In Saint-Lô, an international weekend just concluded with the highlight of four days of top sport: the Grand Prix of the CSI4* competition. The Grand Prix was contested over two rounds: the top twelve pairs from the first round qualified for the decisive second round. Here, it was crucial to avoid faults and complete the course as quickly as possible. Belgian rider Rik Hemeryck rose brilliantly to the challenge. He received one time penalty in the first round but was determined not to let that happen again in the second round. He guided Inoui du Seigneur (by Jenson van't Meulenhof) smoothly through the course without taking excessive risks. No other pair managed to keep their score to just one penalty point, allowing Hemeryck to claim victory despite his time fault.
Penelope Leprevost, who had already claimed victory in the CSI2* Grand Prix earlier today, took second place. She carried two time faults from the first round into the second. However, with Ehning Flamingo (by Cardento), she was flawless in the second round, finishing with two time faults and securing second place. Italian rider Lorenzo de Luca and his Violino Il Palazetto (by Verdi TN) completed a faultless and fast second round, clocking in at 43.29 seconds, but a jumping fault in the first round placed them in third.
Jérôme Guery followed in fourth place with Careca LS Elite (by Carusso LS La Silla). They entered the second round with zero penalties but knocked down a rail. Their fast time of 44.61 seconds still earned them fourth place. The top five was completed by Regis Bouguennec (Firefox Gem).
