Tag Archives: HUBSIDE Jumping

Competitions, Show Jumping

The Julien Epaillard Rocket in Orbit

Leave a comment

© Ljuba Buzzola for HUBSIDE JUMPING.

First big event for this new CSI 5* of HUBSIDE JUMPING, first victory for this regular at the awards ceremony in Grimaud! The Frenchman Julien Epaillard wins in the 150cm event, at the controls of Alibi de la Roque. With almost two seconds in advance, he is ahead of another Habs, the Olympic team champion Roger-Yves Bost, in the saddle on Castleforbes Talitha, and the Brazilian Marlon Modolo Zanotelli, in the saddle on Icarus.

“I am very happy, especially since Alibi de la Roque had never been to HUBSIDE JUMPING before. Having him compete in this night-time event was a bit of a test to know if I launched him on Saturday in the Grand Prix. If he was a little staring at the start of the lap, he then finished very well; it didn’t seem to bother him too much! Tomorrow he will therefore rest before doing the Grand Prix Saturday. It is a horse that really had a long vacation during confinement and then resumed competition with Michel Hécart in 1.30m events. I then took him out to Opglabbeek and Lier to get him back on the road, competition on which he turned well. It’s really great to be able to enjoy this place in France, in such conditions: it’s magnificent. For us, it’s a real chance to have someone like Sadri Fegaier who offers us so many weeks of competitions with incredible quality. It allows us to continue to exercise our profession. despite a very complicated period. We can only say thank you.”

Full results here.

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

Competitions, Show Jumping

Scott Brash Finishes ahead of Edward Levy in the Hubside Jumping de Grimaud’s CSI 4* Grand Prix

Leave a comment

© Ljuba Buzzola pour HUBSIDE JUMPING.

Sunday evening, Scotland’s Scott Brash, currently the tenth best rider in the world, won the HUBSIDE JUMPING de Grimaud’s CSI 4* Grand Prix for the second time with Hello Jefferson, after an initial victory last October with Hello Senator. He finished ahead of France’s Edward Levy, who has been performing very well recently and Belgium’s Jos Verlooy.

“I’m delighted with Jefferson’s performance. He really is an exceptional horse. It took a while for me to be able to handle him; he is really powerful. But now we have formed a real combination and it works very well. I have been riding him for two years, but it took several months before we really became a combination. But he is brilliant, very intelligent. There were only seven jump-off riders this evening, but I really want to congratulate the course designer who did a fantastic job. He didn’t have an easy task and had to deal with an extraordinary line-up: there were virtually exclusively riders and horses that usually compete at 5* shows. So he had to create a 5*-level course; otherwise there would have been twenty clears after the first round, which is not what you want. So well done to Andrea Colombo: his courses were fair; there were rails down on all the fences. I watched the jump-off round of Edward Levy, who was first to go. His mare has a very fast stride, but it seemed shorter than Jefferson’s. So I really focused on my horse’s powerful stride to take out a stride before the final fence. It’s possible that I took out other strides elsewhere on the course as well. It’s the second 4* Grand Prix that I’ve won here at the HUBSIDE JUMPING. I would love to add next week’s CSI 5* Grand Prix to my list of wins! All of the riders agree that Sadri Fegaier has done an exceptional job as an organiser and we are all very grateful to him. Tonight’s Grand Prix which was held in the evening reminded us all of this really special atmosphere that we all love which is really great.  We all needed to experience that.”

Full results here.

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

*Featured/Spotlights, Show Jumping

The Grand Prix of the CSI 2* at the Hubside Jumping de Grimaud for Belgian Gregory Wathelet

Leave a comment

© Ljuba Buzzola for HUBSIDE JUMPING.

Penalized by an unfortunate point of time exceeded in the Grand Prix of the CSI 4* of the HUBSIDE JUMPING of Grimaud, the Belgian Grégory Wathelet wins in the Grand Prix of the CSI 2*, associated with Iron Man van de Panderborre. He is ahead of Scott Brash on Hello Mr President and the American Jessica Sprinsgteen on Volage du Val Henry. Best Frenchwoman, Marion Skalli, is fifth in the saddle on Rialto de Chassignol.

“To come back to yesterday’s Grand Prix, the course manager’s task was not at all easy. On paper, he had to offer a 4* course, but in fact, he had to deal with a 5* target. Already Friday evening in the big event, the first three are horses with a lot of experience, including experiences in the championship. So it is very difficult for the course manager, who despite everything did a very good job last night. Of course, the time was very short and I paid the price, but I will not give him wrong. In the end, the jump-off was of great quality, with seven clear rounds, which we riders prefer, really to a jump-off at eighteen for example. If he had set a time longer than two seconds, then there would have been fifteen additional jump-offs, which is not necessarily better. It was certainly against me yesterday, but the sport was beautiful and I was delighted with my horse.

