THE third-ranked athlete in the world and one of the fastest riders on the planet, Frenchman Julien Epaillard galloped to victory for the third time this season at the 12th leg of the Longines FEI Jumping World Cup 2022/2023 Western European League in Amsterdam last weekend.

On an afternoon when Dutch course designer Quintin Maertens’ 13-fence first-round track defeated all but eight of the 36 starters, Epaillard went out in front when third-last to go against the clock with the 10-year-old Donatello d’Auge and couldn’t be caught.

There was plenty for Switzerland’s Edouard Schmitz to smile about however when he slotted into runner-up spot with Quno, and huge emotion for Brazil’s Yuri Mansur when he claimed third with the stallion Vitiki.

Epaillard commented: “The World Cup is looking good for me - one more win today and it’s my first five-star win with Donatello d’Auge so it’s really special for the family and the team. I’m very happy!”

He collected points in every one of the seven qualifiers in which he competed and has now taken over the lead on the Western European League table with a massive 92 points, helped by also grabbing maximum points for wins in Lyon (FRA) in October and Madrid (ESP) in November. With just two qualifiers remaining, at Bordeaux (FRA) this weekend and Gothenburg (SWE) at the end of February, Epaillard has taken over the lead with a massive 92 points but the pressure is intense for those still hoping to join him at the finals.

Sweden’s Henrik von Eckermann is back to second place on the Western European League standings with 88 points, Germany’s Daniel Deusser (70 points) lies third ahead of Kevin Staut (63) from France in fourth, Germany’s Gerrit Nieberg in fifth, Great Britain’s Harry Charles in sixth and Victoria Gulliksen in seventh spot, and the top-18 from this qualifying series will book their tickets to the 43rd Final which will kick off on April 4th. The highest place Irish rider currently is Denis Lynch in 20th place.

North American League

In the World Cup North American League however, Derry’s Daniel Coyle maintains the lead in the standings with 66 points despite not competing in the latest leg in Puebla, Mexico which was won by Jose Saavedra Garcia for the home nation. Co Down’s Conor Swail remains second in the league with 56 points ahead of Daniel Bluman (ISR) in third.