Maher hails superb Nations Cup triumph

The gold medallist from the 2012 Olympic Games was in magnificent form on Tic Tac as the team of Amanda Derbyshire, Emily Moffitt, Emily Mason and Maher blitzed the field in Florida.

The 35-year-old helped Great Britain to victory with two clear runs at Palm Beach Equestrian Centre to finish clear of Ireland in second place as Maher brought up his 50th Nations Cup appearance in style.

He said: "We had a long talk before the weekend that we needed Great Britain to get off to a good start.

"We've been losing for too long and I think that for any rider or any team, you can't just go on a run of bad luck or bad results and all of a sudden come out and win a championship, so I think this year we have to start strong as a countr, as a team, within the riders that we have and get off to a positive star.

"Now we can take this result back to Europe with us for the Super League division and look forward to Tryon for the Olympic qualification.

"We have a younger generation now. Everyone's ridden one or two Nations' Cups and last week I was told this is my 50th, so I feel really old now."

It was an impressive performance from Emily Mason, who was making her senior debut in the Nations Cup aboard Explosion, passing with two penalty-free runs.

The 26-year-old said: "Personally, for me it was an honour even to be picked for the team to start with and the fact that we managed to get a double clear out is mind blowing really."

Manager and Chef d'Equipe Di Lampard added: "This has just been an amazing start to the year and I couldn't be more pleased with them all.

"They have all delivered their corner giving tremendous performances and to say I am delighted would be an understatement."

Sportsbeat 2018