Julien Epaillard and Donatello d’Auge’s Wire-to-Wire Win in Basel

The Frenchman and his speedy, careful homebred won the opening class and never looked back to claim their first World Cup victory.

A man on a bay horse during a victory lap in Basel.

Julien Epaillard (FRA) and Donatello d'Auge, winners of the Longines FEI Jumping World Cup Final 2025, (FEI/Benjamin Clark photo)

By: Alice Watson/FEI | April 7, 2025

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you're listening to an article from horse sport.com. julien epaillard and donatello d’auge’s wire-to-wire win in basel by: alice watson/fei |. julien epaillard (fra) and his much-admired homebred 12-year-old gelding donatello d’auge emerged victorious once again in basel (sui) this evening as they were crowned the longines fei jumping world cup™ 2025 final champions. the pair, who won the cities’ longines fei world cup™ qualifier back in january, dominated st. jakobshalle’s technically demanding confines once again this week as they took the coveted title in emphatic style, having claimed victory in the opening day’s speed class to take an early lead and maintain pole position throughout the contest. epaillard employed some daring tactics along the way, forgoing his place in day two’s jump-off (and some considerable prize-money) in preference of conserving the energy of his equine partner, having worked out that he would still hold onto his lead without contesting friday’s second round against the clock. this strategy clearly paid off, as donatello d’auge returned in round one to produce a crucial clear round that saw them hold a three-fault advantage with just one round remaining. “today i felt him a little tired already in the first round. we had a little rub, but he has a super head and with this he always wants to help me. then he was maybe more fresh (sic) for the second round.”. advertisement scroll to continue with content he explained, smiling quietly and nodding in agreement, when it was suggested that he must be pleased with his decision to sacrifice a round, and a potential second win, on friday in favour of increasing his chances of lifting his first world cup title. fellow countryman kevin staut, ben maher (gbr) and lillie keenan (usa) were the athletes poised perilously close to epaillard, less than a fence in arrears before today’s second and final round. of the 20 combinations qualified for this final round, only four delivered a faultless performance. such was the intensity of the pressure at the sharp end of competition however, that none of these were posted by the top eight athletes in the overall standings at this stage. three fences on the floor for keenan put an end to her podium dreams but took nothing away from her eye-catching performances in her first longines fei world cup™ final this week with the relatively inexperienced kick on. staut returned with four faults guaranteeing himself a podium position with his final score of seven faults, albeit gifting maher and epaillard some breathing room. when maher’s point break breathed on the final element of the ornate cherry blossom combination, he too completed on seven faults and the door was left ajar for epaillard as he knew he could afford to have one fence down, but not two. donatello d’auge, undoubtedly benefitting from the energy conserved by not jumping-off on friday, returned to the stadium once more where an enthusiastic and knowledgeable audience were perched on the edge of their seats waiting for history unfold. the little gelding with the heart of lion matched the enthusiasm of his pilot whilst demonstrating his incredible athleticism and immaculate technique. approaching the final line, the score board read zero (0), but so many rounds had fallen apart here on in. an extra stride around the corner from fence nine to ten made the three strides down to 11a a little flat. despite their best efforts, a rub here saw the partnership notch up their first fault of the week. with two jumping efforts remaining, one being the final towering 1.65m vertical, and no fences in hand, 6,500 spectators held their breath in anticipation. with nerves of steel and riding on a partnership built on a lifetime of trust, epaillard and ‘donny’ kept their composure to sail over the final two formidable obstacles to incur no further fault and seal their first ever world cup final victory and with it, secure france’s first longines fei world cup™ final title in 21 years. four days’ worth of pressure and a flood of emotions were released by the frenchman in the moments after breaking the finish beams to see his name up in lights as longines fei world cup™ final 2025 champion. of his only fault of the week epaillard told: “i totally lost concentration before the last line. after the red oxer (fence nine), i thought ‘i’m close i’m close’ (to victory) and i lost concentration and came too deep to the double. i think if i helped him a little bit more, i could have jumped a double clear, but ok in any case, it was ok like this!” he exhaled; relief written all over his face. “i need to take experience from this mistake- i’m still green!” he added jokingly. maher was philosophical in his reflection of his performance over the week and final result. “i’m a little disappointed. a small mistake from myself on friday meant i didn’t get it done enough early on and put myself on the back foot with no room for error. point break deserved a little more from me, maybe a little more support going in there. but i can’t ask any more of the horse. today he jumped perhaps the best he’s ever jumped- fluent and confident. it just didn’t go our way in the end. julien is an incredible competitor and hard to beat on any given day, so congratulations to him” he added graciously. staut was overjoyed with his horse and his second longines fei jumping world cup™ final podium finish, despite coming tantalisingly close to victory. “i can’t be sad because it was a really great competition, visconti gave everything and it’s a frenchman who is winning!” he reflected contentedly. “it’s also two podiums for france at this final which is really great. we’d have signed for that at the beginning of the week!”. staut demonstrated not only what an outstanding athlete he is, but also what a sportsman and incredible ambassador for equestrian sport he also is. after heaping praise on his incredible equine partner, he brought everyone’s focus onto what a spectacle the competition had been in its own right and in its exemplary display of showcasing the highest standards of incredible horse welfare, directly reflected in the standard of performances from all athletes throughout the week. none more so than his own visconti. “at 16-years-old she is still improving which gives me huge satisfaction. we’re always talking about horses, enjoying and being happy doing this sport and in visconti, we have a great example of that. at the end of the championship, she is still really there to fight and when it’s really important, she’s not making mistakes” he highlighted, indicating that the longevity of her career was testament to the fantastic facilities offered by such events and meticulous welfare measures implemented by athletes, the fei and show organisers. “this week i’m so happy for equestrian sport in general. we have to thank the organisers, course designers and sponsors who make this type of show possible. the sport we’ve seen this week is incredible. it’s wonderful when it’s done how it was this week.”. swiss course builder gérard lachat received high praise for his work throughout five rounds of championship competiton. this afternoon he set two beautifully presented courses featuring a number of intricately designed fences depicting various elements of swiss culture and traditions. lechat’s tracks were strong but fair tests throughout, requiring careful planning, ultimate focus and concentration from athletes and an unfaltering rhythm from combinations as they featured a series of related obstacles from start to finish with little opportunity to regroup or take a breath, but never punishing the less experienced combinations. kevin staut summed up the sentiments surely shared by all athletes, officials, organisers and spectators alike as he spoke: “we have to be proud of what was produced this week. from my side visconti is 16-years-old and still improving, so it’s the best example of what horses can deliver. we have to be proud of all of us and what was done this week.”. julien epaillard, still on cloud nine after pulling off a dream result, highlighted the huge team behind achieving results like this as he humbly directed praise on his staff, family and of course his equine superstar. “my horse is fantastic. it’s a dream for all the staff working with me and my family. we work every day for this. there’s a lot of people around this performance so i’d like to thank everybody.”. reflecting on the pressure of leading from the outset he told: “it was a difficult week. not every week can be like this as it’s too much pressure!”, he concluded, before adding his final thoughts after his third victory in switzerland’s st, jakobshalle this afternoon. “i love it here… maybe i might buy an apartment in basel!”, he laughed. long renowned globally for his prowess against the clock, julien epaillard has today proven his versatility once again and cemented himself firmly into the equestrian history books as not only a proven championship athlete, but as the newly crowned longines fei jumping world cup™ champion. full results here.

