Text © World of Showjumping

Sunday morning's CSI5*-W 1.50m Prix Sommer at Longines Equita Lyon 2023 went to the current world number four, Switzerland's Martin Fuchs and the 9-year-old Bastille (Balou du Rouet x Chacco-Blue, bred by Holger Keding). 

With a time of 61.59, Fuchs and Bastille were the quickest out of the 33 horse-and-rider-combinations at start in the 1.50m competition against the clock. "Bastille is such a fantastic horse," Fuchs commented to World of Showjumping after his victory. "She did her first international show with me this year in Spain, jumping 1.30m, 1.35m and in Helsinki she already got placed in her first five-star Grand Prix. She is really an unbelievable mare and I will now give her a break for a few months. I want to build her up for next year, for some of the Nations Cups and some of the big Grand Prixs, because I really believe that she is a special mare. Her character is really interesting, she is quite feisty in the warm-up, bucks and kicks a little bit but she really likes to do what she does and she likes to jump. She always gives her best."

It was a Swiss affair in the Prix Sommer, with Edouard Schmitz (SUI) and Be Hippy TT (Balou du Rouet x Pep, bred by T&T Sporthorses Gbr.) taking the runner-up spot behind Fuchs in 62.36, followed by Pius Schwizer (SUI) and Dubai du Bois Pinchet (Kashmir van Schuttershof x Andiamo, bred by Elevage du Bois Pinchet) in third in 63.02. Olivier Perreau (FRA) and Bresil de Carnaval Santa Rosa (Mylord Carthago x Rosire, bred by Michel Gueninchault) finished fourth in 64.21, and Pedro Junqueira Muylaert (BRA) aboard Quax 76 (Quo Vados x Come On, bred by Uwe Tiemann) fifth in 65.15.