Banzai battles for a Paris place

World champions Yasmin Ingham and Banzair Du Loir top the hotly contested CCI4*-S, while Belgium's Lara de Liederkerke-Meier takes her first CCI5* win on a home-bred mare

- BECKY MURRAY

Longines Luhmühlen, Germany

YASMIN INGHAM has given the British Olympic selectors something to think about with a superb double podium performance in Germany.

This year's Luhmühlen CCI4*-S Meẞmer Trophy, which attracted 67 entries, was a particularly significant competition as the final event before the announcement of the British eventing team for Paris. Yasmin topped the class with 13-year-old gelding Banzai Du Loir, owned by Janette Chinn and The Sue Davies Fund.

"It was a very important weekend for me and there was a lot of pressure involved," said Yasmin. “All of us here had the goal of being selected for an Olympic Games. I wanted to make sure that I was doing everything I possibly could to put myself and Banzai in the best place for that.”

She did that by delivering a textbook clear in the showjumping on Sunday, with nothing to add to her twophase score of 29.3. When overnight leader Michael Jung knocked the last part of the treble and picked up 0.8 of a time-penalty aboard Fischerchipmunk FRH, he made way for Yasmin and Banzai to take the honours.

Mike Etherington-Smith’s twisty track, which produced 43 jumping clears and only two inside the 6min 56sec optimum time, provided the perfect setting for world champions Yasmin and Banzai to show their prowess again. They jumped clear, adding 1.2 time-penalties to their dressage.

“We got a little close to the brush in the water [fence 19ab], but it was just because he has such a huge stride,” explained Yasmin. “He has a lot of presence in the dressage, in the cross-country he’s brave and fast, and in the showjumping he’s very agile. He holds the ability to basically come out on top – or nearly – in each phase, and that’s what makes a great event horse.

“I feel lucky that I’m able to ride such an athlete.”

Yasmin added “there are many British riders and horses that could win gold in Paris”.