Smith's Champagne moment

Robert Smith built on his successful trip to Geneva last week, where he won the preliminary class for the World Cup qualifier on Mr Springfield, by winning the equivalent class on the same horse at the Olympia International Show Jumping Championships yesterday afternoon.

Smith, who won two classes on the opening day last year, had the fastest clear round in the Champagne Taittinger Christmas Cracker, a speed competition that establishes the running order for today's World Cup qualifier.

Smith will now be the last to go in the World Cup qualifier, but is not riding Jimmy McCloskey's nine-year-old Mr Springfield, choosing the less experienced stallion Marius Claudius. The eight-year-old had one fence down at his first attempt at a World Cup qualifer in Geneva last week.

"Going last won't be such an advantage on a young horse," said Smith, who was delighted with his £5,400 win yesterday.

Smith's winning round on Mr Springfield, the horse he will ride in Monday's grand prix, was over four seconds faster than Germany's Lars Neiberg on Fighting Alpha. Neiberg was a fraction of a second ahead of Frenchman Michel Robert and Olympia, winners of the Speed Stakes here on Thursday. Smith had had an early draw among the 36 starters, so had decided "just to go for it," and produced a time than no one else could match. World Champion Dermott Lennon came closest, but he had two fences down.

Nick Skelton, returning to Olympia after a three-year gap, was the best-placed British rider in yesterday's Double Your Money contest, finishing sixth on Arko. The class was won by the reigning Olympic Champion, Dutchman Jeroen Dubbeldam, on Balaboeska. Skelton is not running the eight-year-old stallion Arko in today's World Cup qualifier, but is aiming him instead for Monday's grand prix.