© PSV.J.Morel
An Olympic atmosphere for the Equita Masters presented by Hermès Sellier
The top 30 couples from last night's major class were competing in the prestigious Equita Masters presented by Hermès Sellier this Saturday evening. After two exciting rounds, the British Olympic champion and Hermès partner rider Ben Maher took first place. Riding Point Break, he produced the only double clear round of the evening, finishing ahead of yesterday's winner, Victor Bettendorf (LUX) on Cancun Torel Z. Defending champion Steve Guerdat came third with Albfuehren's Iashin Sitte.
There was another full house for this prestigious evening. A prestigious evening with an exceptional line-up, including 6 of the world's top 10 riders competing here in Lyon. This meant that the French course designer Grégory Bodo had to draw on all his expertise to come up with a course worthy of these stars. Nine pairs finally found the answers to the 13 obstacles and 16 difficulties at 1.60 metres in order to go through to the second round reserved for the 12 best performances. Robin Muhr (ISR) and Marlon Modolo Zanotelli (BRE), riding Crocodile Rock and Zy-Zento respectively, were both penalised by 1 point for exceeding the time limit, but managed to make it through, as did Victor Bettendorf, the only rider to qualify with 4 points, thanks to a blistering time of 40"96.
The riders who succeeded in making it to the second round included France's Julien Gonin on his lively Estrella de la Batia, who finished second last year and recorded the fastest clear round. Another crowd favourite, Kevin Staut, also secured his place with his fantastic Vida Loca Z. One of the two 8-year-olds entered in the event completed a surprisingly smooth round.
In the second leg, the couples kept their first-round scores and started in reverse order. So, Julien Gonin rounded off the proceedings. Before that, Victor Bettendorf had completed a clear round in 40''96, meaning his rivals had to push themselves to the limit. And the crowd had to wait for the Olympic team champion from Paris 2024 to finally see a double clear round. Riding his powerful bay stallion, Ben Maher showed all his talent to cross the finish line in 41"04.
Despite his horse's lack of experience, Kevin Staut tried everything to do even better. Finally, he could not avoid making a fault with his agile and hard-working chestnut horse, but he was more than satisfied with his fourth place in 42"84.
Julien Gonin was the last to enter the arena, which was buzzing, and the crowd in Lyon really got behind him. The rider from the Rhône-Alpes rider had the same time as Ben Maher as he approached the end of the course. But, unfortunately, a fault on the final obstacle denied him victory in front of his home crowd. However, he still managed to finish in sixth place overall (43''26).
Steve Guerdat, the Olympic silver medallist from Switzerland, took third place with 4 pts in 41''58. And Victor Bettendorf put in a fine performance to finish in second place! What a weekend for the rider from Luxembourg.
The Longines FEI World Cup Grand Prix, scheduled for 3.30pm tomorrow, is already shaping up to be an exceptional event.
What they said:
Ben Maher: "It's an incredible feeling to be back here in Lyon, which I think is one of the best indoor competitions in the world. The crowd really get behind all the riders with a lot of enthusiasm! For us, the riders in the arena, the atmosphere is a real challenge, as much as the line-up of great riders, which is always top notch. In the end, I was the only rider to do a double clear round, but the format of the class meant that we had to ride very, very fast, whatever position we were in before the second round. It always feels good to get a win and I'd like to dedicate this one to my whole team! The indoor setting really suits Point Break, just like the course proposed by the course designer this evening. In the first round, he showed all his skill, particularly over the final obstacles which came up very quickly and we saw just how much they could push riders into making faults. It's definitely a great source of pride for me to win against such an incredible field of riders. Of course, I'm hoping for the same result with Dallas Vegas Batilly in the Longines FEI World Cup, but tomorrow is another day and anything can happen. But she's a French mare, and I hope she'll put in a great performance in front of her home crowd."
Kevin Staut: "She's a mare I believe in enormously. At the start of the season, we had to find a way of continuing to ride her for sport. I think she's a really rare horse. From my experience as a rider, I can say that I haven't ridden many horses like her. She has both great physical potential and intelligence. Let's not forget that she is only eight years old. But tonight's result comes as no surprise to me. It's not the first class she's run like this. During the season, she already completed double clear rounds in several 4* Grand Prix events, as well as in 5* events at 1.60 metres. It's hard to find the right word to describe her, since she is difficult to compare with any other horse I've ridden before. This is the first time she has taken part in an indoor event with such an electric atmosphere. She only did 2 or 3 events when she was six and a few when she was seven. I've had her for two years now and I feel she's ready. She is gaining positive experience. It's real pleasure to ride her!"
Results:
1. Ben Maher (GBR) & Point Break - 0 / 0 / 41''04
2. Victor Bettendorf (LUX) & Cancul Torel Z - 4 / 0 / 40''96
3. Steve Guerdat (SUI) & Albfuehren's Iashin Sitte - 0 / 4 / 41''58
4. Kevin Staut (FRA) & Vida Loca Z - 0 / 4 / 42''84
Other results: https://www.longinestiming.com/equestrian/2024/longines-equita-lyon-concours-hippique-international-lyon/resultlist_12.html
Earlier in the day
The Prix Boerhinger Ingelheim, a class against the clock with 1.50-metre obstacles, was won by Harold Boisset and his faithful T'Obetty du Domaine. Starting at the very end of the class, the rider from Montpellier delighted the crowd in Lyon. He is always very fast and completed the course in 61''77, shaving more than 4 seconds off the time of Norway's Pal Flam on Mega Special DC, who had been leading for a long time (65''26). The Brazilian rider Pedro Junqueira Muylaert, who lives in France, took third place with Quax 76 (66''86).
Harold Boisset's reaction: "I had the advantage of starting at the end of the class. That meant I didn't have to take too many risks. I recorded the best time on Friday in the Prix Groupama but had 4 pts in the middle of the course, so this time I wanted to play it more cautiously. At 17 years old, T'Obetty was taking part in the 5* competition here for the first time, but she is still as fit as when she was 12. It's the second time I've come to Lyon, and I think it's really a great event."