NICOLA WILSON had a double cause for celebration today as she won individual and team gold at the European Eventing Championships.

The North Yorkshire rider partnered the ten-year-old gelding, JL Dublin, to a clear round in the showjumping phase in Avenches, Switzerland, to secure the European title.

And her performance ensured the British team featuring Wilson, Piggy March, Kitty King and reigning World champion Ros Canter would become the first all-female team to take European gold.

Riding JL Dublin, who is owned by Jo and James Lambert and Deirdre Johnston, Wilson went clear in both the cross-country and showjumping to finish on her dressage score of 20.9.

That was good enough to take gold, with March winning silver aboard Brookfield Innocent and another Briton, Sarah Bullimore, claiming bronze on Carouet.

“It’s been a fantastic week for all of the Brits and to finish up there on the top is just a dream come true,” said Wilson, who is based at Morton-on-Swale, near Northallerton. “He is a fabulous horse that his owners bought as a four-year-old and he’s been so exciting, all the way through the years.

“For him to come and do his first championship and finish at the top of the podium, I really am just pinching myself – but he really is a very, very special horse and he felt class in all three phases.”

Wilson was in the lead heading into the showjumping phase, so knew a clear round in the allotted time would guarantee a gold medal.

“I knew he could jump well, but you just don’t know what’s going to happen – a silly mistake and I could have let him down,” she said. “But he was just phenomenal in there.

“He went in as cool as a cucumber, very confident and very focused and off we went. It was just an absolute pleasure to ride him in all three phases.”

Britain enjoyed an emphatic victory in the team competition, finishing on a total score of 73.1. Germany won silver on 86.4 points, with Sweden claiming bronze.