Text © World of Showjumping

Switzerland’s very own Steve Guerdat and the 15-year-old gelding Venard de Cerisy (Open Up Semilly x Djalisco du Guet) stole the show in Saturday’s CSI5* 1.60m Coupe de Genève at the 2024-edition of CHI Geneva – just like they did in 2022 and 2019.

A total of 29 pairs came to start in the traditional competition consisting of five combinations, including a quadruple at 4abcd. As the second pair out, Italy’s Lorenzo de Luca and Curcuma Il Palazzetto (Casall x Lord) were the first to deliver a clear, and were soon joined by Peder Fredricson (SWE) and Alcapone des Carmille (Diamant de Semilly x Heartbreaker), Ben Maher (GBR) on his Olympic team gold medal winning ride Dallas Vegas Batilly (Cap Kennedy x L’Arc de Triomphe), as well as the 22-year-old Seamus Hughes Kennedy (IRL) – the 2023 European champion for young riders – and ESI Rocky (Stakkato Gold x For Pleasure).

Palexpo ruptured into loud cheers when Guerdat and Venard de Cerisy as pair number fifteen out left all the fences intact and joined the jump-off. Kevin Staut (FRA) on Visconti du Telman (Toulon x Dollar du Murier), Gregory Wathelet (BEL) on Double Jeu d’Honvault (Kannan x Cook du Midour), Daniel Deusser (GER) on Otello du Guldenboom, Darragh Kenny (IRL) on Eddy Blue (Eldorado vd Zeshoek x Chacco-Blue), Edouard Schmitz (SUI) on Gamin van’T Naastveldhof (Chacco Chacco x Toulon), Romain Duguet (SUI) on Hunger Games du Champ du Bois (Elvis Ter Putte x Mytens) and Denis Lynch (IRL) on Brooklyn Heights (Nabab de Reve x For Pleasure) followed suit, making it a jump-off of eleven.

In the jump-off, no one could beat the 29.60 seconds recorded by Guerdat and Venard de Cerisy who took the win for a third time, ahead of De Luca in second in 31.39, Kenny in third in 31.49, Fredricson in fourth in 31.57 and Hughes Kennedy in fifth in 31.86.

“I’m very happy, Venard was great – it’s the third time he wins this class, and it's the fourth time for me,” Guerdat said to World of Showjumping. “Venard really likes the Coupe de Genève, and he was class today – just like he was the first day, but then I did not ride my jump-off well so I really wanted to make it good for him today."

"The first two days did not quite go as I wanted, even if the horses were jumping good the results were not there, so this was great for the whole team – I’m very pleased," Guerdat concluded.