At the prestigious Saut Hermès in Paris, the Under 25 riders took center stage in the “Les Talents Hermès” class, a 1.40m competition held over a special two-phase format. Set in the iconic Grand Palais, the class combined technical precision with forward riding, as young talents from across the globe competed under tight time allowed in both phases.
Belgian rider Mathieu Guéry, 20, was victorious in the first of the weekend’s three Talents Hermès, a competition reserved for under-25-year-olds (a two-phase course with jumps set at 1.40m). Exiting the ring with a clear round in a time of 33’’75 after a particularly smooth performance, the individual bronze medallist at the Youth Continental championships (gold medal in the team competition), riding the 11-year-old gelding Time-Breaker S Z, set the bar high enough to ensure his place at the top of the leader board. Though Austrian Lena Binder (32’’64) and Dutch rider Fleur Holleman (33’’07) posted faster times, one fault apiece saw them drop out of the top 10. “It’s fantastic, smiles Mathieu Guéry. I’m incredibly fortunate to be able to ride at the Saut Hermès. Even though it’s the third year that I’ve been invited to compete in the Talents Hermès, it’s not something you get accustomed to. It’s a crazy competition. For this first class, it was very special to get a chance to ride. My horse is exceptional. He is naturally quick. I just devised my route and that’s all it took. It’s great to be able to get off to a good start.” Swiss rider Bryan Smits on Melien secured second place 35 hundredths of a second behind, with third placed Swedish rider Julie Carlberg on Mila-Sue PS some 90 hundredths of a second off the pace. Fourth, Dan Eschmann (Fauve des Roches) was the day’s best French rider.
