While the British team were winning gold at the FEI World Championships in Aachen, Zara Tindall was galloping to victory in the British Open at Hartpury — 20 years after she was crowned World Champion in Aachen aboard the great Toytown.

Now partnering a very different chestnut gelding — Catherine Rivett’s 17-year-old Class Affair, whom the rider describes as “tricky” — the King’s niece beat a field of 73 combinations to take the title after producing the fastest clear round of the day across Eric Winter’s challenging cross-country course.

Zara and Class Affair picked up just 0.4 of a time penalty to finish on 33.3 — and claim the British Open title that had previously eluded Zara, a former World and European champion, and team silver medallist at the London 2012 Olympics.

“I’m very happy to have won, especially as I never managed to win it at Gatcombe!” said Zara, referring to the now-defunct Festival of British Eventing at Gatcombe Park, the Gloucestershire estate belonging to Zara’s mother, The Princess Royal, and where Zara is based.

Zara and Class Affair en rounte to claiming the rider’s first British Open title. Credit: Jasmine Punter

Trophy haul

Zara has been riding Class Affair since 2017. They finished 12th at Defender Bramham last year and completed both the Mars Badminton and Pau five-stars in 2024, with their combined experience paying off at Hartpury.

“He was super jumping in both disciplines,” said Zara of Class Affair. “Hartpury has done such a good job considering the weather we have had. I walked the course on Thursday and thought the ground was great and he felt happy all the way round.

“I am happy for the horse, the owner Catherine Rivett, who has been with me for years, and the entire team at home.”

This year’s championship was combined with the CCI4*-S. Zara and Class Affair’s trophy haul included the NAF CCI4-S trophy, British Open Championship trophy, highest-placed British Rider trophy and a prize for being closest to the optimum time.

Leaderboard shake-up

Max Warburton piloted Timothy Paske’s 12-year-old Deerpairc Revelry into second, while Izzy Taylor and SBH Big Wall claimed third, the latter rider having missed the first half of the season following a broken leg sustained in a riding fall at home in March.

The championship had looked wide open after dressage, with Emily King and Valmy Biats leading on 26.4, ahead of New Zealand’s Jesse Campbell and Speedwell on 27.9 and Bubby Upton and K on 29.0.

But the showjumping phase shook up the leaderboard, with Emily adding four faults and Yasmin Ingham’s Gypsie Du Loir picking up eight.

That left everything to play for over Eric Winter’s cross-country course, where the optimum time proved particularly influential.

The NAF All You Need Corners at 12ABC were among the more testing questions, demanding accuracy and commitment over Hartpury’s undulating ground.

Zara and Class Affair delivered exactly what was required — and finally put a British Open title on Zara’s list of achievements.

Images by Jasmine Punter

Related content