Julien Epaillard (FRA) and his much-admired homebred 12-year-old gelding Donatello d’Auge emerged victorious once again in Basel (SUI) this evening as they were crowned the Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ 2025 Final champions. The pair, who won the cities’ Longines FEI World Cup™ qualifier back in January, dominated St. Jakobshalle’s technically demanding confines once again this week as they took the coveted title in emphatic style, having claimed victory in the opening day’s speed class to take an early lead and maintain pole position throughout the contest.

Epaillard employed some daring tactics along the way, forgoing his place in day two’s jump-off (and some considerable prize-money) in preference of conserving the energy of his equine partner, having worked out that he would still hold onto his lead without contesting Friday’s second round against the clock. This strategy clearly paid off, as Donatello d’Auge returned in round one to produce a crucial clear round that saw them hold a three-fault advantage with just one round remaining.

“Today I felt him a little tired already in the first round. We had a little rub, but he has a super head and with this he always wants to help me. Then he was maybe more fresh (sic) for the second round.”

Scroll to continue with content

He explained, smiling quietly and nodding in agreement, when it was suggested that he must be pleased with his decision to sacrifice a round, and a potential second win, on Friday in favour of increasing his chances of lifting his first World Cup title.

Fellow countryman Kevin Staut, Ben Maher (GBR) and Lillie Keenan (USA) were the athletes poised perilously close to Epaillard, less than a fence in arrears before today’s second and final round. Of the 20 combinations qualified for this final round, only four delivered a faultless performance. Such was the intensity of the pressure at the sharp end of competition however, that none of these were posted by the top eight athletes in the overall standings at this stage.

Three fences on the floor for Keenan put an end to her podium dreams but took nothing away from her eye-catching performances in her first Longines FEI World Cup™ Final this week with the relatively inexperienced Kick on. Staut returned with four faults guaranteeing himself a podium position with his final score of seven faults, albeit gifting Maher and Epaillard some breathing room. When Maher’s Point Break breathed on the final element of the ornate Cherry Blossom combination, he too completed on seven faults and the door was left ajar for Epaillard as he knew he could afford to have one fence down, but not two.

