French triplet in the Grand Prix du Longines Masters de Paris

“Fair”, “perfectly balanced”, “resolutely oriented towards sport and the well-being of horses”. There was no shortage of compliments at the press conference to qualify the two Longines Grand Prix de Paris courses proposed by French track chief Gregory Bodo. “The course was interesting, with mistakes everywhere on the courses, without a real justice of the peace who would have penalized this or that type of horse. The work provided by Gregory was very subtle, and definitely forced the riders to get into the rhythm, which remains the basis of riding”. In the mouth of a reigning Olympic champion, the Tricolor Kevin Staut, these words must have delighted Lorrain Bodo, that the “horse planet” is tearing itself away and whose courses are unanimously recognized wherever the track manager intervenes. “The courses of this Longines Grand Prix de Paris and the entire weekend of this eleventh edition of the Longines Masters de Paris required a smooth, delicate and precise rise, without neglecting the rhythm. In the dam, I still proposed two turns so that couples could take risks. Does this mean that this Longines Grand Prix of Paris was going to be won on the ground, not on the bars?

“Hermès Ryan is naturally very fast on the ground,” explained Longines Grand Prix of Paris winner Simon Delestre. “It was indeed on the ground that I won the race, staying in the stride contracts I had planned, but turning very fast. It was a big Grand Prix, and starting last from the play-off with six qualified riders was pretty comfortable.

“When I walk the course,” added Roger-Yves Bost, third at the Longines Grand Prix de Paris, the other Olympic team champion on the podium, “I really thought that we would have a championship event, that whoever won it would be damn strong. I had to take all the risks, especially by taking strides. I knew that behind me, the Delestre and Staut rockets would give it all. I haven’t done a lot of play-offs at that speed with Sangria, so I’m very satisfied with her. 

In the final standings, the three Frenchmen Delestre, Staut and Bost, are followed by the Irish Darragh Kenny, riding Classic Dream, Félicie Bertrand on Sultane des Ibis, the only qualified rider for the Longines Grand Prix de Paris dam, and the German Christian Ahlmann, associated with Take A Chance On Me Z.