IRISH international dressage rider Alex Baker is aiming high in 2026, and the Aachen World Championships are firmly in her sights. She has begun her big tour campaign with her relatively new ride, the 14-year-old stallion son of Totilas, Top Gear, and they have already broken the 70% barrier at Grand Prix. In January, they won a national Grand Prix at Hartpury and, having fulfilled Horse Sport Ireland’s pathway criteria to compete internationally, they recently scored 69.040% in the Grand Prix Freestyle at Lier CDI3*.

In pursuit of her world championship qualification, Alex intends to next travel to Fontainebleau and Hagen in April, followed by contesting Hickstead, Wellington and Hartpury on British soil, before dressage high performance manager Anne Marie Dunphy selects her Aachen squad on July 8th.