“Commissar Pezi was fantastic tonight," Martin Fuchs said after winning Saturday night's CSI5* 1.55m UBS Challenge at CHI Geneva. All photos © Jenny Abrahamsson for World of Showjumping.
Text © World of Showjumping
Saturday at the 2024-edition of CHI Geneva concluded with the CSI5* 1.55m UBS Challenge and it was the home hero Martin Fuchs that continued his winning streak, this time taking the top honours with the 11-year-old Commissar Pezi (Commissario x Böckmanns Lord Pezi).
Harrie Smolders (NED) and Kaspar R (Eldorado vd Zeshoek x Baloubet du Rouet) posted the first clear of the competition – judged as a Table A against the clock – and set the standard with a time of 66.30 as the sixth horse-and-rider combination out. It took until no. eighteen on the start list before the lead changed hands, with Ireland’s Darragh Kenny and Chic Chic (Comme Il Faut x Contendro I) shaving 3.55 seconds off on Smolders’ time – and from there on, the pace only got faster.
"The last was a little bit far away, but Dexter has a massive canter, and an oxer I know he can do,” the second placed Simon Delestre said.
Right after Kenny, Edouard Schmitz and Quno (Quo Vadis x Cashandcarry) set Palexpo alight by taking over the lead when the clock stopped on 61.43 for the Swiss rider, and three pairs later Bryan Balsiger (SUI) and PSG Starlight (Zirocco Blue VDL x Casaretto) added fuel to the fire by slotting into second in 61.90.
But then came Fuchs and Commissar Pezi. Fresh of his Rolex IJRC Top 10 Final-win on Friday night, the current world number nine was the first to go under the 60-second mark, taking over the lead in 59.46, pushing Schmitz to second and Balsiger to third. The Swiss triple at the top didn’t last long though, with France’s former world number one Simon Delestre and Dexter Fontenis Z (Diarado x Voltaire Pref) taking a daring dash to the final fence, slotting into second in 60.43. “The last was a little bit far away, but Dexter has a massive canter, and an oxer I know he can do,” Delestre commented on his risk to the last.
Edouard Schmitz and Quno placed third.
While nothing could be done about Fuchs’ leading time, Great Britain’s Ben Maher and Enjeu de Grisien (Toulon x Andiamo) – the third last pair of the night – divided the Swiss domination further by finishing fourth in 61.69 ahead of Balsiger in fifth, while Delestre took the runner-up spot behind Fuchs in first, leaving Schmitz to third.
“It's been a great week so far, with all the horses jumping incredible and everything working out,” Fuchs told World of Showjumping after his third big win of the week. “Commissar Pezi was fantastic tonight. I had some help from my partner Ilan Ferder to adjust something with the bit, and it worked really well, he was great to ride and really let me ride him. I had a good plan; I tried to do the same thing as Edouard but just be a little bit faster everywhere – and it worked.”
Then