The curtain rose today at Geneva's Palexpo on an edition of the historic Concours Hippique International which, as always, promises to live up to expectations. In a programme that combines sport, passion, adrenaline and spectacle, the Rolex IJRC Top Ten Final has a prominent place.
Organised by the International Jumping Riders Club every year since 2001 (only one stop in 2020 due to the pandemic), the 23rd edition pits the world's top 10 riders against each other in a two-course competition.
The date, which this year has been set for Friday the 13th at 9 p.m., is always eagerly awaited by the riders because it is so "special and exciting".
An exciting formula, great choreography and lively direction capture and transmit to the spectators the emotions of the protagonists, enhanced by the extraordinary participation that the Geneva public knows how to reserve for the great champions...
Seven countries are represented in the starting order this year: Austria (Max Kühner), France (Julien Epaillard), Great Britain (Ben Maher) and Sweden (Henrik von Eckermann) will rely just on one rider, while Germany (Christian Kukuk, Richard Vogel), the United States of America (Kent Farrington, Mclain Ward) and Switzerland (Steve Guerdat, Martin Fuchs, the latter to replace the Irish rider Conor Swail, who had to withdraw due to his horse's travel problems) will be sending two riders each.
The presence of the two Swiss stars, who always have the support of the crowd at Palexpo, will certainly be an added value for this edition.
In 2023, it was Steve Guerdat with Venard de Cerisy who lifted the big silver cup at the Rolex IJRC Top Ten Final. The success of the reigning European Champion and individual silver medallist at the Olympic Games in Paris was the third of his career after those achieved in 2010 with Jalisca Solier and in 2018 with Alamo.
It was a performance that put him at the top of the roll of honour, in which he had previously joined Ludger Beerbaum, Rodrigo Pessoa, Kent Farrington and Meredith Michaels Beerbaum as a leader with two wins.
Organised by the International Jumping Riders Club every year since 2001 (only one stop in 2020 due to the pandemic), the 23rd edition pits the world's top 10 riders against each other in a two-course competition.
The date, which this year has been set for Friday the 13th at 9 p.m., is always eagerly awaited by the riders because it is so "special and exciting".
An exciting formula, great choreography and lively direction capture and transmit to the spectators the emotions of the protagonists, enhanced by the extraordinary participation that the Geneva public knows how to reserve for the great champions...
Seven countries are represented in the starting order this year: Austria (Max Kühner), France (Julien Epaillard), Great Britain (Ben Maher) and Sweden (Henrik von Eckermann) will rely just on one rider, while Germany (Christian Kukuk, Richard Vogel), the United States of America (Kent Farrington, Mclain Ward) and Switzerland (Steve Guerdat, Martin Fuchs, the latter to replace the Irish rider Conor Swail, who had to withdraw due to his horse's travel problems) will be sending two riders each.
The presence of the two Swiss stars, who always have the support of the crowd at Palexpo, will certainly be an added value for this edition.
In 2023, it was Steve Guerdat with Venard de Cerisy who lifted the big silver cup at the Rolex IJRC Top Ten Final. The success of the reigning European Champion and individual silver medallist at the Olympic Games in Paris was the third of his career after those achieved in 2010 with Jalisca Solier and in 2018 with Alamo.
It was a performance that put him at the top of the roll of honour, in which he had previously joined Ludger Beerbaum, Rodrigo Pessoa, Kent Farrington and Meredith Michaels Beerbaum as a leader with two wins.