Smith shows Olympians the way

As British showjumping hopes collapsed at the Olympics, Robert Smith gave hope for the future with an exceptional string of victories at Horse of the Year Show which closed at Wembley last night.

Although without his top horse, the injured Athos du Valot, Smith won seven classes, a total bettered only by Nick Skelton in 1983.

Smith is not a man to languish on the sidelines and when he lost an almost certain Olympic place when Athos became unavailable, he set about developing a team of exciting new international prospects.

The most advanced in his string is Jimmy McCloskey's Irish-bred Senator Mr Springfield. This combination pulverised the opposition at Wembley and after two early wins claimed the £7,500 first prize Equestria Internet Grand Prix, which was the show's richest class.

Next weekend, Smith will compete at the lucrative Bremen horse show in Germany.