Bordeaux, France – February 02, 2023 – After 24 months outside of time – the sanitary parenthesis – the impressive trucks of the greatest equestrian champions have found their way back to the Bordeaux Exhibition Centre and have started since Wednesday morning to fill the huge facilities. The horses are settling down one by one in their comfortable boxes, in a nice bed of straw, the grooms are again finding their landmarks in this competition where they feel particularly welcome. Today, the 50th anniversary edition of Jumping International de Bordeaux will start with a line-up that has been enhanced over the last few days.
Germany’s Gerrit Nieberg (GER) and the young Swiss rider Edouard Schmitz (SUI) have been added to the already exhaustive list of show jumping entries, while Rio Olympic Team Champion Philippe Rozier (FRA), who regularly wins the opening class in Bordeaux!) has also joined the cast. Another 2016 Olympic Team Champion and individual silver medallist, but in eventing this time, Frenchman Astier Nicolas (FRA) will take part in the Devoucoux Indoor Derby cross-country class.
In show jumping, Bordeaux will have the honour to welcome all the World Cup winners since the beginning of 2023: after his fantastic victory last weekend in Amsterdam with Donatello d’Auge, Julien Épaillard (FRA) will be joined by Gerrit Nieberg and Blues d’Avelines CH, winners of Leipzig and the world number one Henrik von Eckermann (SWE), triumphant in Basel with his majestic King Edward who will also jump in Bordeaux. In fact, of all the winners of the twelve stages since the beginning of the season in Oslo, on October 12th, that saw the victory of the Swiss Bryan Balsiger, only the latter will be missing in Bordeaux!
With Gerrit Nieberg (GER), it is also the winner of the most famous Grand Prix on the international circuit – Aachen – that the Bordeaux public will discover. As for the young Swiss rider Édouard Schmitz, he was placed second in the recent Dutch leg of the FEI Jumping World Cup™. This shows the very high level of competitiveness that this fiftieth anniversary edition promises.
These exceptional champions will be introduced to the arena on Thursday at 5.30 pm in a warm-up without stakes before the start of the real 5* competition on Friday at 2.45 pm with the Prix Beam.
Tomorrow, from 8.30 p.m., the highlight will be the “double” show with the magic of free dressage by Jean-François Pignon and the long-awaited “dressage battle”.
The program will be even fuller with the final of the Driving World Cup and the long-awaited “revenge” duel between Boyd Exell, the Australian, and Bram Chardon, the Dutchman, from Saturday; a vaulting demonstration with the 2022 World Champions Manon Moutinho and Lambert Leclezio; horse-ball, a discipline in which France is also World Champion; the Ace Pony classes, not forgetting the countless activities, forums and other demonstrations at the Salon du Cheval. An intense program that is detailed and to be shared on the following link: www.jumping-bordeaux.com/en/program
Source: Press Release from Agence R&B Presse for Jumping International de Bordeaux
Photos: © Jumping Bordeaux / FEI / Leanjo de Koster
Categories: English, Events, Jumper News France, Preview
