Press release from Jumping International de Mâcon Chaintré, edited by World of Showjumping

On Sunday, fifty horse-and-rider combinations came to the start in the CSI4* 1.55m Grand Prix of Mâcon at the 2026-edition of Jumping International de Mâcon Chaintré in France.

After a thrilling first round, the nine-pair jump-off ultimately handed victory to France’s own Grégory Cottard and Hold Up de Valeme (Thais de Pegase x Landsturm B), who finished nearly four seconds ahead of the British legend John Whitaker aboard Equine America Unick du Francport (Zandor Z x Helios de la Cour II), followed by France’s Charlotte Léoni and Cyclone l’Epivent (Ulixe x Arpege Pierville) in third.

"I am truly delighted, as Hold Up is a horse I bred myself,” Cottard said. “It is a very emotional moment for me to see him win at this level today. I’ve had a bit of bad luck this week, so this Grand Prix feels a bit like sweet revenge. I found the first round to be tricky, yet well-designed. The course was interesting and horse-friendly. The course designer did an excellent job – having nine riders qualify for the jump-off is fantastic.”