Jumping International de Bordeaux : Michael Jung, master of the day Michael Jung, the master of the day

After Thursday night celebrating breeding and a fabulous horse show, the first day 100% focused on sport was any less successful! Since yesterday, the Palais des Expositions de Bordeaux has been crowded. The 6000 people attending to all sport classes didn’t leave many empty seats. Today, they were present to follow two great moment of sport: the preparatory class for the World Cup Grand Prix of Saturday night, won by Belgium’s Pieter Devos, and the now classic Devoucoux Indoor Derby, who witnessed the best Eventing riders, with none other than the unbeatable master, Michael Jung. Earlier in the day, the German rider already seized first price in the opening class of… show jumping, and was ranked in the second one. He finishes the day as the inevitable master of equestrian sports, signing a double win after his victory in 2018.
This indoor cross-country has become one of the most popular classes of the Jumping International de Bordeaux. Expected by all Eventing fans from South-West of France and elsewhere, the crowd came to show their enthusiasm and support in this breath-taking class, more than one kilometre long and built between the exhibition hall and the main area. Early in the class, France and German riders build up some tension: Gwendolen Fer, then Rodolphe Scherer then again Maxime Livio followed one another to take the lead… until the master, Michael Jung, came in. The champion showed his equestrian skills: an almost invisible hand, without hurrying and with extraordinary fluidity, at an even pace, rapid but not crazy and cutting turns. However, the Olympic champion, Karim Florent Laghouag tried his best to take the lead from the German champion tonight. He signs the closest time to the ideal one, but with a pole down at the end of the warming-up area. Great performance, but what can be done against the master of all equestrian sports?
Bordeaux became the German’s favourite indoor during the winter season: “It’s a really stunning show. My horses are feeling good in here. I’m happy the performance of my mare Corazon, I want to thank my owner, Maria Stein, for her trust but also the incredible audience. It’s really amazing to ride in here. This year, the results were very tight and I had a bit of luck as well. It’s part of the game, and even if I were second or third, I would have been more than happy because this course was just a great moment of