“Today, in the 2* Grand Prix, it was different: we are not in the same range, in the same odds. But there is always this top plateau, of a much higher level than that of a traditional 2*. So again, I find the work of the course manager very good. There was no race at the jump-off, with twenty-five qualified, which would not have been very happy. I had decided to hire Iron Man van de Padenborre for his return to competition, when he is more used to CSI 5*. This Grand Prix was in a way a training. It was the first real horse show since December last year. In January he got a break, then I got a shoulder injury. We had to start over at ‘s-Hertogenbosch, but the competition was canceled at the last minute. Then we received a lot of breeding requests. So much so that we meet here for its cover. He did a little competition three weeks ago, but his real recovery was this week, in 2*. No doubt that next week, he will stay on this level to resume a few kilometers, even if he jumped well today. I do not want to go too fast; we will see week after week to get him going again: I am listening to him.”

Full results here.

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

Competitions, Show Jumping

Master Ehning and His Prêt à Tout in Superb Form in Grimaud

Leave a comment

© Ljuba Buzzola for HUBSIDE JUMPING.

For this second nighttime event, the public of the HUBSIDE JUMPING in Grimaud was spoiled, with the victory, in the race over 150 of the CSI 4*, of the German Marcus Ehning, on his seventeen-year-old gelding, Prêt à Tout. In a jump-off which counted twelve qualified among the best riders in the world, the master is ahead of another exceptional couple, the French Simon Delestre on Hermès Ryan, and the Swede Peder Fredricson on H&M Christian K.

“I have to admit that it was a superb event to ride. The jump-off was really perfect. My horse, Prêt à Tout, is now seventeen years old; he is undoubtedly one of the most experienced horses in the world; he has a crazy intelligence and is very, very fast. You could say that he made it very easy for me. You can’t imagine how happy I am to see him still jumping at this age, in such a state of freshness. I’m on the HUBSIDE JUMPING for two weeks. Tomorrow he won’t be skipping the Grand Prix; however, I plan to run him in the CSI 5 * Grand Prix next week. He won’t do a lot of racing. ‘trials by then: he is the age we know him; it is hot here; it must be preserved. But I am so happy, not only for the victory, but also and above all for Prêt à Tout. The feeling in the saddle was wonderful and I am particularly proud of this horse, of his motivation, of his desire. Keep doing well. Tomorrow, it will be A La Carte who will participate in the CSI 4* Grand Prix. He’s twelve; we haven’t been together that long, but I believe in his potential. Every lap is good to take in terms of experience. I continue to learn from each test, and the same is true for the horses!”

Full results here.

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

Competitions, Show Jumping

Gregory Wathelet and Indago Win out of 145 at Hubside Jumping de Grimaud

Leave a comment

© Marco Villanti for HUBSIDE JUMPING.

The Belgian Grégory Wathelet, reigning European team champion, wins the big event of the day of the CSI 4 * of the HUBSIDE JUMPING of Grimaud, in the saddle on the BWP Indago. In this speed test, he was more than two seconds ahead of German master Marcus Ehning, at the helm of Funky Fred, and the reigning Olympic team champion, Frenchman Philippe Rozier, third, associated with Prestigio Ls La Silla.

“On a speed course, you have to take risks from start to finish. But it was an opening event for this week: everyone wants to take the risks, without doing anything the first day. As soon as I entered the track, I felt that Indago was in good shape; he jumped well from the first obstacle; I was confident. I had planned to take a stride off number 2 and the last: it saved me a little time. Then we had to tighten the turns, stay in the gallop, and be a little shorter than the competition in two or three places. Indago is a horse who likes speed, who is respectful and at these heights, 145-150; he is very competitive. In June-July, I participated in three of the four weeks offered by HUBSIDE JUMPING. I got some rankings, but no wins. One of the explanations is simple: my best horses weren’t on the way yet. Let’s not forget that we came out of a period of several months without a competition. The horses had to be put back on levels 4 and 5*. From now on, horses are once again in the rhythm of competitions. Indago will come out on Saturday at 145; Full House will skip the Grand Prix. My championship horse, Nevados, was previously at the service. It really picks up here. He will jump tomorrow’s big event and next week’s Grand Prix.”

Full results here.

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

*Featured/Spotlights, Show Jumping

Niels Bruynseels Wins the Hubside Jumping’s 4* Grand Prix

Leave a comment

© Marco Villanti pour HUBSIDE JUMPING.

