British Paralympic medallist Sophie Wells has announced a new ride, MSJ Gold Standard, as she targets selection for the 2026 World Championships in Aachen with two horses. The nine-year-old mare, known as Gracie, made her debut with Wells at Vale View on 1 February, scoring 72.56% in a grade V grand prix A test. Wells also provided an update on her Paris medallist, Diana.
Paralympic medallist Sophie Wells, a grade V rider, has taken on Emma Blundell’s MSJ Gold Standard, a nine-year-old Governer x Furstenball mare nicknamed Gracie. The horse, produced to advanced medium level by Holly and Amy Woodhead, joins Wells' string as she aims for the 2026 World Championships in Aachen.
Wells first tried Gracie last year but was unable to purchase her at the time. "I said to Emma I’d love the opportunity to campaign her and to let me know if circumstances change, then I got a message before Christmas," Wells told Horse & Hound. She has owned the chestnut mare for only a few weeks. "It’s started really well, so hopefully that continues. She’s beautiful, she’s a chestnut mare, she loves her food, she’s gorgeous."
Gracie has experience in big atmospheres, having performed demos at Burghley and Bramham. "She’s done a few demos at Burghley and Bramham and things in big atmospheres and she’s really good with that, so I’m hoping she can come out at the internationals this year and we can see how far we can go," Wells said.
Their first outing together was at Vale View on 1 February, where they scored 72.56% in a grade V grand prix A test. "It was lovely. Obviously there were a few miscommunications because we don’t know each other that well yet, but the feeling in the arena was really positive. I could really ride her forward and she just went in and did her job, which was amazing to feel, so it’s really exciting," Wells recounted. The World Championships remain the big goal, though it is early days.
Wells' other horse, the 10-year-old Paris medallist LJT Egebjerggards Samoa (Diana), owned by the Lady Joseph Trust and Henrietta Cheetham, is also targeting the championships. Diana took some downtime last autumn but has returned to competition, including the Arena UK high profile in December. "We’ll do regionals and then crack on with the para winter championships and some internationals from there, so fingers crossed," Wells added.
