WORLD Cup qualifier maximum points and an early lead in the Hippomundo rankings - deal done for Julien Epaillard and the home-bred Donatello D’Auge after the Longines FEI Jumping World Cup qualifier in Basel.
With the same St Jakobshalle arena and course builder in Gérard Lachat for April’s final, Basel was a dress rehearsal for some top contenders.
“It’s nice to come here, a fantastic show. It [could] be smarter to go to other places, because all the good riders and best horses are here this week, because the finals are here in a couple of months!” Michael Duffy remarked about taking his chance with the big boys.
It paid off for the German-based Galway rider, one of eight elusive clear rounds in Sunday afternoon’s qualifier.
Epaillard and Donatello D’Auge (Jarnac x Hello Pierville) were the first combination to go clear from the 40 starters, followed by Ben Maher and Point Break (Action-Breaker x Balou du Rouet).
Martin Fuchs had the Swiss flags waving around the packed arena after Commissar Pezi (Commisario x Lord Pezi) recorded the next clear.
After the interval, Duffy and Claptonn Mouche (HH Conrad Z x Elan de la Cour) displayed the form that won the Grand Prix last April at the GCT Miami Beach round.
More clears followed from Kevin Staut (FRA) and Vida Loca Z (Vigo d’Arsouilles x Cornet Obolensky), Maikel van der Vleuten (NED) and Beauville Z N.O.P (Bustique x Jumpy des Fontaines), Tim Gredley (GBR) and Imperial HBF (Glasgow vh Merelsnest x Original VDL) and rounding it off to eight clears was the world and Olympic eventing medallist Sandra Auffarth (GER) with Quirici H (FRH Quaid x Escudo I).
Michael Duffy and Claptonn Mouche jumped clear in the FEI World Cup in Basel to finish in eighth place \ Tomas Holcbecher
Unbeatable
Epaillard and Donatello D’Auge set an unbeatable target (39.52) in the jump-off. Only van der Vleuten (41.49) and Gredley (44.70), whose eventual third place was an extra birthday bonus, went clear too.
Maher (39.5) and Fuchs (38.13), who had his home crowd on the edge of their seats, opted for the high-risk, high-reward option of cutting inside the third fence to 8a, but both paid the price with four faults apiece.
Neither Staut or Auffarth could catch the Frenchman’s clever target, while Duffy opted to withdraw Claptonn Mouche. “I didn’t do the jump-off, he was a bit sore,” Duffy said afterwards about the eighth-placed horse.
Two time-faults in the first round ruled out Sophie Hinners (GER) and her Verona qualifier winner Iron Dames My Prins’ (H&M Zilverstar T x Winningmood) chances of securing maximum points too at Basel.
Fastest of the four-faulters in the first round was the Irish Sport Horse EIC Cooley Jump The Q (Pacino x O.B.O.S Quality) and the top-earning rider of 2024: Max Kühner (AUT) in 10th place.
Four faults in the first round dashed the hopes of Ireland’s Mikey Pender and HHS Los Angeles (Le Roi 10 x Cavalier Royale) and Denis Lynch with Vistogrand (Fantaland x Mr Visto). Pender flew out to Dubai the next day to compete on the UAE circuit.
However, Lynch and his 2024 Aga Khan Nations Cup horse had better luck in Friday night’s Grand Prix, winning €30,000 for their third place. No horse could quite replace King Edward for Henrik von Eckermann (SWE) but Iliana (VDL Cardento x Gentlemen) stepped up to win this €200,000 1.60m class for him. Simon Delestre (FRA) and Dexter Fontenis Z (Diarado x Voltaire) separated the Irish and Swedish riders.
Lynch is also amongst the former winners of Saturday night’s feature 1.55m Golden Drum of Basel class. Brazil’s Yuri Mansur successfully defended his 2024 win with the same horse, the 17-year-old Hanoverian, Vitiki (Valentino x For Expo 2000).
Galway’s Gary Dooley competed in the under-25 classes with the Harold McGahern-bred OCS Tolan (Tolan R x Touchdown), placing eighth in one class.
The World Cup points hunt continues in Leipzig this weekend, followed by Amsterdam and Bordeaux, before the final takes place in Basel (April 3rd-6th). Kevin Staut, Robert Whitaker and Gregory Wathelet lead the standings and Lynch is currently the best-placed Irish rider (32nd).
Michael Duffy and Claptonn Mouche jumped clear in the FEI World Cup in Basel to finish in eighth place \ Tomas Holcbecher
Farewell
TSF Dalera BB’s farewell ceremony (see Pony Tales page 92) took place on Sunday in the St Jakobshalle arena (the multi-purpose complex will also host this year’s Eurovision Song Contest and the Swiss Indoor Open tennis tournament).
Show jumping wasn’t the only World Cup qualifier held there last weekend and Isabell Werth with DSP Quantaz (Quaterback x Hohenstein) won both Friday’s Dressage Grand Prix and the following day’s Freestyle, setting herself up for a 26th World Cup final appearance.
DSP Quantaz’s joint-owner Madeleine Winter-Schulze was another honoured at the Longines CHI Classics Basel for her support of equestrian sport (See Rankings feature, pages 82-83).
What they said
“It’s not really the plan for me to go to the World Cup finals. I go to Wellington next week, we’ve a few horses there waiting for us and we’ll just play it by ear.
I’ve a couple of older horses too, which are all very good on their day, like Claptonn [Mouche] and Quirex. Winning in Florida [Miami Beach Global Champions Tour Grand Prix] would probably have been the highlight last year.” - Michael Duffy.
“My strategy was that I did not have so many points before this show. I really want to ride in the finals here in Basel, so it was really important for me to get some points.
Donatello is a really special horse for me and my family. He’s in top shape and this is also why I really want to get to the final this year. And after that, we’ll see. He’s 12 years old, he’s a super horse and he will just tell me if he’s in good form. Maybe the Europeans.” - Julien Epaillard.
“I was not so good in the World Cups lately, so I am happy to secure some points today. I really, really want to be back here and to win the World Cup final in April.” -Martin Fuchs.
“When I watched Julien go, I thought, ‘if they gave me 100 goes, I wouldn’t be able to beat him!’” - Tim Gredley.
“Just a small mistake, Mikey was obviously disappointed, but happy with the mare [HHS Los Angeles]. She’s in good form and been so consistent for him. We love her a lot, so we can’t complain. That’s the sport, unfortunately!
The other horses are already there in Dubai: Calais, Cyprus, Fortune, our little speed queen and then a younger horse, a nice Cornet mare. He’s coming back to jump Los Angeles in Bordeaux in another World Cup qualifier.
We never did the World Cup series before, so, since he did get some points in Madrid, we decided we’d try to follow it up. Then there’s the Nations Cup in Sharjah and then hopefully the Nations Cup in Abu Dhabi.
Last year, we did the UAE circuit with help from Al Shira’aa. It set up the year well, nice courses, the sun on the horses’ backs and, once they came back from Dubai, the horses were ready to rock. We had a great season.” - Marion Hughes.
“I thought he ran really well. Maybe in the [Grand Prix] first round, I had him too switched on and then I got him nice and relaxed for the jump-off. He was pure class. We’ve got some World Cup points already. The main goal is obviously the Europeans and to be part of the Dublin team and, Aachen, Calgary, places like that.
It’s [World Cup] definitely on the agenda. If the horses pick up the points without overdoing anything – delighted; if not, not really a bother because the indoor World Cup finals, they’re tough!” - Denis Lynch.