Experience was the keynote of the Grand Prix which gathered together the best riders on the planet, bringing these four weeks of competition to an end in the South of France. Three experienced riders finished on the HUBSIDE JUMPING’s final podium for this summer season, ahead of the young generation, which was very threatening in this Grand Prix. Belgium’s Niels Bruynseels was the winner riding Gancia de Muze. He finished ahead of Ireland’s Denis Lynch with Cristello and Italy’s Emanuele Guadiano with Chalou. The best French rider, and the leader of this young generation of rising stars, was Edward Levy, fifth with Uno de Cerisy. Last week, during the HUBSIDE JUMPING’s 5* Grand Prix, he had already finished in an amazing second place.

Forty-six horse and rider combinations took part in the final 4* Grand Prix of the HUBSIDE JUMPING, which for four weeks played host to the best horses and riders on the planet. Fifteen horse and rider combinations jumped the first round perfectly and went through to the jump-off of the course designed by France’s Cédric Longis, whose track was praised by the riders.

“I know that my mare Gancia de Muze can be very fast, but faced with a jump-off and riders and horses of this level, it was no easy matter (laughs). I tried to take all the risks possible. I was rather concerned when I saw that some riders were getting dangerously close to my time. I wasn’t guaranteed to be the winner… But no words are strong enough to describe Gancia. She really is an incredible mare. She has won everything in her life and even the long break due to the lockdown didn’t hinder her round. These weeks at the HUBSIDE JUMPING in the South of France have been very positive. Everything is perfect here: the facilities on offer to the horses and riders are really outstanding. I really want to praise the organisation for what it is doing for the sport and thank the whole team!”

Full results here.

The press kit can be downloaded here.

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

Competitions, Show Jumping

The Oscar of the Day for Usual Suspect and Julien Epaillard

Leave a comment

© Filippo Gabutti for HUBSIDE JUMPING.

Frenchman Julien Epaillard, in the saddle on his Usual Suspect d’Auge gelding, won the major event of the day at the HUBSIDE JUMPING in Grimaud (Var). He is ahead of the young Marlon Modolo Zanotelli (Brazil) associated with Icarus, and Christian Kukuk (Germany) on Botaro.

“This week, Queeletta was penalized by a small 4 points yesterday in the 150cm race with jump-off, and Quincy, who usually runs the 140, will come out tomorrow for the Grand Prix: in view of this test, his schedule was deliberately quiet for the last few days. As for Usual Suspect, I have downgraded him a little. He raced the Grand Prix 4* a fortnight ago and we had a little incident: he left a stride before on an oxer. Last weekend, I engaged him in small tests to restore his confidence. He ran a 140 on Thursday: I found him quite relaxed; he had forgotten our mishap a little. Today, he did a magnificent first lap. I found it great, available, very relaxed. I am happy to see that this incident did not leave too many consequences. But this is the reason why I decided to downgrade it weekend, so that he continues to regain confidence.

“The big event of the day had a large number of roadblocks: it happens. It is not easy for the track chief to build a 145 barrage with the plateau that there is here, with horses which normally are very comfortable on this height. Even the slightly tricky triple did not give mistakes… The weather was fairly wide, and even if it had been tight, given the size of the track, we would always have found a place or two where to save time. Really, I maintain that the job of the track manager is not simple at all, who must respect the rules of 145 while the plateau is worthy of a 150, 155, or even a 160.

“In short, the results of these weeks are very positive. The horses are fine; they have all had different programs. Kzoom ran his first 5* Grand Prix last week: I am really satisfied even if we still have to get to know each other a little. I make a mistake on the last obstacle because I don’t know it well enough. Regarding Queeletta, I started really quiet, and we will race the Grand Prix tomorrow. I think the mare is not yet at 100% of its potential, so the Grand Prix will be more of a restart. I do not set myself any obligation of result. Especially since we must already think about the important deadlines to come, and in particular Barcelona, if the competition is maintained, which is an important objective of the season. ”

The CSI 2* event, on 140cm with jump-off, was won by the youngest of the competition, Eden Leprévost Blin Lebreton, sixteen, on Quivoila. Eden is ahead of a certain Pénélope Leprévost, reigning Olympic champion with the French team, and also her mother.

Full results here.

Reactions from all the winners here.

All tests are transmitted live on https://grandprix.tv/fr.

The press kit can be downloaded here.

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

*Featured/Spotlights, Show Jumping

The World No. 1 for the First 5-Star Grand Prix at Hubside Jumping

Leave a comment

© Marco Villanti pour HUBSIDE JUMPING.

This event was eagerly awaited! The HUBSIDE JUMPING de Grimaud played host to the crème de la crème of international horses and riders for the first CSI 5* in the world since they started competing again. Judge for yourself: two thirds of the World Top 30 were present at the show organised on the initiative of Sadri Fegaier. The world hierarchy was respected on the track of the French course designer Cédric Longis, who was officiating for the first time at CSI 5*-level: Switzerland’s Steve Guerdat, the World number one, triumphed with Victorio des Frotards.  Three cheers for him! He finished ahead of the young French rider Edward Levy, and Sweden’s Peder Fredricson, the current World no. 6.

