Edited press release from EEF

A thrilling afternoon of sport saw ten nations battle it out in the CSIO3* 1.50m Longines EEF Series Semi Final in Deauville, with host nation France taking home the win.

After round one, France, Sweden, Spain and Portugal were in the lead on a score of zero. Cédric Longis’ twelve-fence track included a water jump, a triple bar to a challenging double and an up-to-height upright of planks which caused plenty of trouble. It was the second round that proved to be the real test however, and the competition for the five qualifying spots for the finals in Warsaw, Poland, in September, was well and truly on.

As round two got underway, the leader board shake-up began. Belgium added nothing to their first-round score of four penalties to put them in contention for the top spot. This tied them with host nation France and Sweden, which took the competition to a three-way jump-off.

First into the area was Belgium’s Wilm Vermeir who posted a seemingly unbeatable clear on Joyride S (Toulon x Pachat II) to stop the clock on a time of 39.75. However, France capitalised on their fresh fourth combination who had only jumped one round, sending in Mathieu Billot and Quel Filou (Quidam's Rubin x Cascavelle) to represent the team. Behind the time at the halfway mark, it looked as though their fate was written, but an astonishing turn of speed at the last combination along with a tight line to the final fence saw them storm into the lead to finish almost two seconds faster on a time of 37.78. Last into the arena was Erica Schwartz for Sweden who sadly tipped the final fence with Madonna (Flamenco de Semilly x Carabas vd Wateringhoeve) which left them in third place. And with that, the final podium places for the Nations Cup were decided. Host nation France took the top spot, with Belgium in second and Sweden in third. Most importantly, all three teams booked their tickets to Poland for the finals on the 16th September.

“I’m very happy [with that performance]” Mathieu Billot said, “I knew my horse and my line [for the jump-off] and it’s a good result for the team.” 

“It’s a great day for everyone,” Jeanne Sandran said of the team result. “Today, I’m very happy. I’ve just finished Young Riders and this is the third time the Federation have given the chance to be part of the senior team, so the double clear really makes it very special for me.”

“The riders did very well,” Chef d’Equipe Eduoard Couperie said of his team. “To win after another jump-off here in Deauville, and at home, we’re very happy. It’s amazing.” 

The next stop for the Longines EEF Series will be the second set of semi finals in Ebreichsdorf, Austria, next weekend, where it will be decided which nations will meet France, Belgium, Sweden, Spain and Poland in the finals.