This 35th edition of Les 5 Étoiles de Pau will go down in history. According to event director Pascal Sayous, it was probably the best of the 30 he has experienced as an organizer.
And it’s easy to see why. Changeable weather forced changes to the program, a fantastic cross-country test shook up the rankings, and a final show jumping test where the top ten still had hopes of victory… all with more than 40,000 spectators in Pau. Visitors came in large numbers to applaud Tim Price’s second victory in the only French 5* event after 2021. Many were hoping to see a French rider take first place, and despite their faults, Benjamin Massié and Astier Nicolas did not disappoint, finishing 7th and 8th with horses still in development. This bodes well for 2026, when a major event ‒ the World Championships at Aachen ‒ awaits them.
The Price family and Pau have a long-standing love affair. They first competed there in 2008, when Tim finished 20th. Tim holds the record with 12 CCI5*-L titles in Pau to his name. Third in 2015 and 2020, he won in 2021 with Falco. Ninth last year with the same Jarillo, he improved his final score by almost 20 points.
“With Jarillo, all you have to do is lower your heels and put your legs on, and he jumps,” says Tim Price with humour. “He’s still inexperienced at this level, but this is his third five-star event, and he’s finished them all. When I walked the course, I thought it was tough. There were ten of us within four points of each other, the time allowed was tight, so it was a course for the best horses and the best riders. That’s what we want in this type of competition at this level: no single test determining the final ranking. There were a lot of changes between the dressage, cross-country and show jumping, and that’s what’s great about this sport.”
Tom Jackson (GBR), king of comebacks
After finishing 31st in the dressage, Tom Jackson never imagined he would find himself on the second step of the podium Sunday evening. However, his magnificent penalty-free round earned him the biggest comeback of the weekend (+29 places!).
He and his horse Plot Twist B are no strangers to Pau, having finished 18th in the 2024 edition. After being forced to withdraw from the CCI5*-L in Luhmühlen (GER) last June, they have since competed in three 4-star events to prepare for the challenges of Pau. Their exemplary cross-country performance – one of six rounds without any penalties – paved the way for them to reach the podium. Plot Twist B recovered very well and flew through the course designed by Yann Royant; Jackson thus equalled his best performance at this level, having also finished second in the CCI5*-L in Burghley (GBR) in 2022.
From Paris to Pau
Fresh from the United States, where he finished third in the CCI5*-L in Elkton (Maryland, USA) a week ago, Boyd Martin is savouring his third place all the more as he had to withdraw from Pau with his second mount, his faithful Fedarman B. This weekend, he rode the Irish Sport Horse Cooley Nutcracker, whom he has been riding since the end of 2024. Cooley Nutcracker competed in the Paris Olympics with his compatriot Elisabeth Halliday (19th individual).
Interestingly, the gelding was started by Astier Nicolas (FRA), with whom he competed in the 2021 World Championships for Young Eventing Horses. “I wasn’t sure how Cooley would perform, because I haven’t been riding him for very long,” admits Boyd, “but when I saw how he jumped the first few fences, I was delighted. He has been very well trained by Astier and Elisabeth, with whom I share the same trainers.
“My goal is not to ride just one type of horse, but to ride all types of horses. While Elkton was a cross-country course that required stamina, the one in Pau required good riding, shortening and lengthening the stride.”
A very positive outcome
With more than 40,000 visitors and a field of top-level riders, this 35th edition of the 5 Etoiles de Pau confirms its status as a major event, both regionally and internationally. As Pascal Sayous, Managing Director of Centaure Production, points out. “I am very happy with this edition, the thirtieth that I have directed, and sincerely the most beautiful. We were a little worried about the weather at the beginning, because the storm [Benjamin] was forecast to be very violent. We came through it well.
“I have been doing this job for a long time and each time I feel a special emotion. It is the work of hundreds of people, not only a team of permanent staff, but also more than four hundred volunteers and dozens of companies.”
The winner, Tim Price, praised the outcome. “We started the week in difficult conditions due to the weather, but the riders appreciated the spontaneous decisions taken by the organisers to ensure that everything ran smoothly. In the end, we finished with a superb Sunday and a prize-giving ceremony in the sunshine!”
Final results here.
More News
