14th edition of the Saut Hermès: Angelica Augustsson Zanotelli e Simon Delestre, yesterday’s grand champions

The spectators gathered at the Grand Palais Éphémère witnessed a marvellous spectacle this Saturday with sport taking centre stage. Swedish rider Angelica Augustsson Zanotelli brought the crowd to their feet by securing victory in the Saut Hermès, scooping the second biggest prize of the competition riding her mare Kalinka van de Nachtegaele. On Sunday at 15:30 hours, she will rediscover the world’s top riders in the Grand Prix Hermès, the grand finale of the competition.  Starting off the day with flair, Belgian Jules van Hoydonck took the win in the second Talents Hermès class, a competition reserved for riders aged under 25.Next up, the French riders competing in the CSI 5* pulled out all the stops with an unprecedented quintuplet in the Prix GL events, which saw Simon Delestre, an Hermès partner rider, take the win on Olga van de Kruishoeve, ahead of three members of the French Team of Olympic champions in Rio, Philippe Rozier (Le Coultre de Muze), Kevin Staut (Cloe GP Z) and Roger-Yves Bost (Ever de Turan), with Nicolas Delmotte (Citadin du Chatellier) completing the top 5.

Les Talents Hermès / Class No.4: Belgium takes the win with Jules van Hoydonck [10:00 hours]

Opening the second day of this fourteenth edition of the Saut Hermès, Belgian Jules van Hoydonck on Minte v. Bisschop won the second Talents Hermès class, a competition reserved for riders aged under 25. After a first round contested with jumps set at 1m45, eight of the twenty competing horse and rider pairings managed to post a clear round within the very tight time limit set by course designer Santiago Varela Ullastres.

The first of the jump-off riders to take to the ring, Jules Van Hoydonck scored a very fast time (39’’11), piling the pressure on his rivals. Ultimately, none of his fellow competitors could rise to the challenge, even though French rider William Ligier de la Prade on Galilée, Friday’s winner, was quicker (38’’54) before having to add a fault to his score. German rider Hannes Ahlmann (Tokyo 4) took second place (39’’56) and Argentinean rider Matias Larocca (RR Vitaly) completed the podium (40’’16). 

“I’m obviously delighted to win the Grand Prix des Talents Hermès, admitted the 21-year-old rider. Winning such an event is just incredible. I’d decided to go very fast in the jump-off and my mare always does her best for me. She’s twelve years old but I’ve been riding her for six years. She’s fantastic.” Alongside the winner, Jérôme Guéry (world ranking of 40), captain of the Belgian Talents Hermès team, was also beaming from ear to ear. “Jules is an experienced rider, he explains. He was part of Europe’s second-best team last year and is already participating in the CSI 4*. I’m pleased that Belgium has won here today and we hope there will be a repeat performance on Sunday in the Talents Hermès team class.” 

CSI 5*: Prix GL events / Class No.5: A quintuplet of Frenchies with Simon Delestre, Hermès Partner Rider, on the highest step of the podium [12:30 hrs] 

The Marseillaise rang out around the Grand Palais Éphémère again at the end of the Prix GL events lo won by Simon Delestre. From eastern France, the French rider, paired with Olga van de Kruishoeve, a 10-year-old BWP mare which he has been riding since last summer, enjoyed a textbook course in this class run against the clock at a height of 1m50.

Kicking off the class, the current world No.7 and former No.1 could only watch as all his rivals faltered in their bid to beat his time (59’’30). “It’s a fabulous victory, enthused Simon, double champion of the Grand Prix Hermès with Hermès Ryan in 2018 and 2019. Olga is a quick mare and is able to post a consistent performance at this level. She won in Doha, where she was a prize winner in twelve of the thirteen courses. She also won in Riyadh and Morocco, and this is her seventh international victory in six months. The Saut Hermès is her first indoor competition of the season and it will also be her last. It’s great to see her win.”

Accompanying Simon Delestre at the prize-giving were two members of the French Team champions at the Rio Olympics. The penultimate rider to enter the ring, Philippe Rozier caused his compatriot to get hot under the collar. Just two hundredths of a second separated the two Frenchmen. “When the horse is trusting and in harmony with me, he’s incredible, explains Rozier. On top of that he is a joy to ride.”Meantime, third in Friday’s Prix du Grand Palais, Kevin Staut repeated his performance (60’’89).

Also a former world No.1, he is continuing to excel with Cloe GP Z, a 14-year-old mare that he’s still only just getting to grips with as this is only their 4th competition together. It’s also worth highlighting the stellar performance by Roger-Yves Bost and Ever de Turan (61’’00), the third Olympic champion in Rio competing in this Prix GL events, and Nicolas Delmotte on Citadin du Chatellier, the fifth rider of this French top-five!

CSI 5*: The Saut Hermès / Class No.6: Swedish rider Angelica Augustsson Zanotelli noses out the reigning champion Max Kühner [15:15 hrs]

With the ten best male riders pitted against the ten best female riders from Friday’s Prix Hermès Sellier and vying for the second biggest prize of the competition, the Saut Hermès is a class with two rounds and jumps set at 1m55. Sweden dazzled the crowd inside the Grand Palais Éphémère and won the class after an incredible performance by Angelica Augustsson Zanotelli paired with her 14-year-old BWP mare Kalinka van de Nachtegaele.

It is the sixth victory for a mare out of six classes in this edition of the Saut Hermès. “I am very proud of Kalinka, said the beaming winner of today’s big prize. She jumped incredibly well in both rounds. Winning against competitors of such a high standard feels absolutely amazing. This sport is all about the detail. There are days where everything works and other more difficult days. Today, everything was in my favour. I’m really very happy to be here at this wonderful venue with all my family.”At the end of the first act, nine horse and rider pairings scored a clear round leaving them ideally placed to tackle the second round, which calls for another flawless performance over the fences with as fast a time as possible.

The time from the second round was used to separate those competitors who were tied on points.Last year’s winner of this class with Corioli des Isles, Max Kühner (world No.8) believed he was going to make it a double with EIC Up Too Jacco Blue as he snatched the lead with a blisteringly quick time of 44’’08.

This time though, he will have to make do with second place after the Swedish rider finished 21 hundredths of a second ahead of him. “Second is good but obviously it’s not good enough, he lamented through his smile. Jacco Blue is back from a period of rest and I’m happy with him. He jumped well. It’s my fault. I wanted to play it safe by adding an extra stride down the home straight and at this level of competition that decision is not enough to take the win.”

Victorious on Friday in the Prix Hermès Sellier with Quintes, Latvian Kristaps Neretnieks is really on a roll during his Parisian weekend with a third place riding Palladium KJV. Greek rider Ioli Mytilineou (La Perla v. Heffinck) and the rider from Liechtenstein, Jennifer Hochstadter (Golden Lady), the youngest female competitor in the class (20 years of age), finish fourth and fifth respectively.

Press release Saut Hermès | Photo: Swedish rider Angelica Augustsson Zanotelli (c) COPYRIGHT CHRISTOPHE TANIÈRE

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