RIDER BILLY TWOMEY

“KIM and I have a 15 to 20 year connection, starting with Tinka’s Serenade, then Lizziemary, so anything special she has, she tends to earmark for me. Codi had been winning with Emma-Jo up to 1.30m/1.40m as a seven-year-old so there was obviously potential there and he was always winning – his results were excellent.

“He’s a super-careful horse, who doesn’t want to knock down the fences and when you’re clear in a grand prix, you know you have a good chance of winning because he’s so competitive and naturally very quick. He is completely easy just like his sire, who I also rode, but in another way he’s very sensitive to handle – the nicer you are to him, the nicer he is to you.

“He’s always been super-brave – he grows into himself in the big grass rings and he’s never been bothered by water jumps or any other unusual fences, so it’s just been about giving him experience at the higher level. We’re in funny old times, but the Olympics is still the ultimate goal.”