“The first round went really well. Victorio had already won the three 5-star Grands Prix in which he competed this year. I knew he could do it but despite this, there were a lot of unknowns in this Grand Prix, as I didn’t jump a lot with my horses during the lockdown. He jumped really well here during the first week of the HUBSIDE JUMPING and then he went home to rest a bit last week. He jumped really well in the first big class on Thursday, but in the 1m50 class on Friday I felt he was a bit tired.  So I wasn’t sure how we would do today. Apparently, the day off really did him good, because during the first round he jumped incredibly. I think that he has never jumped as well as that! I had a great feeling in the ring when we jumped the first round. The jump-off of this Grand Prix was really fast, like all the classes that take place here, and that’s why I chose to ride Victorio. He really gave it his all for me in the jump-off and I’m really proud of him! Next week, I will be back in the ring here but without Victorio, who is going home to have a rest.”

Full results here.

All tests are transmitted live on https://grandprix.tv/fr.

The press kit can be downloaded here.

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

Competitions, Show Jumping

The Little Grand Prix 5* de Grimaud for the Italian Lorenzo de Luca

Leave a comment

© Marco Villanti pour HUBSIDE JUMPING.

The small Grand Prix at 1.45m has taken place on the track of the HUBSIDE JUMPING. Among the thirty-one champions at the start, ten took part in the jump-off. Signing the fastest double without fail, the Italian Lorenzo de Luca and Amarit d’Amour (41 “22) won ahead of the Dutch couple Maikel van der Vleuten and Edinburgh (41” 63). Irishman Denis Lynch completes the podium with Cristello (42 “26). The best French performance goes to the couple Olympic champion by reigning teams, Philippe Rozier and Rahotep from Tuscany (47” 70).

“I’ve been riding Amarit d’Amour for a year now. Half of him is owned by Stephan Conter and the other half by Katharina Offel: I’m very lucky to be able to ride him. Today is his first victory in 5*; he didn’t run much in his career. He jumped very well in the first two weeks: in the two 150 jump tests, he was flawless on the first lap; in the jump in the first week, I didn’t look for speed; the second week I tried to go faster and I knocked over a bar. Today I said to myself, ‘OK, I give everything.” He has remained very focused with me. We can see that the plateau has been very high here since the start of the competition and each jump-off runs very quickly. And this jump-off was no exception to the rule – all the more happy that Amarit d’Amour is a particular horse: he is very sensitive, he can be impressed, but he has incredible qualities. In tomorrow’s 5* Grand Prix, I’ll take out Catwalk Harry. It will be his first 5* Grand Prix. I’ve been riding him for about six months. He jumped the 4 * Grand Prix very well last week, so I’m optimistic. Whatever the outcome, it will take experience. After confinement, we see that the horses, all the horses, are in great shape. For my part, I took the time to really accompany each of my horses during this period. Of course, the work was less intense than usual, but probably more intense, which we do not always have time to do when we are every week in competition. We took the time to discover each one in depth.”

Full results here.

Reactions from all the winners here.

All tests are transmitted live on https://grandprix.tv/fr.

The press kit can be downloaded here.

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

Competitions, Show Jumping

Thierry Rozier, Always a Star in Grimaud

Leave a comment

© Marco Villanti pour HUBSIDE JUMPING.

Already winner last week of the major event of the opening day of the CSI 4* of the HUBSIDE JUMPING, Thierry Rozier wins in the CSI 5* with Star. In this 1.50m event, he outstripped his French teammates, Mathieu Billot with Apache de Liam, then Simon Delestre (Chesall Zimequest) and Julien Anquetin (Blood Diamond du Pont) third.

“Thursday is my day (laughs)! The great thing about Star is that when we hit the track, we know we can try anything. I’m very lucky because she is naturally very fast and very respectful. I had a doubt on the penultimate line in which few riders had made six strides while advancing. But for the past two weekends, I have taken a lot of example on the routes of Simon Delestre and I since he was taking a stride in front of the double, so I knew I could take that risk. It worked well even if Simon resented me (laughs)! Star is really amazing! I try to take advantage of these good times in competition because the competition season is a bit complicated this year. Fortunately, we can count on organizers like Sadri Fegaier. He is at the origin of the major competitions currently in the world and everything is done for the comfort of the horses. I really want to thank Sadri for all he does for our sport. This weekend we also have a set of riders worthy of a championship! Winning in front of all these great riders is always a little something extra for me!”

Full results here.

For this first CSI 5* in the world since March, the course layout goes to the French track chief Cédric Longis, who takes command of a competition of this level for the first time. Three levels are still offered (CSI 1, 2, and 5*), for a total endowment of nearly 545,000.

All tests are transmitted live on https://grandprix.tv/fr.

The press kit can be downloaded here.

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