Julien Épaillard & Donatello d’Auge Dazzle in the €106,000 FFE Generali Prize CSI 5*-W

By Jumper News on 2026-02-07

Bordeaux, France – February 06, 2026 – A very busy Friday at the 2026 Jumping International de Bordeaux kept equestrian fans on the edge of their seat. In show jumping, the main class of the day was the €106,000 FFE Generali Prize CSI 5*-W, a qualifying round for Saturday’s World Cup. Held over a 1.50m course and counting towards the FEI Longines world rankings, this class was of strategic importance for many riders. For some, such as Roger-Yves Bost (FRA) & Ballerine du Vilpion, winners of the Hong Kong Grand Prix last Sunday and Julien Épaillard (FRA) & Donatello d’Auge, winners of the last World Cup two weeks ago in Amsterdam), competing for the win allows them to get their horses literally ‘up to speed’ and accustomed to the intensity of the major class the following day. For others, the main objective was to complete a clean round without taking excessive risks, in order to fine-tune their settings and prepare as well as possible for a clear round on Saturday.

**Julien Épaillard** (FRA) & **Donatello d’Auge**

This evening, Julien Épaillard did both and, as in 2025, dominated this class with Donatello d’Auge who is visibly at ease here in Bordeaux. When the couple entered the arena, Martin Fuchs (SUI) Love de Vie were in pole position with a time of 60.12 seconds, but the French rider was three seconds faster.

Only Germany’s Daniel Deusser (GER) & Bingo Ste Hermelle were able to come close to this time, albeit more than four tenths of a second behind. Number one in the rankings this evening, Julien Épaillard (FRA) and Donatello d’Auge will be number one at the start of the World Cup on Saturday evening. Going first often is an uncomfortable position but the French rider, who is already qualified for the World Cup final, remains unshakable: “I am not bothered by that, I just hope that Donatello will be as fit tomorrow as he was today.”