French rider Julien Epaillard, with his horse Donatello d’Auge, clinched the Longines Global Champions Tour Grand Prix du Prince de Monaco title in Port Hercule over the weekend.
It was victory for the second time in a month for Epaillard after his earlier win at the Longines Global Champions Tour Grand Prix du Ramatuelle Saint Tropez, which took place during the first weekend of June.
In Monaco, Epaillard and his faithful gelding Donatello d’Auge won the prestigious show jumping event with a time of 36.45 seconds.
DELIGHT AT THE WIN
In the aftermath of his success on one of the most glamourous stages of the Tour, Epaillard expressed his happiness at winning such an important event: “This Grand Prix was a big aim for me. Maybe this is the best Grand Prix I’ve ever won… So we will enjoy it! Donatello is a special horse for us; I bred him with my wife, he is now 10 years old and he has now won three or four five-star Grand Prix, so it is very nice to breed a horse like this and celebrate the win with him.”
Dutchman Harrie Smolders with Monaco N.O.P. took second place, while the third spot went to Greece’s talented young rider Ioli Mytilineou on Levis de Muze.
POPULAR EVENT
The Monaco event, under the patronage of Prince Albert II of Monaco, has long been incredibly popular and this year’s show was no exception. In the crowds were Prince Albert, Princess Charlene, Princess Caroline of Hanover and Charlotte Casiraghi as well as VIPs such as former Formula 1 driver Antonio Giovinazzi.
This year saw 38 riders qualify for the Grand Prix du Prince de Monaco, making for a thrilling event, especially as the Uliano Vizzani-designed course was filled with challenges. In the end, only five riders made it to the jump-off.
Maikel van der Vleuten remains on top of the overall rankings, having broken the 200-mark with 203 points over the weekend. Christian Kukuk is now second place with 180.2 points and, after not qualifying for Monaco’s Grand Prix, Malin Bayard Johnsson has dropped to third with 160.14 points.
Click on the photos below to see from the Jumping International de Monte-Carlo:
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All photos courtesy of Longines Global Champions Tour