OLYMPIC superstar Charlotte Dujardin drove just a few miles from her Malswick base near Newent to steal the show with seven victories at a sun-kissed Hartpury Festival of Dressage.

Spectators crowded round to witness the world’s top dressage rider produce beautifully executed rides on the likes of Mount St John Freestyle as she gears up to defend her Olympic title inTokyo.

Dujardin and her horse produced an exquisite test in the Baileys Horse Feeds FEI CD1 Grand Prix Special with 80.51 per cent on the final day to beat Malswick yard owner and fellow Olympic gold medallist Carl Hester on Hawtins Delicato on 77.29 per cent, followed by Henriette Anderson riding Flavio with 70.95 per cent.

The five-day festival from July 4 to 8 earlier saw her narrowly beat her Olympic team mates in the Hazlewoods CDI Grand Prix on Mount St John Freestyle with a score of 77.43 per cent, followed by Hester on Hawtins Delicanto (76.08), with Spencer Wilton, Olympic silver medallist, third on Super Nova II with 75.84.

She landed her opening victory on day two in the Elite Stallions Young Horse Prix St Georges Qualifier, as the triple Olympic champion and River Rise Nisa leapt to the top of the leader board with a score of 76.37 per cent, leaving the rest of the competition far behind.

Alice Oppenheimer and Headmore Davina were second with 71.80 per cent and Zoe Sleigh and Francisco 51 with 70.18 per cent.

Charlotte continued her winning streak on the Saturday (July 7), taking the Shearwater Young Dressage Horse semi-final on Hawtins San Floriana with a score of 8.64 from Sara Gallop riding BKS Fantasia on 8.54. and Edward Creamer on Hocus Pocus IV on 8.44.

She then put in another spectacular performance on her joint-owned horse Gio to secure first place in the Equine Construction Advanced Medium 96, shooting to the top of the leader board with a score of 77.54 per cent, six per cent ahead of her nearest rival.

She continued her run by landing the Elite Stallions Young Horse PSG Final again on seven-year-old mare River Rise Nisa, only the mare’s third ever Prix St Georges.

“For a seven-year-old to come out and do a test like that is really impressive,” said Charlotte. “You can see she loves to work and finds it very easy.

“I forget she’s only seven, and it’s easy to push and ask for more because she is such a giver and has so much talent. She is definitely going to be one of my top horses for future Olympics.”

She also rode Carl Hester’s Brioso II to victory in the Fairfax Saddles, Monarch Equestrian FEI Prix St Georges with a score of 75.70 per cent on the final day, with Michael Eilberg riding Daltrey second with 70.88 per cent and Tom Goode riding Shilo third with a score of 70.44 per cent.

Dujardin scooped individual and team gold in London 2012 on Valegro and added individual gold and team silver in Rio before deciding it was time for her history-making mount to take a well-earned retirement at Hester’s Oaklebrook Mill yard in Malswick.

And while her famous partner might be more used to gold as a triple Olympic champion, ‘Valegro the Dancing Horse’ is due to be immortalised in bronze in his home town of Newent, as part of a community sculpture project.

It is hoped that the statue unveiling will take place towards the end of 2018, accompanied by a community arts programme involving local schools.

Valegro has been a regular sight exercising around Newent, ridden over the years by former Olympian Tricia Gardiner, who celebrated her 81st birthday the day after the horse and Charlotte retained their Olympic title in 2016.

For full results from the July 4 to 8 Festival go to http://hartpuryfestivalofdressage.co.uk

For more information on the ‘Valegro the Dancing Horse’ £160,000 statue appeal and project, see www.charlottedujardin.co.uk/valegro-the-sculpture