France’s Bost best in Spain

In the Spanish capital, the 2016 Rio Team gold medallist and his Olympic partner came out on top of an 18-pair jump-off tie-breaking round with a clear ride and time of 42.23 seconds. Also landing on the Grand Prix podium were Belgian Niels Bruynseels and Cas de Liberte in second, and Ireland’s Mark McAuley and Miebello in third. Other big names in Show Jumping were amongst the top finishers, with Michael Whitaker and his mount Calisto Blue the top British combination, in 9th place. The complete results for the Grand Prix are here.

After the jump-off, Bost recounted, he was not sure his time had been fast enough to win. “I thought maybe it was good enough for third or fourth place,” the World No.23 remarked, “but I tried my best and Sydney always gives me 100 percent! I lost one stride in the middle of the course, but she is so fast over the fences and I think that’s why we won – she is so brave and so consistent!”

The 52-year-old also explained how focused he is on the World Cup qualifying campaign to get to the French capital next spring: “I won the Grand Prix in Paris Bercy in 1996 and that was special, so getting to the Final is my first goal right now.” Seven more qualifying opportunities remain on the 13-city circuit, with the seven best results counting for each rider. 

And indeed, with his victory in Madrid, Bost jumps into eighth place in the Western European standings after six qualifiers: Oslo, Helsinki, Verona, Lyon, Stuttgart, and Madrid. The Frenchman has 30 points, with two of his compatriots ahead of him: Kevin Staut in third and Simon Delestre in sixth, with 38 and 31 points respectively. The current leader is another Olympic Champion, Steve Guerdat of Switzerland, who had four faults in the first round with Bianca in Spain, finishing 27th and not picking up any qualifying points.

At the moment, Michael Whitaker and Denis Lynch are the best-placed riders for Great Britain and Ireland, in 10th and 11th places respectively. The next stage of the circuit will be in La Coruna, Spain from December 8-10, followed by London from the 12th to the 18th. 18 riders from Western Europe will get a spot in the Final, although others domiciled in the region — such as Australian Edwina Tops-Alexander — could also qualify through the League.