French and Spanish triumph at Gijón CSIO5* — Great Britain’s Saywell 3rd in Grand Prix

The competition schedule in Gijón did not follow the classic format exactly, with the Nations Cup qualifier — the 7th and final qualifier in Europe Division 2 — taking place on Saturday rather than Friday, and the Grand Prix Monday instead of Sunday. In the Nations Cup, Philippe Guerdat’s France, featuring World No.3 Kevin Staut, topped a podium rounded out by the Netherlands and Ireland (all in Division 1 and thus ineligible to pick up points for the Nations Cup Final at the end of September, although already qualified for the Final based on previous performances). Worth noting as part of the €26,000 French victory was the double-clear performance of Nicolas Delmotte and his 9-year-old mount Ilex VP.

The British, the only ones eligible to score points at this leg of the Nations Cup, closed out the top five, with Ben Maher and MTF Madame X (alongside Nigel Coupe and Golvers Hill, Alison Barton and Roma IV and Keith Shore and Mystic Hurricane) the one combination to go clear. 

Nevertheless, Britain will be heading back to this year’s Longines FEI Nations Cup Jumping Final at the Real Club de Polo de Barcelona from September 28 – October 1 (the same place it finished runners-up in 2016 to Germany). As will Ireland, whose team of Shane Breen (Ipswich van de Wolfsakker), David Simpson (Keoki), Cameron Hanley (Quirex) and Anthony Condon (Balzac) came in third in Gijón, picking up €12,000 and once again demonstrating the country’s strength in the sport after its recent Team title at the European Championships in Sweden. Full results are here.

In Monday’s Grand Prix, counting for Longines Rankings points and qualifying points for the 2018 World Equestrian Games in Tryon, North Carolina, British rider Louise Saywell and Tin Tin were third behind Menendez and Catalan native Laura Roquet on Sandi Puigroq, earning €23,055. Fans of equestrian sports thus have a date pencilled in at the end of this month on the occasion of the global Final of the Longines FEI Nations Cup series. Coming up soon, a preview of the big event.