Ben Maher and Point Break were victorious during Saturday (2 November, 2024) evening’s Equita Masters presented by Hermès Sellier in Lyon, France. The pair were the only combination to produce a double clear, stealing the win from Victor Bettendorf (LUX) on Cancun Torel Z. Defending champion Steve Guerdat came third with Albfuehren’s Iashin Sitte.
The prestigious evening came with an exceptional line-up, including 6 of the world’s top 10 riders. French course designer Grégory Bodo had to draw on all his expertise to come up with a worthy course. Nine were successful over the 13 obstacles and 16 difficulties at 1m60 to take them into the second round. Robin Muhr (ISR) and Marlon Modolo Zanotelli (BRE), riding Crocodile Rock and Zy-Zento respectively, were both penalised by 1 point for exceeding the time limit, but managed to make it through. Victor Bettendorf was the only rider to qualify with 4 points, thanks to a blistering time of 40.96 seconds.
Other riders through to the second round included France’s Julien Gonin on his lively Estrella de la Batia, who recorded the fastest clear round. Another crowd favourite, Kevin Staut, also secured his place with his fantastic Vida Loca Z. One of the two 8-year-olds entered for the event completed a surprisingly smooth round.
In the second leg, the couples kept their first-round scores and started in reverse order. So, Julien Gonin rounded off the proceedings. Before that, Victor Bettendorf had completed his blistering round, meaning his rivals had to push themselves to the limit. And the crowd had to wait for the Olympic team champion from Paris 2024 to finally see a double clear round. Riding his powerful bay stallion, Maher showed all his talent to cross the finish line in 41.04 seconds.
“In the end, I was the only rider to do a double clear round, but the format of the class meant that we had to ride very, very fast, whatever position we were in before the second round. It always feels good to get a win and I’d like to dedicate this one to my whole team!” said Maher.
Despite his horse’s lack of experience, Kevin Staut tried everything to do even better. Finally, he could not avoid making a fault with his agile and hard-working chestnut horse, but he was more than satisfied with his fourth place in 42.84 seconds.
“She’s a mare I believe in enormously. At the start of the season, we had to find a way of continuing to ride her for sport. I think she’s a really rare horse. From my experience as a rider, I can say that I haven’t ridden many horses like her. She has both great physical potential and intelligence. Let’s not forget that she is only eight years old.” said Staut.
Julien Gonin was the last to enter the arena, which was buzzing, and the crowd in Lyon really got behind him. The rider from the Rhône-Alpes had the same time as Maher as he approached the end of the course. But, unfortunately, a fault on the final obstacle denied him victory in front of his home crowd. However, he still managed to finish in sixth place overall (43.26 seconds).
Final Results (Top 4)
1. Ben Maher (GBR) & Point Break – 0 / 0 / 41”04
2. Victor Bettendorf (LUX) & Cancul Torel Z – 4 / 0 / 40”96
3. Steve Guerdat (SUI) & Albfuehren’s Iashin Sitte – 0 / 4 / 41”58
4. Kevin Staut (FRA) & Vida Loca Z – 0 / 4 / 42”84
Feature image: Ben Maher and Point Break, Lyon. ©PSV – Jean Morel
Suzanne Ashton, Founder of Everything Horse (Est, 2012), has a BA Hons in Marketing Management and a Diploma in Equine Science. Suzanne has ridden and owned horses all her life and has twelve years of experience in marketing, writing, design, SEO, and website creation.