Rik Hemeryck & Inoui du Seigneur Supreme in the Longines Région Normandie Grand Prix CSI 4*

By Jumper News on 2025-08-18

Deauville, France – August 17, 2025 – Rik Hemeryck (BEL) won the very beautiful €105,600 Longines Normandy Region Grand Prix CSI 4*, the highlight of the Longines Deauville Classic CSI 4* Sunday afternoon in Calvados. Associated with Inouï du Seigneur, the Belgian emerged victorious in a ten-man jump-off, ahead of the Brazilian João Victor Castro Aguiar Gomes de Lima (BRA) and Cashpaid J&F by just under a second.

The French shone again at home, Mégane Moissonnier (FRA) and Julien Épaillard (FRA) placing third and fourth over Crooner Tame and Donatello d’Auge. As for Kevin Staut (FRA), he won the Authuit Stud challenge.

**Rik Hemeryck** (BEL) & **Inouï du Seigneur**

Normandy had already smiled on them last fall, when they won the Grand Prix of the CSI 4* at the indoor in Saint-Lô. This afternoon, the region where the horse is king saw Rik Hemeryck (BEL) and Inouï du Seigneur celebrate a new triumph, this time in the Longines Grand Prix, the sporting summit of the Longines Deauville Classic, which Normandy has supported since its first edition, in 2017. In the meantime, the experienced Belgian rider and his eleven-year-old Belgian Sport Horse gelding by Jenson van’t Meulenhof and a dam by Aganix du Seigneur had achieved many other performances, notably placing seventh in the Longines World Cup in Leipzig, fifth in the 4* Grand Prix in Mâcon and second in the Polish Grand Prix at the CSIO 4* in Sopot. The successes of this endearing couple are based on the natural qualities of the bay, but also on long-term work carried out for more than four years by Rik Hemeryck (BEL), with the kind support of Herica Ravel, an authentically passionate owner. This Sunday, three days before his seventieth birthday, his date and friend gave him a very nice gift.

On the subtle and selective course concocted by Grégory Bodo (FRA), we saw bars falling everywhere, horses expressing themselves with ease, and riders doing their best to try to maintain this balance without which there is no flawless finish. The exercise turned out to be so serious that there was only one clear round at half-time, achieved by the Italian Piergiorgio Bucci (ITA) on Hantano. In the second part of the initial round, nine combinations were able to answer all the questions of the co-course manager of the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, who proposed courses in tune with the very high level of the participants of this ninth edition.

A Jump-off Full of Suspense

The jump-off did not lack “spice” either. This time, Piergiorgio Bucci made a mistake at the first obstacle, finishing eighth. Four points also for the Belgian Gudrun Patteet (BEL), fifth with Sea Coast Chica VV, at fault on the vertical 5b of Normandy, as well as for Julien Épaillard (FRA), who perhaps went a little too fast with his brilliant Donatello d’Auge, beaten on the vertical 16 at the end of the lap and fourth in an unbeatable time.

Without taking any risks, Mégane Moissonnier (FRA) signed the first double clear round with the excellent Crooner Tame, ultimately third. The jury also counted a fault on the Belgian Dimme d’Haese (BEL), tenth on the exceptional La Costa.

It was then that Rik Hemeryck (BEL) and Inouï du Seigneur delivered the victorious performance, showing beautiful harmony in the effort. The public, very numerous this Sunday, appreciated it. Tim Gredley (GBR) was not able to do as well with Médoc de Toxandria, which he has just recovered after a lackluster European Championships with Matthew Sampson. Faulting on the last without panicking the clock, he finished seventh, just behind the Italian Emanuele Camilli (ITA), beaten by the oxer 15, third effort of this reduced course, on the very aerial Chacareno PS.

Between their two performances on the course, the Brazilian João Victor Castro Aguiar Gomes de Lima (BRA) was able to slot into second place with the stylish Cashpaid J&F. The spectators could count on Pénélope Leprevost (FRA) to offer them a Marseillaise, but the Normande knocked down the first obstacle on Ehning Flamingo, ultimately finishing ninth.

This very grand edition ended with the prize giving ceremony for the Haras d’Authuit challenge. Although he knocked down the last oxer of the initial round with his trusty Visconti du Telman, Kevin Staut (FRA), winner of the Vilamoura Classic CSI 4* prize on Thursday and almost undefeated at the Cabourg Classic in June, is the winner. The Norman had gotten so far ahead of his competitors that mathematically, he was already assured of winning this challenge yesterday. Five foals are now waiting for him in the meadows of the Authuit stud farm. There is no doubt that he will study their pedigree and observe their model and their appearance carefully, before choosing the one who will later join his stables, located in Pennedepie, between Deauville and Honfleur.