After a sensational jump-off, the American McLain Ward won the Rolex Grand Prix at the CHI Geneva with his faithful HH Azur, thus depriving the Swiss Martin Fuchs (Leone Jei) of a hat-trick in front of his home crowd. .
Even before the forty couples at the start of the Rolex Grand Prix entered the track, the public, volunteers, organizers, photographers, journalists and other riders and grooms attended with great emotion the farewell of the legend Clooney 51. The individual European champion in 2019, ridden by Martin Fuchs, and with a record worthy of the greatest legends of this sport, galloped one last lap to the cheers of his fans. In tears, Martin paid tribute to the one who made the rider he is today, while the gray, returning from the Tokyo Olympics in August 2021, was seriously injured, fracturing the humerus of the shoulder right. An injury that could have been fatal to the champion, who thanks to his entourage and his strength of character, will manage to overcome this injury to enjoy a good retirement in Normandy. A memorable moment for all who attended this ceremony as Martin released a “thank you for everything Clooney, I love you”.
Barely time to recover from this emotional sequence that the Rolex Grand Prix resumed its rights on the main track of Geneva. A race whose initial course timer could clearly have been much tighter (77”), allowing this Grand Prix to take on a completely different dimension. From the second rider on the track, the Briton Ben Maher, individual Olympic champion in title, in the saddle on Dallas Vegas Batilly, signs a perfect course. He will be joined by twelve of his adversaries, including some specialists in the genre, like the Germans Daniel Deusser, with Scuderia 1918 Tobago Z, Christian Ahlmann with Dominator 2000 Z, Frenchman Kevin Staut with Scuderia 1918 Viking d’la Rousserie, Switzerland Martin Fuchs, with Leone Jei or the American McLain Ward with HH Azur. A second tricolor will qualify for the jump-off, Simon Delestre, on the strength of his second place in the final of the Rolex Top Ten IJRC and after another demonstration of the talent and agility of his exceptional Cayman Jolly Jumper. Author of 74 international victories this season before his arrival in Geneva, Julien Epaillard does not extend his counter this week in Switzerland, committing two faults with Caracole de la Roque, including the last double of verticals in one stride, in penultimate effort (8pts ). It is another combination of this Rolex Grand Prix, the double on bidets, which will cause the first of three faults of the Frenchwoman Mégane Moissonnier with the powerful Cordial (12pts). It is moreover the three combinations of this Rolex Grand Prix which will have cost many couples dearly, and more particularly the two doubles, placed in 6 and 13. Like Julien Epaillard, others will be trapped by the final double of the course, placed along the public, like the world number one, reigning Olympic team champion, reigning double world champion and winner of the Rolex Top Ten IJRC final here on Friday evening, the Swede Henrik von Eckermann, yet in the saddle on King Edward.
McLain deprives Martin of a hat-trick
By achieving a new double clear round here in Geneva, Simon Delestre and Cayman Jolly Jumper confirm that we will indeed have to count on them for the next major events to come. The French pair finished in fifth position after a jump-off in 42.46”. With two faults in the jump-off, Kevin Staut and Scuderia 1918 Viking d’la Rousserie finished thirteenth in this Rolex Grand Prix. At 24, the Belgian Gilles Thomas achieved an incredible performance by achieving a double clear round and a very fast jump-off in 40.88 seconds, allowing him to take fourth place. In the same second, in 40.48”, it was the Irishman Shane Sweetman who took a good option on victory by crossing the finish line without the slightest fault, in the saddle on James Kann Cruz. Here at last is great sport on the track. “I’ve been riding him for a year and we made a great pair from the start. He’s an incredible horse and I know he allows me to be competitive against riders like there are here in Geneva. And besides, I was in the lead of the event, until Martin and McLain entered the track,” he likes to tell. After the moving farewell of Clooney 51, Martin Fuchs was keen to achieve a historic hat-trick in this Rolex Grand Prix of Geneva. Winner in 2021, already in the saddle on Leone Jei, the Swiss showed incredible composure to take all the risks, especially in front of this double on bidets still there at the jump-off. “But now, McLain had another idea in mind for today,” he says with a smile.
On this jump-off at the height of the announced plateau, the American McLain Ward was indeed certainly not there to let victory escape him, and even less when he started last from a jump-off! In the saddle on HH Azur, 16, the Olympic team vice-champion from Rio, took all the risks to outclass his Swiss opponent, offering a last jump of all dangers to the public and to the Fuchs clan who held their breath in the paddock. . Martin crossed the finish line in 39.77 seconds, McLain extricated himself from the last oxer to finish with a time of 38.43 seconds and victory at stake! It was moved to tears that the rider climbed to the top step of the podium of this stage of the Rolex Grand Slam of Show Jumping, of which he is currently the leader. “I have been coming to this competition for almost thirty years, which is to say my agehe blurts amused. This year, the emotion is special because François Mathy Sr, its co-owner, whom I consider to be a father, was present. At the end of last year, she had a drop in form and we did not know if she was going to continue but this year, she is experiencing a real renaissance with seven major Grands Prix, therefore three of the Rolex Grand Slam, from which she came out without – fault (just a point of time), it’s just amazing. I took a lot of risks on the double to catch up a bit and I asked her to go a lot on the last line but she held back and so I closed my eyes on the last oxer”, specifies the winner who thus deprives Martin Fuchs of a hat-trick at home. “I tried everything to achieve this hat-trick but I am very happy with my second place because my priority here this week was focused on saying goodbye to Clooney”. Emotion sequence, we warned you!
Full results HERE
