Gwendolen Fer and Romantic Love win for France
“Why do the French succeed at Pau? It's not magic, it’s the public” says Pascal Sayous, Director of Les Etoiles de Pau “The riders are lifted by the enthusiasm of their home crowd”
It certainly has been the case for the past three years as a French rider has taken the top in the CCI4* at Les Etoiles de Pau with 31 year old French rider Gwendolen Fer becoming the latest local hero and taking the first 4* title of her career at her local event
I’m on cloud nine” said Gwen “It’s just extraordinary, something you think of and dream of”
This may be her first Pau victory but she has had good results here in the past with the mare Leria du Ter. In 2009 she was ninth and won the HSBC training grant and in 2010 was sixth jumping clear cross country with a broken breastplate and a clear round show jumping despite torrential rain.
This was the first start at Pau for her 12-year-old Romantic Love (above), who retired on cross country at his second 4* start at Badminton earlier this year. But at Pau they started in ninth place on 41.9 in the dressage, added just 3.2 time penalties on cross country to move into second and then jumped clear in the show jumping to seal the deal.
“It was hard when those before me jumped clear but I stayed positive and went through all the little things in my head as I usually do”
Gwen also pays tribute to the help of her partner Maxime Chataigner, an Olympic skater and of course her horse Romantic Love, a Selle Francais gelding by the Oldenburg jumping stallion L’Arc de Triomphe (also the sire of Tom Carlile’s ride Quiro Hoy) that was as acquired as a two-year-old and has been produced and ridden by Gwen.
It was always going to be a big ask for the overnight leader, Astier Nicolas’ Molakai to show jump clear and 12 faults dropped them to sixth place but the top five all put in very good performances with clear rounds.
No wonder she's happy! Sarah Bullimore and Reve Du Rouet
Second placed Sarah Bullimore had already jumped her two other horses in the top ten out of order with eight faults for Valentino V (11th) and 12 faults for Lilly Corinne (13th) but she pulled out all the stops for a clear round on Reve du Rouet, a horse that can get unsettled in a big atmosphere, to finish on 45.2. As Spencer Sturmey says in the video below, Sarah needs to keep jumping this horse on artificial surfaces at 4* events!
While Gwen may be a new French star, third placed Cedric Lyard needs little introduction having represented France at several major Championships including the 2004 Olympic Games where the French team won gold and was part of the 2002 silver medal winning WEG team.
Cedric Lyard and Qatar du Puech Rouget
Cedric took over the ride on the 13-year-old Anglo Arab gelding Qatar du Puech Rouget in late 2015 and last year the horse completed his first four-star at Pau in 18th place. This year they were on the podium in third place, again to the delight of the French crowd, and were the only pair to finish on their dressage score
A very good result for Sammi Birch and Hunter Valley II
Two more clear rounds from Australia’s Sammi Birch on Hunter Valley II and Alex Bragg’s Zagreb put them into fourth (50.8) and fifth (53.1) places, putting them both firmly into the selectors’ eyes for the Championship year in 2018
Ros Canter and Zenshera picked up four penalties but she was still pleased with ‘Alfie’ as she commented on her Facebook page
“Heading home from a fantastic experience at our first Pau. Alfie was brilliant from start to finish, just having one pole down today in his weakest phase to come 7th”
Sam Griffiths and Paulank Brockagh (above) and Emma McNab on Fernhill Tabasco (below)
Three Antipodean riders then filled out the top ten spots with Sam Griffiths and Paulank Brockagh jumping clear for eighth place, Emma McNab and her very promising young Fernhill Tabasco picking up just two time penalties in ninth and Jonelle Price on Faerie Dianimo in tenth
Kevin McNab and Willunga
The McNab family will be having a jolly trip home with Kevin McNab also in the money, taking home second place in the CIC2* on board Willunga
Kevin added one time penalty in the show jumping (watches required as Christmas presents under the McNab tree this year) but, even without that, he would still have been relegated to second place. The overnight leader Karin Donckers produced a clear round on board Jalapeno, the Chilli Morning progeny owned by Christopher Stone, to take a strong win on 37.2
Karin and the red head Jalapeno
With the northern hemisphere CCI4* season now over, all eyes turn to Adelaide
We’ll be bringing you full coverage and cross country videos from the Australian International 3 Day Event so join us Down Under from 15th – 19th November!
