Peter Charles has had a lean time of it over the first two days of the Olympia show jumping championships in London, but he more than made up for it yesterday when holding on for second place in the eliminator class that decided the 18 starters for this afternoon's feature World Cup qualifier and then going all the way to claim the Accenture Christmas Puissance.

Charles had so nearly got into his stride in the lunchtime speed class, missing the winner's enclosure for the Champagne Taittinger speed stakes by just a coat of paint. The mare Orange Juice was almost three seconds up on the clock as she shot through the finish, but the seven-year-old had connected with the upright going into the combination to slide - for the second time in 24 hours - to 11th and out of the prizemoney.

But Charles was making no such mistakes in the following Christmas Cracker, even though he was handicapped by being drawn first out of the startbox.

"It's been very hard sitting here all week waiting for this, but it's paid off", he said after steering Carnavelley to a classy clear that had the rest of the 34 starters playing catch-up.

The Irish rider held the lead for the next 10 horses, but Olympic team gold medallist Marcus Ehning was even more economical on his tour of the 11-fence track, galloping the brilliant stallion For Pleasure on a tighter line that left him almost a 10th of a second ahead at the line.

Charles will now be hoping to boost his World Cup points in this afternoon's qualifier. He is currently sharing 35th place in the western European league standings with, amongst others, fellow European team gold medallist Dermott Lennon.

But Charles had the spotlight all to himself last night when clearing 7ft 3ins with the 15-year-old Sagrat, a horse he had never ridden in competition before. Charles went in a head-to-head with British superstar John Whitaker, but both the bookies and Charles himself had already declared Sagrat the hot favourite.

Sagrat sailed over the massive wall, only moments after Whitaker and Steps Helsinki had taken the top coping off the wall, to leave Charles claiming the £4,500 winner's purse.

Accenture Christmas Puissance - 1, Ireland's Sagrat (Peter Charles); 2, Britain's Steps Helsinki (John Whitaker); 3, Germany's Paramo K (Franke Sloothaak).

Christmas Cracker - 1, Germany's For Pleasure (Marcus Ehning); 2, Ireland's Carnavelley (Peter Charles); 3, Germany's Joli Coeur (Franke Sloothaak); 4, Germany's Camirez B (Markus Merschformann); 5, France's Olympia (Michel Robert); 6, Holland's Audi's Jikke (Eric van der Vleuten).

Champagne Taittinger Stakes - 1, Britain's Mr Springfield (Robert Smith); 2, Britain's Warren (Mark Armstrong); 3, Germany's Gio Granno (Franke Sloothaak); 4, Holland's Audi's Goldenbridge (Eric van der Vleuten); 5, Denmark's Cash (Michael Aabo); 6, Holland's Cajou (Jeroen Dubbeldam); 11, Ireland's Orange Juice (Peter Charles).