Edited press relese from Saut Hermès

On Sunday, beneath the glass roof of the Grand Palais in Paris, Frenchman Simon Delestre – Hermès Partner Rider – secured his third victory in the CSI5* 1.60m Grand Prix Hermès, riding Cayman Jolly Jumper (Hickstead x Quaprice Bois Margot). A unique triple in the history of the competition was the perfect way to round off three days of high-level sport.

On the back of his two successes with Hermès Ryan, in 2018 and 2019, gleaned during the last two editions at the Grand Palais before a temporary change of venue at the Grand Palais Éphémère, Delestre rode the perfect course, this time with Cayman Jolly Jumper – his 13-year-old French gelding – just one week after taking the win in the CSI5* Rolex Grand Prix of s-Hertogenbosch (NED). 

At the end of the first round, on a course designed by the Spanish course designer Santiago Varela Ullastres, there were still nine riders in with a chance of succeeding Julien Anquetin, last year’s winner with Blood Diamond du Pont.

In the jump-off, Robert Whitaker (GBR) – son of the legendary John Whitaker – was the first to take to the arena with Vermento (Argento x Skippy 12) and their time of 41.70 remained the one to beat for quite a while. That was until Delestre and Cayman Jolly Jumper had their go. Solely Delestre's compatriot Alexa Ferrer came close to depriving him of the hat-trick: 49 hundredths of a second faster with Vitalhorse Fleur d’Oz (Olimbos Merze x Papillon Rouge), she knocked down the final fence to finish fifth in the end, while Whitaker took second, Max Kühner (AUT) on EIC Julius Caesar (Couleur Rubin x Cancara) third and Christian Ahlmann (GER) on Untouched LB (United Touch S x Cornet Obolensky) fourth. 

“It’s an indescribable feeling," the 43-year-old from the Lorraine region in north-east France said. "I’m struggling to get my head around it. Maybe that will come tomorrow. To win two Grands Prix at this standard in the space of two weeks has never happened to me before. I’ve always believed that Cayman was a legendary horse and he demonstrated that again in this Grand Prix."

"He had a few issues before the Olympic Games but today he’s fully operational. He is exceptional, really a cut above the rest. I’ve already ridden some great horses but this one is something else again! I’m incredibly lucky to get to ride a horse like this. If I were to compare him to Hermès Ryan, he is capable of even more. You just need to channel it because if you leave him to his own devices a bit, he flies. I had a choice when I entered the arena for the jump-off. I could go steady... but I’d have finished fifth. Or I could take risks for the win. On the turn before the upright, I was in a sticky situation but once again Cayman found a solution. When I’m in a mess, he gets me out of it with a stroke of genius."

"To be back in the Grand Palais is exceptional. You can sense the weight of history at this venue. Even though I’ve been coming here since the first edition in 2010, it's always a magical moment. The aim now is to keep Cayman at peak fitness. He’s going to have a little well-earned rest now, then we’ll see where we’re at for the European Championships. I’m not going to put any pressure on him.”

Second with Vermento, Whitaker proved to be very fair play. “Simon was too quick. I had one more stride than him at the end but I have no regrets. I’d do the same thing again if I had to. It was my first time competing in the Saut Hermès so I’m very pleased with this second place.”

Earlier duting the day, Victor Bettendorf (LUX) and Cancun Torel Z (Cosinhus x Grannus) won the CSI5* 1.50m Prix de la Ville de Paris ahead of Emanuele Gaudiano (ITA) and Vasco 118 (Vivant x Chacco-Blue) in second and Omar Abdul Aziz Al Marzooqi (UAE) on Chacco Bay (Chaccato x Heops) in third.

"She’s a very competitive mare," Bettendorf explained. "On Saturday evening, I picked up a fault in the Prix du 24 Faubourg but I’d already been the fastest. Today is kind of my revenge match. When I’m with her, it’s mainly myself that I have to control so as I don’t exaggerate too much, because I often take needless risks. I really have to keep a handle on that as she can always go quicker. This morning I managed to get into the right rhythm to hunt down victory.”