A Nations Cup, Grand Prix and Derby at this weekend’s CSIO 5* in La Baule, France

Taking place at the picturesque François André de La Baule-Escoublac stadium, the four-day competition is the only one in France to carry the CSIO 5* label (given that there is only one Nations Cup qualifier per country). Eight teams will be facing off on the stadium course as national federations continue their campaigns to qualify for the Longines FEI Nations Cup Jumping Final in Barcelona in October.

One of those teams is Ireland – Cameron Hanley, Mark McAuley, Paul Kennedy, Paul O’Shea and Shane Sweetnam – which is currently in second place in the standings after the first qualifier in Slovakia at the end of April, won by Switzerland. The Swiss are back as well, with an equally strong group of riders: Paul Estermann, Steve Guerdat, Alain Jufer, Werner Muff and Pius Schwizer. The other countries taking part in the Nations Cup are Show Jumping powerhouses Germany, the Netherlands, Spain and host nation France, as well as visitors Canada and Brazil. The full list of riders and teams entered at the 5* level is here.

Also in France this week in an individual capacity are the United States’ Kent Farrington, Japan’s Karen Polle, Great Britain’s William Whitaker and Sweden’s Peder Fredricson, reflecting the high level of competition. All will be going after Longines rankings points and a share of the roughly €600,000 in prize money on offer.

The horses and riders in La Baule will also benefit from renovations to the stadium, including a renewed grass surface and drainage system. The switch of the days for the Grand Prix and Nations Cup (between Friday and Sunday) has been made for the entire series of qualifiers with the goal of making it easier for spectators to come and see the Nations Cup on the weekend. Nevertheless, organisers of the competition say they have traditionally had big crowds every day. 

Action is already underway at the stadium, with the €150,000 Grand Prix scheduled for Friday and the Derby set for Saturday. In the first major class of the competition, with obstacles of 1.50 m, France’s Simon Delestre and his mount Sultan de Beaufour finished first ahead of World No.1 Harrie Smolders of the Netherlands on Zinius and Switzerland’s Paul Estermann and Curtis Sitte. Viewers can follow the action live here.