Donatello d’Auge, undoubtedly benefitting from the energy conserved by not jumping-off on Friday, returned to the stadium once more where an enthusiastic and knowledgeable audience were perched on the edge of their seats waiting for history unfold. The little gelding with the heart of lion matched the enthusiasm of his pilot whilst demonstrating his incredible athleticism and immaculate technique. Approaching the final line, the score board read zero (0), but so many rounds had fallen apart here on in. An extra stride around the corner from fence nine to ten made the three strides down to 11a a little flat. Despite their best efforts, a rub here saw the partnership notch up their first fault of the week.

With two jumping efforts remaining, one being the final towering 1.65m vertical, and no fences in hand, 6,500 spectators held their breath in anticipation. With nerves of steel and riding on a partnership built on a lifetime of trust, Epaillard and ‘Donny’ kept their composure to sail over the final two formidable obstacles to incur no further fault and seal their first ever World Cup Final victory and with it, secure France’s first Longines FEI World Cup™ Final title in 21 years.

Four days’ worth of pressure and a flood of emotions were released by the Frenchman in the moments after breaking the finish beams to see his name up in lights as Longines FEI World Cup™ Final 2025 champion.

Of his only fault of the week Epaillard told: “I totally lost concentration before the last line. After the red oxer (fence nine), I thought ‘I’m close I’m close’ (to victory) and I lost concentration and came too deep to the double. I think if I helped him a little bit more, I could have jumped a double clear, but OK in any case, it was OK like this!” He exhaled; relief written all over his face. “I need to take experience from this mistake- I’m still green!” he added jokingly.

Maher was philosophical in his reflection of his performance over the week and final result. “I’m a little disappointed. A small mistake from myself on Friday meant I didn’t get it done enough early on and put myself on the back foot with no room for error. Point Break deserved a little more from me, maybe a little more support going in there. But I can’t ask any more of the horse. Today he jumped perhaps the best he’s ever jumped- fluent and confident. It just didn’t go our way in the end. Julien is an incredible competitor and hard to beat on any given day, so congratulations to him” he added graciously

Staut was overjoyed with his horse and his second Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ Final podium finish, despite coming tantalisingly close to victory. “I can’t be sad because it was a really great competition, Visconti gave everything and it’s a Frenchman who is winning!” He reflected contentedly.

“It’s also two podiums for France at this final which is really great. We’d have signed for that at the beginning of the week!”

Staut demonstrated not only what an outstanding athlete he is, but also what a sportsman and incredible ambassador for Equestrian Sport he also is. After heaping praise on his incredible equine partner, he brought everyone’s focus onto what a spectacle the competition had been in its own right and in its exemplary display of showcasing the highest standards of incredible horse welfare, directly reflected in the standard of performances from all athletes throughout the week. None more so than his own Visconti.

“At 16-years-old she is still improving which gives me huge satisfaction. We’re always talking about horses, enjoying and being happy doing this sport and in Visconti, we have a great example of that. At the end of the Championship, she is still really there to fight and when it’s really important, she’s not making mistakes” he highlighted, indicating that the longevity of her career was testament to the fantastic facilities offered by such events and meticulous welfare measures implemented by athletes, the FEI and show organisers.

“This week I’m so happy for Equestrian Sport in general. We have to thank the organisers, course designers and sponsors who make this type of show possible. The sport we’ve seen this week is incredible. It’s wonderful when it’s done how it was this week.”

Swiss course builder Gérard Lachat received high praise for his work throughout five rounds of Championship competiton. This afternoon he set two beautifully presented courses featuring a number of intricately designed fences depicting various elements of Swiss culture and traditions. Lechat’s tracks were strong but fair tests throughout, requiring careful planning, ultimate focus and concentration from athletes and an unfaltering rhythm from combinations as they featured a series of related obstacles from start to finish with little opportunity to regroup or take a breath, but never punishing the less experienced combinations.

Kevin Staut summed up the sentiments surely shared by all athletes, officials, organisers and spectators alike as he spoke: “We have to be proud of what was produced this week. From my side Visconti is 16-years-old and still improving, so it’s the best example of what horses can deliver. We have to be proud of all of us and what was done this week.”

Julien Epaillard, still on cloud nine after pulling off a dream result, highlighted the huge team behind achieving results like this as he humbly directed praise on his staff, family and of course his equine superstar.

“My horse is fantastic. It’s a dream for all the staff working with me and my family. We work every day for this. There’s a lot of people around this performance so I’d like to thank everybody.”

Reflecting on the pressure of leading from the outset he told: “It was a difficult week. Not every week can be like this as it’s too much pressure!”, he concluded, before adding his final thoughts after his third victory in Switzerland’s St, Jakobshalle this afternoon. “I love it here… maybe I might buy an apartment in Basel!”, he laughed.

Long renowned globally for his prowess against the clock, Julien Epaillard has today proven his versatility once again and cemented himself firmly into the Equestrian history books as not only a proven Championship athlete, but as the newly crowned Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ Champion.

Full results here.