‘Football doesn’t need to come home – showjumping does it for them’: Britain triumphs in top home Nations Cup
Britain has regained the Edward, Prince of Wales trophy, winning the home leg for the third time in four years
There’s no need for football to come home, as showjumping has done it, again, was the verdict as Great Britain triumphed in the 2026 Agria Nations Cup at the Royal International Horse Show.
The team had been victorious in 2023 and 2024 but having just been pipped by Germany last year, came back to win with a fence in hand.
Jessica Mendoza (Summerhouse), Adrian Whiteway (Chacco Volo), Tim Gredley (Medoc De Toxandria) and Ben Maher (Catelly) finished on a total of eight faults, two fences ahead of Ireland, with Canada third on 24. Tim and his superstar campaigner Medoc jumped one of only two double clears to help seal Britain’s third win on home soil in four years.
Chef d’equipe Di Lampard said it was good to be back at the top.
“You talk about teamwork, this is what it’s all about, isn’t it?” she said, paying tribute to the teams behind the team, and her right-hand man Stanny Van Paesschen.
“I was quietly confident this morning, and yes, I had a bit of a nervous jitter towards the end of the second round – but I had every confidence in them.”
2026 Agria Nations Cup: Britain flying from the off
Britain was on flying form from the start; the first combination in, Jessica and her own 11-year-old gelding – a half-brother to her championship ride In The Air – jumped a textbook clear, sure and rhythmical, to give the team the best possible start, especially as it was the only clear in the first rotation of riders.
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By the time Adrian came in, Britain’s was still the only clear. Chacco Volo did not touch a pole, but inexplicably stopped at the water, and the resulting time-faults meant they finished on a total of 20. Third in was Tim and the Gredleys’ and Unex Competition Yard’s 14-year-old, who were never in danger of touching a fence.
The luck had not been with Ireland in the first round; Daid Simpson and his Hickstead Derby hero Pjotr Van De Kruishoeve and Shane Breen and the versatile Scarteen had clocked up an uncharacteristic eight faults apiece, and team debutant Michael Byrne and MSH Claregalway four. But Conor Swail’s clear with Clonterm Obolensky put the team total at 12 and the pressure on by the time Ben came in with new ride Catelly.
Again, Ben and the 14-year-old owned by Charlotte Rossetter and Pamela Wright did not touch a pole – but again it was the water that was an issue, as Catelly went into it with a back foot.
This meant the team had a first-round total of four, a fence ahead of Brazil and two ahead of Ireland and the UAE. European champions Belgium and France were in seventh and eighth place, with 21 and 24 faults respectively, so missed out on the second round.
This rotation of riders led to a shake-up of the team order; Canada had finished round one in fifth place on 16 faults but Chris Pratt and Ideaal ES jumped clear and Kyle King (Kayenne Z) and Nicole Walker (Panter JVH) for four, so Amy Millar and Gaiete D’Elle’s five – an unlucky clip of the last fence and a time-fault – could be dropped for a total of 24. This was the same total as the UAE, who clocked up 12 in each round, but Canada’s faster time secured the podium. Brazil added four fences down in total to finish fourth.
And in the end, it all came down – as it often has here before – to Ireland and the Brits. Had Conor and Oliver Glancy’s 10-year-old clipped a single rail, or gone a second over the time, it would have been a home win without Ben needing to jump again. But their round was fast and faultless, the only other double clear secured, and leaving all the pressure on Ben’s shoulders. He could have one fence, two would have meant a jump-off with the Irish.
But Catelly wasn’t going to touch the water this time, and he flew everything else, clearing the last oxer to rapturous applause.
Ben paid tribute to the team at Hickstead, for the perfect going, sponsors Agria and the crowd.
“I’ve only had Catelly four months, so he was thrown in the deep end a bit, and we’re still making the odd mistake,” he said. “It was a bit of a unique fault I had in the first round; I don’t think I’ve ever seen a horse with a back foot in a water jump! So I had to make a bit of a plan B and got away with it.
“Then to come back, it was great to be able to finish it for this amazing team. I thought they were lying to me when I went in, that I had two jumps in hand and they’d told me one so I didn’t get too sloppy So I need to pay a bit more attention but Catelly jumped amazing, and showed what we can do. I’m very lucky to have the team of horses I have.”
Coming back to win
Jesssica and Adrian both jumped on this team last year and both were delighted to return and secure the win.
“I’ve had Chacco a long time, we’ve done it all together, and I’ve had an amazing season,” Adrian said. “This is actually probably the worst day we’ve had, unfortunately. But he’s an amazing, amazing horse. Unlucky today but that’s showjumping, and we’ll come back next time.”
Tim and Medoc were on the winning team here in 2023 and 2024, and Tim was delighted by the hat-trick, adding that Hickstead is the “holy grail” of showjumping.
“It’s where the showjumping all began for me, and I really want to give back to them every single year,” he said. “So to come here, jump a double clear and win on the team is brilliant, what it’s all about.
“Medoc got my career exactly back where I wanted to be, he’s been brilliant. Today was always the plan, we’ve been building towards this, and it’s come off. It’s very rare that plans come off, but it’s a nice feeling when they do.”
“This is for Bob”
Di added that the win was dedicated to the late legendary course-builder Bob Ellis
“We really wanted to win this year for Bob,” she said. “We all learned round his courses, they’re renowned all round the world. So talking to his daughter, we said we want to win at Hickstead. His memorial is in August and she said ‘I won’t be able to come [to Aachen], but bring a medal back’. Bob’s looking down on us.”
Hickstead director Edward Bunn thanked Agria, as without such support these shows cannot happen, and his team for their tireless weeks of work since the Derby meeting to ensure the ground was as good as it could be.
“Congratulations to Team GBR, to Di and her team,” he said. “Football doesn’t need to come home – showjumping does it for them.”
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Eleanor is an experienced journalist who spent over eight years working for local and national newspapers before joining H&H as news editor in March 2016. Passionate about equine welfare and exposing the truth, Eleanor has reported on all aspects of the industry, from Brexit to anti-bullying campaigns, and from dressage rules to mules. Her sport of choice is showjumping, in which she competes her own horses, and she also enjoys reporting at local jumping shows through to international championships.