Text © World of Showjumping

Cedric Hurel (FRA) and the 15-year-old gelding Fantasio Floreval Z (Florian de la Vie x Clinton) took a popular home win in Sunday’s CSI5*-W 1.60m Audi Grand Prix at the 2025-edition of Jumping International de Bordeaux.

"I was number three on the start list, so I made up my own mind about this course with my horse that I know very well,” he said afterwards. “Yesterday, we didn't have a good round, which is why I preferred to retire – I wanted to keep him fresh for today. As it turned out, we were quite comfortable because we did a very good round today. We're starting off on a good note as we're at the very start of the season, having resumed last week after a month and a half's break, and we're already doing well.”

Four horse-and-rider combinations out of the 30 at start cleared the first-round track set by the French course designer Jean-Francois Morand. Hurel – currently ranked 178th in the world – was the first to deliver a clear, much to the delight of the wonderful Bordeaux-crowd. He was joined in the jump-off by current world number nine Max Kühner (AUT) on EIC Cooley Jump the Q (Pacino x Obos Quality), 2021 Olympic team bronze medallist Pieter Devos (BEL) on Jarina J (Cicero Z x Harley) as well as current world number ten and 2024 Olympic team bronze medallist Julien Epaillard aboard his fairly new mount Easy Up de Grandry (Jarnac x For Pleasure). With a single time penalty from round one, Brazil’s Yuri Mansur and Miss Blue Saint Blue Farm (Chacco-Blue x VDL Zirocco Blue) were kept out of the jump-off and had to settle for fifth place.

As the first pair out in the deciding jump-off, Hurel and Fantasio Floreval Z set the standard by stopping the clock on 41.76 seconds, a time that Kühner and EIC Cooley Jump the Q could not match. When Devos and Jarina J picked up four penalties, a French victory was secured – only the name was to be decided by the last duo, Epaillard and Easy Up de Grandry. Picking up an early fault, Epaillard ended the weekend in Bordeaux with a total of eight penalties in 41.90 seconds, leaving the win with Hurel and finishing fourth behind Kühner and Devos who took second and third respectively.  

“Going into the jump-off, I said to myself that as there were only four of us, my place was going to be a good one anyway,” Hurel explained about his winning strategy. “I thought I'd just give it my best shot by going as short as possible, because we always hold a bit back in the canter. As I was starting first, I didn't have any preconceived ideas about the others’ jump-offs. I just thought I'd give it a go and see what happens, without necessarily trying to win, given that I'm not the fastest in the jump-offs."