Master of Faster! Julien Épaillard Supreme on Home Soil in the €308,600 Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ Lyon CSI 5*-W

By Jumper News on 2026-11-02

As usual, the Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™, the highlight of the Longines Equita Lyon, Concours Hippique International, served up a breathtaking show for the ever-growing audience. Riding Le Coultre de Muze, Julien Épaillard (FRA), who won the class in 2022 and was runner-up in 2023 and 2025, once again highlighted his talent in Lyon, holding off the world number one and world team champion, Richard Vogel (GER), riding Cloudio. The Swiss rider Edouard Schmitz (SUI) finished third with Gamin van’t Naastveldhof.

Forty of the world’s best riders were in the starting blocks in the International Arena on Sunday afternoon. The Spanish course designer, Santiago Varela Ullastres (ESP), had decided to create course with 14 obstacles, 17 difficulties and set a time limit of 79 seconds. At the end of the first round, fourteen pairs had managed to overcome the challenges. Among them were five female riders and nine male riders, representing five nations.

**Julien Épaillard** (FRA) & **Le Coultre de Muze**

However, a few big names were surprisingly missing from the jump-off, including the event’s partner rider and defending champion Olivier Perreau with GL events Dorai d’Aiguilly (8 points), the world champion Steve Guerdat (SUI) and Albfuehren’s Iashin Sitte, as well as the young generation of French, riders who were eliminated after incurring penalties, namely Nina Mallevaey (FRA) on Dynastie de Beaufour, Mégane Moissonnier (FRA) on Glamour du Lys and Antoine Ermann (FRA) on Floyd des Prés.

A Jump-off for the History Books
Nonetheless, the audience in Lyon could still appreciate the quality of the riders qualified for the jumpoff in store. Among the fourteen pairs qualified, there were no fewer than three Olympic champions, one bronze medallist and several world championship medallists. The first rider to complete a double clear round in 41.50 seconds was the recent silver medallist at the World Championships, Thibeau Spits (BEL), riding Impress-K van’t Kattenheye Z. The winners of the CSI 5* competition at the Printemps des Sports Équestres ultimately finished sixth today. Things were
just getting started!

**Edouard Schmitz** (SUI) & **Gamin van’t Naastveldhof**

With each new round, the riders kept improving the time. The Dutch rider Willem Greve (NED) and Party In de Hus finished in 41.30 seconds to take fifth place. Edouard Schmitz (SUI), riding his trusty Gamin van’t Naastveldhof, picked up the pace once again and broke the 40-second barrier.

His time of 38.31 seconds sent the crowd at Eurexpo into a frenzy! Having put in some fine performances already this weekend, his compatriot Martin Fuchs (SUI) took the turns tightly but was unable to prevent Lorde from making a mistake over the CWD oxer, the third-to-last obstacle. He finished in ninth place (38.48″). But the two fastest riders on the circuit were yet to set off: Julien Épaillard (FRA) and Richard Vogel (GER). It was pretty safe to bet that Edouard Schmitz’s (SUI) time would be beaten. The Frenchman from Normandy, riding Philippe Rozier’s former horse, shifted through the gears and flew over the course without appearing to take any unnecessary risks, and crossed the line in 38.17 seconds, much to the delight of the spectators.

But things were not over yet! As one grey stallion followed another, the world number one, Richard Vogel (GER), then entered the International Arena to a rousing reception with his explosive Cloudio. Following in the Frenchman’s footsteps, the German rider also rode a clear round, but finished three hundredths of a second behind the winner of the 2025 Longines FEI World Cup™ Final.

Ben Maher (GBR) and Point Break, who were the last to go out, also recorded a double clear round in 38.63 seconds, but that was not enough to beat the ‘Flying Frenchman’! The Lyon crowd could finally celebrate and savour yet another French victory. Riding Christian Baillet’s stallion, Julien Épaillard further confirmed that he has found a new horse that is the equal of his talent.

What they said:
Julien Épaillard (FRA): “I had a bit of luck in the first round, but sometimes you need that too. In the jump-off, Le Coultre was fantastic. I didn’t do exactly what I had planned; I added a stride between jumps number 1 and 2, as well as on the last line, but I did enough to win. My goal was just to come here and do my best. It’s always good to see that we’re competitive. I came second last year. Seeing that we’re still in the mix certainly gives us reason to think we can have a good World Cup season. So, that’s quite a reassuring thought. There’s always a great atmosphere here in Lyon and the organisation is first-rate. Sylvie Robert and her teams do an incredible job, both for the horses and for the riders. Thanks to her teams’ work, we can just go out and give everything we’ve got when we’re in the arena.”

Richard Vogel (GER): “I’m really pleased with my horse, who has been remarkably consistent. He was simply incredible today. When I entered the arena, I really thought I could win. But after the double verticals, I wanted to move outwards a little to keep up the pace, which meant I took eight strides instead of seven. Even before I reached the final obstacle, I knew I wouldn’t beat Julien. But I have to blame my “coach” for that! At the start of the week, I went to train with Julien so he could give me some tips on riding. He gave me some, but clearly not on how ride fast (laughs)!”

Edouard Schmitz (SUI): “I was also really pleased with my horse today. But unlike my two friends sitting just next to me, I did exactly the jump-off I wanted (laughs)! I gave it my all, and I’m immensely proud to be so close to riders like Julien and Richard. I thought my performance might be enough, but with riders like them, you can never be sure of anything. Nonetheless, finishing third is a great source of satisfaction.”

Sylvie Robert, President of GL events Equestrian Sport: “This evening, I would like to say a big thank you to these three outstanding riders who have honoured us with their presence here: the world number one, Richard Vogel; the fastest man in the world, Julien Épaillard; and Édouard Schmitz, a Longines rider, who represents that wonderful institution so well. We are so lucky to be able to welcome such talented riders to our events! The nature of the calendar means there is strong competition between different events, so we are all the more grateful for your presence here. Thank you for everything you do; thank you to your horses and their owners. It’s a genuine pleasure to see you ride here in this arena. I would also like to thank our course designer, Santiago Varela (ESP), on the quality of his courses, which always take the horses into consideration, but flow wonderfully well, while featuring a few little difficulties that make all the difference. It’s great to see the audiences enjoy performances of such a high calibre and see that everything runs smoothly from start to finish. We are also lucky to have an arena with excellent ground, which enables the riders to achieve such impressive times. So, let us all continue to keep the flame of this shared passion burning strong!”