Chris. “Colm is very clever how he uses materials and colours, got good results in the ranking classes and the questions were subtle – the sign of a good course builder. It was nice, no matter what the result, to be in the Grand Prix jump-off and know you’re guaranteed a bit of money.”
Unusually, everyone jumped clear again, with the times progressively faster.
“Pippa [Goddard] was quick and Richard [Howley, Ireland] was quicker, by the time Jack [Whitaker] had jumped and was quicker still, I knew it was go or bust – I could have done a steady clear and still be sixth, but I think I won it from the double to the oxer; I saw the first distance, trusted her and trusted myself and didn’t take a pull. It came off,” said Chris, on the Messenger x Indorado 11-year-old mare. “I know her inside out and we trust each other completely. On her day, she’s as quick as any horse and she has the heart of a lion; she’ll try everything she can and this week, she was feeling good. A horse can have all the talent in the world, but they have to want to do it and enjoy it.
“It was so good Jim was there to see it – a win like this lifts the whole team and makes all the hard work worthwhile, and the organisation here is so good – the ground was excellent – the big all-weather ring has a very European feel to it, it is definitely one of the best, you’d be hard pushed to beat it.”
Jack Whitaker was 1.40 seconds in arrears for second place on the 10-year-old Skyfall OS (Diamant De Semilly x Heartbreaker) with Ireland’s Richard Howley in third aboard Hornet Des Granges, just ahead of Tim Gredley’s Vuitton of Picobello Z in fourth.
William Rekert beat the odds to take the first of the world ranking classes with Tom Williams’ Fifty Shades of Grey. The pair had already made their intentions known with a win in day one’s 53-entry 2* 1.35m single-phase by only 0.02 seconds and effortlessly stepped up to the following day’s 2* Big Tour 1.45m.
A field of 58 faced course-designer Colm Quinn’s 13-fence, 16-effort 1.45m track, with 14 finding all the answers to qualify for the jump-off. Late in the draw and knowing he still had fast riders behind him, William made the most of the opportunity to guide the Cellestial x Carolus II 12-year-old into the top spot by 0.25 seconds, relegating long-time leaders Anna Power and Oxford V/D Witte Driesendijke into second. Ireland’s Richard Howley finished third with Caprice D’Elle.
Pippa Goddard also landed a win on a Tom Williams owned horse, the seven-year-old Miss Contoulonia PS (Messenger x Conthargos) victorious by 0.29 seconds in a 25-strong 1* Platinum Tour 1.35m single-phase.
Fergal Holohan claimed two wins to his credit. He emerged triumphant in the hot, competitive initial 2* Big Tour 1.40m two-phase, beating 84 rivals by only 0.03 seconds on the 11-year-old Karima (Opium x Padinus). Chris Smith, winner of Saturday’s 2* 1.35m with Ashdale Allstar, eased the Big Star x Luidam 10-year-old mare into second with Joe Fernyhough filling third aboard Calcourt Countdown.
Fergal’s other win came in the 1* Silver Tour Final over a 1.20m track on the seven-year-old MHB Fleck of Gold (Romanov II x Touchdown). Ten of the 54 starters returned for the jump-off, Fergal emerging triumphant 1.48 seconds to the good.
Mark Edwards doubled up with Dillinger NE. He notched up his first win of the week in the penultimate day’s 1.40m speed, the Diarado x Carismo 11-year-old holding off 35 challengers to win by 1.57 seconds. Beth Vernon eased True Form into second and Fergal finished third on CES Celtic Son. The pair went on to top the concluding 2* 2.35m single-phase, galloping ahead to win by 0.53 seconds. Mark also picked up third on Flying Tinker, sandwiching Anna Edwards’ Calgary PH Z into second.
Madison Heath clocked up four wins. The super-consistent Ivory was responsible for a hat-trick, the 13-year-old Don VHP Z daughter winning a 61-entry 1* Gold Tour 1.25m Accumulator by 2.58 seconds and a 40-strong Gold 1.25m speed with 2.75 seconds to spare. The consistent partnership went on to take the 1* Gold 1.30m Final with almost two seconds to spare in the 10-strong decider. Scarlett Lilley guided Lex into second with Billie Thornton in third on RSH Sweepstake.
Madison’s other win came in the 17-horse Six-year-old 1.25m speed on the Big Star daughter Wendolyn’s Star with a 2.53 second advantage over Kerry Harris’s Paradiso – a relative of her legendary now-retired Wellington M.
Keith Shore claimed a victory double. The Qlassic Bois Margot 11-year-old Fabuleux De Riverland jumped to the top in the 35-strong 1* Platinum 1.35m two-phase for Keith with 0.87 seconds to spare. Keith claimed the top two in day two’s Six-year-old 1.20m two-phase, the Emerald Van’t Ruytershof gelding Riaux D’Emeraud heading the class with Twice The Spice in second, 0.19 seconds separating the two.
Nicole Pavitt landed the Six-year-old 1.30m Final with Umberto II Van Het Geninsteinde (Arezzo VDL x Carthano I Z). The 42 starters were halved to 21 for the jump-off, Nicole clinching the win with a 0.19 second advantage over Keith and Riaux De Emeraud.
Fresh from his Welsh Masters Jon Doney Cup win at this venue, Tom Plaster claimed victory in the 2* 1.35m Small Tour Finalurging the nine-year-old Diamanta into a 0.98 second win. Sandy McLean jumped Pino into second and Taisie de Gruchy picked up third on Skylandria Z.
Sandy McLean scored a hat-trick, taking the first 2* 1.30m single phase against 74 rivals with Derek Ricketts’ home-bred 10-year-old Market M’Dam (Luidam x Flipper D’Elle) with 0.66 seconds in hand. Day two earned another win, this time claiming the top two places in the 1* 1.35m speed aboard the 12-year-old Jip B (Eldorado Van De Zeshoek x Wolfgang) and the seven-year-old stallion Orville VD Watermolen (Equus Tame x Wietvot), almost two seconds between them. Orville stepped up to the plate on the final day, heading the 1* Platinum 1.40m Final in a 12-strong jump-off with 0.15 seconds in hand.
Harriet Thompson was another double winner on the 19-year-old Heros Chin De Litrange III (Chin Chin x Cruising), winners of the 67-horse 1* 1.15m speed by 1.57 seconds who went on to head the 1* Bronze Tour 1.20m Final in a 22-horse decider with 1.71 seconds to spare.
Image: Showground Photography
