Forty-one couples at the start. Twelve barragistas. Four faultless doubles… You had to be precise while being very fast to win the major event of the day at the HUBSIDE JUMPING in VALENCIA, a CSI 4* Grand Prix at 1.50m. Mission brilliantly accomplished by the rising couple, Francilien Cédric Hurel and Fantasio Floreval Z.

The first qualifying round for the dam gave the riders some difficulty, most notably the three combinations that marked the course as the sixth, eighth, and twelfth hurdles. Maldonne for the French champion Benoît Cernin, riding his very good Vitalhorse Seurat Galotiere, Mégane Moissonnier and Cordial, as well as René Lopez Lizarazo on Kheros Van’T Hoogeinde, all three signing magnificent faultless runs, unfortunately tainted with a small point of time exceeded depriving them of access to the dam. Frenchman Titouan Schumacher and his leaping Atome Z were the first to find the key to the course proposed by track leader Grégory Bodo. In form, the Tricolores formed a real delegation in the qualification for the dam, joined by the Belgians Rik Hemeryck in saddle on Morfine de Muze and François Jr Mathy with Uno de la Roque. The second part of the event was therefore going to promise beautiful sport to determine the winning couple among the twelve qualifiers.

A difficult task for Titouan Schumacher, the opening of the dam allowed all qualifiers to measure the possible options of the route and a first reference time of 37’28, sanctioned by 4 points… The first double without fault is signed François-Xavier Boudant. In the saddle on Brazyl du Mezel, the Normand showed that it was possible, with a time of 36’71, synonymous with third place finish. In his wake, inflated to the brim, Cédric Hurel and Fantasio Floreval Z dropped the reference time to 35’17. Everyone then tried to do even better… without success!

Full results here.

Daniel Koroloff – E-mail: daniel@blizko-communication.com