THE SAUT HERMÈS

An unmissable sporting event for the international horse racing scene, the eight’s edition of the Saut Hermès brought the elite riders of the world together with their mounts for the prestigious 5* show jumping competition.

It is at the Grand Palais in Paris, on the 17^th, 18^th and 19^th of March 2017 that Hermès celebrated once again “boldness and mastery, appearance and correctness, naturalness and movement, aesthetics and sobriety” – virtues that are associated by Axel Dumas, the CEO of Hermès, with the spirit of the famous harness-saddler.

Friday March 17^th was exclusively for the French Equestrian Federation (FFE) members, and held the first three rounds of the competition. The first Grand Palais CSI 5* 8000€ Prize with its 1.45m jumps was won by Emanuele Gaudiano (Italy, 1^st prize), Louise Saywell (Great Britain, 2^nd prize) and Max Kühner (Austria, 3^rd prize). The second round Talents Hermès CSIU25-A with its 1.40m jumps was restricted to twenty riders aged under twenty-five, and won by Jessie Drea (Great Britain, 1^st prize), Laetitia Du Couëdic (Switzerland, 2^nd prize) and Emma Tallberg (Finland, 3^rd prize). As for the third round, its Hermès Sellier CSI 5* 25000€ Prize with 1.50m jumps was won by Patrice Delaveau (France, 1^st price), Roger Yves Bost (France 2^nd prize) and Pius Schwizer (Switzerland, 3^rd prize).

The beginning of the evening was punctuated by lyrical extracts from “Don Quixote’s Dream”, a previously unseen performance conceived by stuntman Mario Luraschi and dramatist Florient Azoulay. As described by Sylvie Hubac, President of the Réunion des musées nationaux – Grand Palais, it is a “dreamlike show of poetry, exploring the mysterious links between a man and his faithful steed”.

A total of ten rounds during this weekend have put the international elite riders in competition. The Talents Hermès CSIU25-A competition continued on Saturday March 18^th, followed by GL Events CSI 5* Prize, the Saut Hermès CSI5* and the 24 Faubourg CSI5* Prize. The day culminated with a second performance of “Don Quixote’s Dream”. As for Sunday March 19^th, it included Ville de Paris CSI5* Prize and a new competition of the Talents Hermès CSIU25-A followed by another performance from “Don Quixote’s Dream”, before the floor was left to the final round, the Grand Prix Hermès CSI5*. The latter is the showpiece of the Saut Hermès at the Grand Palais. The 1.60m height of the jumps and the technicality of the course make this one of the most demanding classes on the international circuit. Its 400000€ prize was grabbed by Edwina Tops-Alexander (Australia, 1^st prize), Penelope Leprevost (France, 2^nd prize) and Bertram Allen (Ireland, 3^rd prize).