Show jumping star Harry Charles clinched Olympic gold riding Romeo 88 and captured a Grand Prix victory atop Sherlock.

The two gilt-edged horses bear the names of Britain's literary mainstays, Romeo from William Shakespeare’s repertoire, and Sherlock, Arthur Conan Doyle's detective.

The dual victories occurred back-to-back this summer. Charles first rode to glory at the Paris 2024 Olympics and followed this triumph less than three weeks later on the podium of the Longines Global Champions Tour.

This second victory took place on Charles's home soil, at the Royal Hospital Chelsea.

Charles said: "It feels incredible.

"Momentum is a big thing in this sport and to win here at home two weeks after that Olympic gold medal is pretty cool.

"It's been a bit of a whirlwind really, maybe I'm not as focused as I should be but it worked.

"I'm really happy for Sherlock most of all. He was actually close behind Romeo for the Olympics so this was his chance to shine and he's incredible so I'm really proud of him today."

Charles, who lives in Alton, insists it's entirely coincidental that his high-performing steeds share names with famous fictional characters.

The 25-year old show jumper maintains that his horses have been shining alongside him throughout the whirlwind of recent weeks.

However, sporting glory comes with its setbacks. Charles had to withdraw Romeo from the individual Olympic competition due to an injury occurring post-team jumping victory.

Despite this, Charles's faith in his horses is unwavering.

Tasked with raising and preparing horses day in and day out, he stated his belief that Sherlock, a younger horse in his stable, is destined for great feats.

Charles continued: "I go to the States now for a few weeks and I'm just going to put my feet up and take some time to let it all sink in and reflect," he added.

"If I don't take a bit of time now then you go to the next show and so on and you forget about the success.

"So it's nice mentally to have a break and my horses will go out in the field and everyone will benefit from the best summer ever."

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