Chantilly, France – July 12, 2024 – Nicolas Sers won the €28,200 Defender Small Grand Prix CSI 4*, the major event on Friday at the CSI 4* in Chantilly. At the reins of the imposing and tireless Eleven de Riverland, the Corrézien beat the Swiss Barbara Schnieper (SUI), second on Toronto Raptor and the Luxembourger Odile Gierech (LUX), third with Hurricane Db.

Tricolor revelation of the first semester, Nicolas Sers (FRA) rang out the Marseillaise on the sumptuous Grandes Écuries track, at the end of the €28,200 Defender Small Grand Prix CSI 4*, Friday afternoon in Chantilly. Starting third in the event and opening the jump-off, the tricolor and his fantastic (and immense!) son of Kannan, were the first to achieve a flawless performance. None of the eight couples, who managed to cross without difficulty the course built by the French course designer Grégory Bodo (FRA), who will design the courses for the events at the Paris Olympic Games alongside the Spaniard Santiago Varela, managed to beat the thirty-four year old Corrézien and his stallion.

Faced with the clock, the duo immediately set the tone, setting the reference time in 40.30, without ever being worried. A great performance for those who scored three victories in a row at the end of May, at the CSI 3* in Gassin. For his first in Chantilly, Nicolas Sers (FRA) concluded his weekend in style with his ten-year-old stallion.

“Eleven is usually unshoed, so we had to put shoes on him to come and compete here in Chantilly. The start of the weekend was a little complicated (the couple achieved two sixteen-point runs in the 1.50m on Wednesday and Thursday, editor’s note) because they never jumped on grass, so they needed to a time of adaptation. Finally, I am very happy because he behaved very well in the event today. He is an atypical horse, with a lot of resources so he had no difficulty jumping the jump-off. It’s still regrettable not to have been able to qualify for tomorrow’s Grand Prix, but an international victory is always appreciable,” declared the rider.

The Swiss, Barbara Schnieper (SUI), second with Judy KM, in the Grand Prix of the Oise department this afternoon, took second place, in the saddle on Toronto Raptor, her twelve-year-old gelding. The latter has the particularity of being a son of the late Totilas, a true legend… of dressage! Recently victorious in a 1.40m event at the CSI 2* in Dettighofen at the end of June, the couple who started third in the jump-off missed the highest point on the podium by only six hundredths. The Luxembourger, Odile Gierech (LUX), completed the podium with Hurricane Db in 40.62.

On the French side, Mégane Moissonnier (FRA) and Philippe Rozier (FRA) also managed to place seventh and tenth, respectively on Crooner Tame and Prestigio LS La Silla.

This jumping is a major sporting event, as we will have understood, but it is also an event for families, a fun outing to do this weekend (until Saturday) with a multitude of activities planned for young and old, as spectators or participants, thus creating a festive environment alongside the equestrian competitions

Final Results – €28,200 Defender Small Grand Prix CSI 4* – 1.45m

1) Nicolas Sers (FRA) & Eleven de Riverland – 0 / 0 – 40.30

2) Barbara Schnieper (SUI) & Toronto Raptor – 0 / 0 – 40.36

3) Odile Gierech (LUX) & Hurricane Db – 0 / 0 – 40.62

Source: Press Release (translated & edited) by Pascal Renauldon / Agence RB Presse for the Chantilly Classic

Photo: © Sportfot

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