H&H’s Tokyo horse of the day: the ‘super-bright’ 10-year-old at his first Games

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Simon Delestre riding Berlux Z in the Olympic showjumping team qualifier at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games
Simon Delestre riding Berlux Z in the Team Jumping Qualifier for the Team Final for the Olympic Jumping Competition at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games held at Equestrian Park in Setagaya-ku in Tokyo in Japan between the 23rd July and 8th August 2021
(Image credit: Peter Nixon)

Not many 10-year-olds — or horses at all, for that matter — could have gone cold into today’s (6 August) Olympic showjumping team qualifier at the Tokyo Olympics and come out with a single time-fault. But the ride of Frenchman Simon Delestre – Berlux Z – did just that.

Having not featured in the individual Olympic showjumping competition earlier in the week, he jumped a superb round over the tough track that caught out many top combinations. The scopey grey Zangersheide gelding made nothing of the fences, the lights and the atmosphere at his first senior championship.

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Eleanor Jones
Eleanor Jones
News editor

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.