Nicolas Touzaint won third in the Grand National FFE/AC Print eventing and afternoon event at Lion-d’Angers, in Maine-et-Loire. Associated with Absolut Gold*HDC, the Angevin finally got the better of Gireg Le Coz and Alexis Goury, both at fault in the race with Caramel d’Orchis, second, and Fara des Loges, third.
At the end of the third stage of the Grand National FFE/AC Print eventing event, one observation stands out: the show jumping course, quite delicate and to be completed in a fairly tight time limit, proved to be more selective than yesterday’s cross country. In these conditions, it was ultimately Nicolas Touzaint who did well on the Isle-Briand estate, winning in the saddle on Absolut Gold*HDC, one of the two partners he is preparing for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
This afternoon, only three of the twenty-one riders who showed up on the arena achieved a flawless performance in time: Sylvain Davesne, seventeenth with Atout Cœur Theod (44 points), Salomé Poisson, eleventh on Upsa des Ajoncs (39), and Maxime Livio, seventh on Enjoy de Keroué (37). Even Nicolas Touzaint and his faithful Absolut exceeded the authorized time by one second and were penalized by 0.4 points following a fine clear round over obstacles. At the end of the track, the Angevin showed great satisfaction: “It’s great, I’m really happy with this round. Absolut, with his fourteen years and everything he has already given me, is in great shape, and when you feel them like that, full of desire and energy, it’s a huge pleasure. Like yesterday, I wanted him to skip a course in the easy way and for everything to go well. I achieved my goal for the weekend, so I’m delighted!”
A pool of new horses and confirmations
In the lead since Friday, Gireg Le Coz and Caramel d’Orchis brought down the second element of the double, and exceeded the time limit by two seconds, ranking second (31.6). They finished just ahead of Alexis Goury and Fara des Loges, who suffered a fault and a second of time exceeded (32.4). Conceding respectively 0.4 and 5.2 points this afternoon, Camille Lejeune and Benjamin Massié completed the top five with Dame Decœur Tardonne (33.7) and Figaro Fonroy (34.2). The sixth and eighth places rewarded the performances of Morgane Euriat on Fixin de Condé (34.4) and Fabrice Saintemarie on César de Roy (37.6).
Jean-Pierre Blanco, assistant national trainer in charge of dressage within the federal framework, draws a positive assessment of this competition: “Gireg Le Coz was in very good shape, which is positive before the Olympics even if he was not riding his lead horse, Aisprit de la Loge, here. It is important that our best riders have several good horses. This gives them confidence. Nicolas confirmed with Absolut, even if it was a little contracted on the rectangle due to the presence of school buses nearby. Despite this, the pair produced a truly satisfying cover. Some horses reached a milestone this winter, which we could clearly see here. There are newcomers at this level, like Fara des Loges, who has beautiful natural locomotion. She presented herself well and has evolved a lot, like her rider. Benjamin Massié’s two horses Figaro Fonroy and Filao de Perle are also making clear progress. At nine years old, these horses embody the future, especially with a view to the 2028 Olympics.” “Filao and Figaro are certainly the two most gifted horses I have ever ridden and I believe a lot in them”confirms Benjamin Massié.
The next stage of the Grand National will also support the Master Pro, from June 20 to 23 in Vittel. This will be the last selective competition for the couples competing for the Paris Olympics. The previous weekend, a serious delegation will participate in the CCI 4*-S and 5*-L in Luhmühlen.
The ranking of the teams for this third stage
1. Intermarché/Forestier (Nicolas Touzaint, Luc Château and Clément Tonon);
2. Equestrian synergy (Gireg Le Coz, Benjamin Massié and Juliet Watson);
3. Picoty Atlantique/Concept PGO (Stéphane Landois, Alexis Goury and Julie Simonet);
4. PGO concept (Camille Lejeune, Jean-Lou Bigot and Aline Teillard);
5. Equisa/La Maison du Pony (Morgue Euriat, Fabrice Saintemarie and Romance Simon);
6. Antarès Eventing Riders/Cavalassur (Maxime Livio, Korntawat Samran and Mina Saiagh);
7. Yearly Agrial (Mathieu Chombart, Camille Laisney and Vérane Nicaud);
8. Equine Products/CSEM (Sébastien Cavaillon, ADC Donatien Schauly and Salomé Poisson).
The podium of the teams of this third stage.
© Pauline Chevalier/PSV Morel/FFE
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2024-05-26 22:15:15
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