François Flies to First! Xavier Boundant Blazes with Brazyl du Mezel in the Hermès Sellier Prize CSI 5*

By Jumper News on 2026-03-21

Paris, France – March 20, 2026 – The finest riders and horses in the world sprang into action on Friday beneath the magnificent glass roof of the Grand Palais for the 16th edition of the Saut Hermès. Enjoying the same sense of wonder, sixty-one riders from 18 countries and 20 young talents aged under 25 took part in the first of three days of competition in Paris, at the foot of the Champs-Élysées.

The day was marked by the success of François-Xavier Boudant (FRA) and Brazyl du Mezel in the €28,200 Hermès Sellier Prize CSI 5*.

**François Xavier Boudant** (FRA) & **Brazyl du Mezel**

Two hundredths of a second was all it took for François-Xavier Boudant (FRA) to take the win in the €28,200 Hermès Sellier Prize CSI 5* (an event against the clock with jumps set at 1.50), which serves as a qualifier for Sunday’s Grand Prix Hermès (15:15 hrs). Paired with Brazyl du Mezel, his 15-year-old French Selle Français, ‘F-X’ managed to optimise every one of his strides and cut every corner to claw back some precious hundredths of a second. “To be victorious here in Paris, in France, is fantastic, especially given the fact that I’ve never been to the Grand Palais before. I believed that Julien’s (Épaillard) time could be beaten. There was little in it but we gave our all and that was enough. Despite being 15 years of age, Brazyl continues to perform well. He’s in great shape. I hope that we can also step up to the mark for Sunday’s Grand Prix Hermès.”

**Julien Épaillard** (FRA) & **Easy Up de Grandry**

He finishes ahead of Julien Épaillard (FRA), known as ‘the flying Frenchman’, who is widely touted as one of the fastest riders on the circuit. Riding Easy up de Grandry, a 12-year-old Selle Français, the world number 8, winner of the last World Cup final, had to accept defeat today. “Two hundredths of a second too much… Sometimes the results are the other way round but that’s the name of the game. The primary aim was to qualify for Saturday’s Saut Hermès (the top ten female riders and the top ten male riders who qualified in this class). There were a few tough options that I chose not to take. As I finished, I knew it could be beaten and F-X did a great job. Victory was well deserved.”