France’s Olivier Pereau and GL events Venizia d’Aiguilly ensured that suspense was at its height until the very end of the class, winning the CSI 5* Hubside Store Grand Prix on Sunday at the Hubside Jumping de Valence (Drôme). The great sporting occasion featured the best riders and horses, cheered on by a very enthusiastic audience.

The course designed by France’s Cedric Longis promised some great sport. Thirty-five combinations competed in the class; there wasn’t a clear round until the eleventh combination came into the ring, and after that a string of clears followed. Grégory Cottard and his great mare Bibici, a combination which will be representing France at the next European Championships, proved that it was possible. In their wake, Morgan Bordat and Uma also jumped clear and went through to the jump-off. In total, eleven combinations managed to obtain their ticket for the second part of the class, representing five nations: France, Ireland, Italy, Portugal and Belgium.

Grégory Cottard on his grey mare had the difficult task of going first in the jump-off. The opening combination took a lot of risks and finished clear in a time of 37:25. This meant the following riders had to go very, very fast to improve on the time to beat, and Rhône Alpes’ Olivier Perreau and GL events Venezia d’Aiguilly did just that, finishing in 36:92.

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