Text © World of Showjumping

“I know my mare well; I've been riding her since she was seven, and she's very careful and fast,” Sweden’s Petronella Andersson said in a press release from Longines Equita Lyon after the 11-year-old mare Odina van Klapscheut (Zazu x Landor S) won Saturday night’s CSI5*-W 1.60m Equita Masters presented by Hermès Sellier at the traditional French show.

As the only double clear in the competition, the Swedish pair snatched the win from the host nation’s Julien Epaillard and Donatello d’Auge (Jarnac x Hello Pierville), who had to settle for second when a pole fell in the second round. Belgium’s Gregory Wathelet and Special Cera du Maillet Z (Stakkato x Come On) completed the podium in third, followed by Annelies Vorsselmans (BEL) on C. Kulottie W Z (Comme Il Faut x Guidam) in fourth and Kevin Staut (FRA) aboard Feline de Hus HDC (Kannan x Levistan) in fifth.

“I rode my second round exactly as planned,” Andersson detailed in the press release from Longines Equita Lyon. “Odina has a long canter, so I chose to leave out a few strides in several lines. By starting in the middle of the jump-off, I didn't take too many risks, and that's ultimately what allowed me to win. Gregory Bodo's courses are always a pleasure to ride; he's truly one of the best course designers in the world. Lyon is one of my favorite competitions, and I'm delighted with this victory, especially since I had a rough start to the competition with a fall in the Groupama Prize, so I'm making up for it nicely.”

“I'm not really disappointed,” the second placed Julien Epaillard said in a press release from Longines Equita Lyon. “That's the way it goes. I hesitated to take the option on the last fence, which was difficult, but there were still some strong riders behind me, so I went with that strategy. I'm happy with this second place. On Sunday, Fringan de Vesquerie will be competing in the Longines FEI World Cup Grand Prix. Even though he's not yet competitive at this level, he's confident enough to do it and he'll continue to gain experience. Donatello will take a bit of a break before the final events of the season.”