The French riders dominated the first day of competition at Hubside Jumping Grimaud in St. Tropez, France, with Max Thirouin (FRA) and Utopie Villelongue (Mylord Carthago x Calypso d'Herbiers) taking the win in Thursday's CSI4* 1.45m presented by Hubside. 

Counting for the Longines Ranking, the class had 60 horse-and-rider-combinations at start. With a time of 62.88, Thirouin was the quickest, taking the win ahead of his compatriot Nicolas Delmotte (FRA) on Citadin du Chatellier (L'Arc de Triomphe x Diamant de Semilly) with 0.28 seconds separating the two. Philippe Rozier (FRA) on Prestigio LS La Silla (Presley Boy x Cash) took the third place, while fourth went to Jean Luc Mourier (FRA) on Kielekoo Van T&L (Carabas vd Wateringhoeve x Canadian River) and fifth to Nicolas Delmotte (FRA) on Gravity LCH (Andiamo Z x Cardento) – completing the all-French top five. 

"Let's say that the stars seem aligned," Thirouin said in a press release from Hubside Jumping. "I had an accident some time ago which prevented me from riding for a long time. I managed to get back in the saddle before Lisbon where Utopia won. However, soon after, it was her turn to be sidelined for almost a month-and-a-half due to a lung infection. We made our return at Mâcon, where Utopia won a class counting for the world ranking. Then we moved on to Cluny. Right now, she's really on top! This weekend, she will jump tomorrow's 1.50m with a jump-off, and on Sunday the Grand Prix. I am delighted to be back at Hubside Jumping."