Workaholic wins at Dauntsey

DESPITE a last-minute cramming session on how to perform a rein-back, Francesca Fitzherbert’s seven-year-old MGH April (right) posted a respectable dressage score of 27.5 to win the BE100plus at the Knight Frank-sponsored Dauntsey Park (2).

“It was a sack-the-jockey moment for not realising — or practising [the rein-back],” admitted Francesca, who bought “AP” as a four-year-old two-and-a-half years ago.

The rider has an enviable set-up in the Peak District.

“The yard belongs to my mother and stepfather, who provide invaluable support. We are surrounded by hills, so fitness work is unavoidable,” she said.

Francesca described the daughter of ARS Vivendi as a workaholic: “She is very bright and a dominant character. If I’m giving other horses attention on the yard she knows it.”