Maher lines up Tokyo

Explosion W shows fantastic form at this rescheduled show, taking the feature class in the week his Tokyo Olympic selection is formalised

- SARAH RADFORD

WITH four weeks to go before the Olympics, Ben Maher and Explosion W showed the home crowd exactly how golden their medal hopes are in Tokyo.

It’s been almost two years since we’ve had the chance to witness the unparalleled athlete that is Explosion W on home soil – on that occasion he triumphed in the Global Champions Tour grand prix in London. Just 20 miles further west, he was untouchable once again in the CSI5* Rolex grand prix.

“He has a good track record in England, I wish the Olympics were here!” said Ben, who understandably couldn’t sing the praises of this magnificent chestnut enough.

“He’s like a Ferrari, he fills me with so much confidence,” he said. “There are many great horses in the world but he’s such an intelligent horse. That’s what makes such a difference. I think if I asked him to cook me breakfast he probably could do it!”