Isle of Man equestrian star Yasmin Ingham claimed a superb victory in the CCI4*-S at the prestigious Defender Bramham Horse Trials on Sunday aboard the talented mare Gypsie Du Loir.

Owned by Janette Chinn and the Sue Davies Fund, the nine-year-old bay impressed throughout all three phases to give Ingham her first outright win at Bramham, having previously taken the national under-25 title at the venue in 2019.

The 28-year-old from Greeba sat third after the dressage but climbed the leaderboard after showjumping errors from rivals, including Piggy March whose new ride MCS Maverick dropped to eighth after lowering an early fence.

France’s Sebastien Cavaillon led heading into the final phase, but 1.6 time penalties on cross-country saw him and Elipso De La Vigne fall to third, opening the door for Ingham.

‘I was on a mission,’ said Yaz afterwards. ‘Sebastien very kindly left the door open, so I thought “I’m not going to let this one slide.”’

Gypsie Du Loir, contesting only her third CCI4*-S, delivered a faultless cross-country round to seal the win.

‘She’s super brave and bold. Her ears are always locked on, she’s an exciting mare for the future,’ said Ingham who credited Bramham’s new course-designer Andrew Heffernan for a ‘beautiful’ test of horse and rider.

‘She definitely surprised me by winning. She deserved it.’

Ingham also rode another horse at the event in West Yorkshire, namely Goliath Du Loir who is the brother of both Gypsie and Banzai Du Loir, with whom Yaz was crowned World Eventing Champions in 2022. That combination finished in 13th place.