DENIS LYNCH BUILDS CONFIDENCE FOR THE GRAND PRIX

Irish rider Denis Lynch's victory in the Prix Ducati with his Bushi has given him confidence ahead of the Rolex Grand Prix. Friday's main class lived up to its promise with eleven high-profile finalists in the jump-off on the evergreen Arena Grandes Ecuries, which the riders particularly enjoy.

Olympic, European and world champions; they were all at the start in today’s big class. In the jump-off, there were only eleven riders left, including, good news, seven French. But at the end of the day, the fastest was Denis Lynch, the old Irish fox of the circuit, who is now able to leave Chantilly on the saddle... of a glamourous Ducati! With his faithful GC Chopin's Bushi, he achieved one of the only two double clear rounds of the class, but, to the despair of the public, with sixty hundredths better than French rider Alexis Deroubaix, who until then held the lead with Kitona de Muze (Vigo d'Arsouilles).

Denis Lynch was already a fan of the Chantilly grass arena yet this new victory in the new environment of the Masters will only make him love it more: "Bushi is a fantastic horse, this result speaks for itself. He has won a lot before and now he is winning again. I am very delighted with this horse and especially today at this absolutely beautiful venue. Today he was on a great day and when he is like this, in great shape, he is an extraordinary horse. He really likes this footing, it’s a great arena, there's a very nice atmosphere as often in France and we're very, very lucky to be here.”

The jump-off seemed complicated with only two clear rounds out of eleven starters, nothing abnormal according to the Irishman: "I have never won a competition without touching a pole! (laughs) Today I touched one or two in the first round, but they stayed in place. It was a good day, but I promise you I've never won a Grand Prix or any other event without touching any fences. Today luck was on my side. As for this course, there was nothing specifically difficult about it, it was very fair, it wasn't over big. The conditions were ideal with a very good grass surface, a supple ground where the horses feel confident.” Bushi certainly looked confident and with two days to go before the Rolex Grand Prix his rider seems optimistic: "Absolutely, this kind of victory always gives confidence to the horse and the rider". To be continued on Sunday from 3.30 pm.

In the meantime, another beautiful day awaits visitors at the Masters of Chantilly with seven classes on the programme on both arenas, the two M1-5* from 3.30 pm on the Arena Grandes Écuries, followed by the "Plaisir équestre" show given by Clémence Faivre and Mario Luraschi and presented by Groupama Paris Val de Loire.

M1 MERCURE HOTELS 1.55M: CANADA SEES DOUBLE Not only did the Canadian anthem play for the second time of the day, but also not one but two riders from the Great White North were on the podium of the last competition of the day. Tiffany Foster, riding Vienna, won the speed class with a time of 66.17 seconds, while her compatriot Mario Deslauriers took third place with his Holstein Cloud 39. A total triumph for the North American continent since it is the American Paris Sellon with her mare Anna JO who finishes second of this Prix Mercure Hotels.

CSIYH, SECOND ROUND: BONFOIS VAN'T HOF V EVERSEN Z, A NAME TO REMEMBER! Second round today for the young horses, this time on the oval arena of the Château; the change of setting can be very educational for 7-year-old horses who are not yet very experienced at the top level. This was an already "serious" class for youngsters (7 years old), at 1.35 m, in two phases. A lesson that benefited a horse made at Zangersheide, Bonfois Van'T Hof V Eversen Z - the names of Belgian horses are rarely simple and easy to remember - a 7-year-old son of Bisquet Balou C. Bonfois (to make it simple) had 4 faults yesterday on the Arena Grandes Ecuries while Embuscade de Rêve who had won yesterday dropped a fence today. Bonfois’s rider is Belgian Koen Vereecke (52). He used to run a stallion yard which has gradually been transformed into a competition yard (Stal Vereecke in Waarschoot) and in particular a training stable for young horses which he forms with his son Andres up to international level before selling them. He has 209 international victories and is ranked 151st in the world. He is also a breeder.

M2 1.35MPRIX GEBERIT: SECOND VICTORY FOR THE « NEW » CANADIAN RIDER Two years ago, Danielle Lambert was still working in an office. Today, she won her second CSI1* class in Chantilly. An impressive change of career for the 46-year-old Canadian: « I grew up in California and rode there as a junior but then I stopped about 23 years ago and last year started back up again. I called Philippe Rozier when Covid hit and told him I needed to ride, I could not just sit inside, and he told me to come down and ride with him. That was last May, so we are now one year in and I have a great string of horses, Philippe is an amazing trainer and we have a lot of fun. » One of those great horses is the grey Cobalt de Nantuel, a 9-year-old Selle Français, almost 1.82 m tall: « He’s got a big stride and a big galop and he just loves it. This was just a nice course where he could galop and float and turn easily. »

ENJOY THE MASTERS OF CHANTILLY IN COMPLETE SAFETY In order to guarantee the safety of everyone at the Masters of Chantilly, the sanitary rules in force apply:

- the sanitary pass is mandatory for outdoor and indoor events gathering 1,000 people or more; it consists of one of the following three proofs:

- vaccination (full schedule + 14 days) ; - negative test less than 48 hours ; - positive RT-PCR or antigenic test attesting to the recovery of Covid-19.

- barrier and distancing measures remain in place;

- Wearing a mask is still mandatory everywhere at the event.

Information and photo source : EEM / Masters of Chantilly