A U.S. team with three-first timers competing in the last Longines League of Nations qualifier was not able to hang onto a tie for second place after the first round Sunday, winding up sixth in Saint-Tropez, France.
That edition of the four-part series appropriately went to the home country, scoring its second LLN victory this year on the back of Simon Delestre’s perfect trip aboard the 10-year-old Gaspard du Tillard clinching the French team’s opportunity to avoid a jump-off against Brazil (a country that is looking very strong. Read about a Brazilian’s Friday grand prix win at this link).
France had 4 penalties to 8 for Brazil and 8 for Belgium, which wound up third because that team’s composite time was a little more than a second slower than Brazil’s.
The French team of Antoine Ermann, Julien Epaillard, Nina Mallavaey and Simon Delestre with chef d’equipe Edouard Couperie.
The good news for the U.S., however, is that it made the cut in seventh place overall for the series to be among nine countries now qualified to face off next month in the LLN finals in Barcelona. The Americans, France, Germany, Brazil, Ireland, Belgium, Italy and host country Spain will be trying to unseat defending champion Great Britain there. Switzerland and the Netherlands did not qualify.
At Polo Club Saint-Tropez, “our number one objective was to get to Barcelona,” said U.S. Coach Robert Ridland.
The U.S. was at podium level after the initial round contested by 10 teams, but sank in the second over the same route. On the track laid out by 2024 Olympic course designer Gregory Bodo, the Americans in the second round did not have a single fault-free trip. In the first round, both veteran Laura Kraut (on the appropriately named Très Bien) and Paris Sellon in her LLN debut with Chad Blue PS were clear. (All these French connections!)
“I was really happy with the first round. Everybody rode well,” Robert said, noting “it was a tough course; not a slam dunk at all.”.
But in the second round, Laura had a rail, as did McKayla Langmeier with Riesling van de Gaathoeve, a mere nine-year-old. Paris ended with two knockdowns. Kristen Vanderveen had 4 faults in the first round on her brand new horse, Starbucks 27 (who hadn’t ever jumped a full 1.60 meter grand prix before Sunday.) She did not ride in the second round, because only three team members can participate in the second segment.
Kristen, Robert noted, has “never been on a Nations cup team (even one that wasn’t part of the LLN). That’s a wonderful horse. Horses love her. Pressure doesn’t bother her. There’s a horse, there’s a rider for our future.”
Speaking of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, which is particularly important because it’s in America, Robert noted that on the calendar, “We’re two years off from the Olympics.”
Yet he’s playing it in terms of preparing as if “the Olympics are tomorrow. I think we’re in a good place, but we have a long way to go.”
A key element is bringing along horse and riders to the top of the game.
“Between now and the (2027) Pan American Games, we hope there’s a horse or two we can insert. We’re trying to beat teams that bring top professionals to the Olympic games. You don’t come there with a pea shooter.”
Only three riders can be on a team under Olympic rules. First and foremost at the moment are Kent Farrington, McLain Ward and Laura Kraut. But they need the right horses, and if something happens to any of those riders, good substitutes have to step up. That’s what occurred at the 2024 Paris Olympics, when Kent Farrington’s horse wasn’t able to compete and alternate rider Karl Cook was substituted. That effort resulted in team silver.
France showed its strength with style in Saint Tropez. Edouard Couperie, the French chef d’equipe, noted as one would expect, “To win at home is really, really special,” adding he likes the format of having only three riders in the second round. That enabled his squad to keep the Flying Frenchman, Julien Epaillard, in reserve with a fresh horse (Donatello D’Auge) in case of a jump-off, but due to Simon’s performance, he wasn’t needed.
“It’s a great team we all get along really well. I think every rider likes the pressure,” said Nina Mallavaey, who corrected her first-round mistake in the triple combination with a clear in the second on Destine to Be.
Antoine Ermann was the team’s only double clear, riding Floyd de Pres with great efficiency that paid off.
France’s Antoine Ermann and Floyd de Pres.
“My horse was super one more time. Such a nice horse, I’m really lucky to have him by my side.” said Antoine.
Simon, the anchor rider, observed, “Going last in that kind of competition with the possibility of winning for the team is very hard. But when you can make it, it is a fantastic feeling. We knew we had a strong team, but the course was really delicate and you could not make any mistakes. To win in front of your home crowd is fantastic.”
It’s interesting to note that at this show younger horses were demonstrating what they could do. Both Antoine and Nina’s horses are 10, while Simon’s is 11. And Brazil’s grand prix winner, Charly Heart, is also 10.
Click here for results of final qualifier. Click here for overall team standings.