Carl Hester and his three-time championship partner Fame opened their 2026 campaign in style with a dominant double at the CHI Al Shaqab in Doha.
The British pair topped the CDI5* grand prix on 75.85%, finishing ahead of Sandra Sysojeva and Maxima Bella (74.28%), then raised the bar to 82.98% in the freestyle to take the €27,000 top prize and seal a clear-cut victory.
For Carl, the win marked a meaningful return to Doha.
“I haven’t been back in Doha for 11 years,” he told H&H. “To come back after all this time and win is a lovely experience for me.
“I’ve been doing the sport for 36 years, so every show is a bit of a treasured memory now.”
Consistent collected work
The marks reflected tests built on the quality of the ever-consistent stallion’s collected work.
In the grand prix, the canter pirouettes, piaffe and collected walk drew a stream of eights. The freestyle again showcased Fame’s strength in piaffe and passage, as well as two more fluent pirouettes, which averaged scores of over eight across the five judges.
“The horse was really good, he felt lovely,” Carl said. “He can be quite sharp, but he was really relaxed today. He was cool, really nice to ride.”
The February fixture came at the start of a carefully planned season, with this summer’s World Championships in mind.
“My season starts now,” Carl said. “Every show I do counts. Each score matters. If you can get the highest scores at the least amount of shows, you don’t have to show so much before the championships. But if something goes wrong, you immediately have to go and do another show to rectify it.”
Carl has opted to space Fame’s outings this year; having started with this Doha double, he is unlikely to compete again until April.
“We’ve had such a long winter at home,” he said. “He’s 16 now, so I can go and enjoy him at shows. I don’t have to compete for the experience with him any more.”
Carl Hester said that Doha, with its sunshine and relaxed atmosphere, offered an appealing way to start.
“It’s a little bit like watching A Place in the Sun!” Carl said. “After a long winter, it makes you realise why you want to move abroad.”
Podium finish for Bates
There was further British success in the para classes, in which Alcester-based Sara Bates made the journey with Tango to contest the CPEDI3* grade IV classes.
Describing the trip as a “dream come true”, Sara secured second place in the freestyle with 68.79%, riding to music from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. She finished runner-up to the USA’s Kate Shoemaker, the world number one in the grade.
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