ANNE Dunham had more than one reason to be cheerful after claiming victory at the Nirvana Spa Para Dressage Winter Championships at Hartpury Arena in Gloucestershire on Wednesday.

The five-time Paralympic gold medallist Dunham, 63, saw off stiff competition from fellow Brits Sophie Christiansen on Janeiro 6 and Emma Sheardown on Purdy’s Dream, to take the title aboard long-time partner Teddy Edwards.

Dunham scored 73.50 per cent, with Christiansen second on 70.63 and Sheardown third.

The event was a rematch from the 2010 World Equestrian Games, where Christiansen beat Dunham into second and Sheardown was back in third, but this time it was Dunham’s day.

And the Broad Hinton para dressage star was understandably buoyed by the displays of both herself and Teddy.

“I was delighted with how it went, it was great,” she said.

“It couldn’t have gone much better and was a really pleasing competition.

“I’ve only just come down from the high of it.

“Teddy was so good, he was spot-on and a real star. He did everything I asked of him and was listening to what I said the whole way round.

“It’s always a close-run thing between the three of us (Dunham, Christiansen and Sheardown) and it keeps me in the running for the Paralympics.

“We now have to do the summer championship and the British international and we find out whether we have been selected after that.”

Dunham’s other horse, Lucas Normark, was fourth at Hartpury, a result all the more pleasing given that the horse had only just returned from an operation.

Lucas, a 10-year-old spotted stallion, had a benign form of skin cancer removed from two areas on his underside recently.

While the operation was not too much of a concern, Lucas’ display was impressive as he recovered from it and performed well in the event despite his limited experience, as Dunham explained.

“That was only the fourth time I’ve competed Lucas,” she said.

“He had an injury and has only just returned and been back in work for three weeks.

“He had two great big holes left in him from the operation but he did a great job.”

Should Dunham make it to the Paralympics this summer, it will be the fifth time she has done so, having previously competed in Atlanta, Sydney, Athens and Beijing.

Her performances in the next frew months will be crucial in determining whether she gets to London.