Following a change of organization of her stable, the French Olympic champion, had some time disappeared from the circuit "five stars". It did not last long, only four months after this turn of career, Pénélope Leprévost signs in Paris her return to the highest level with new horses: Gain Line and Quintair, belonging to the Ukrainian Aleksander Onyschenko. Gain Line has a good experience of the 5-star level: we had seen the horse shine before under the saddle of Simon Delestre. Quintair, meanwhile, is only 8 years old, but Penelope quickly found a connexion with this dark bay gelding. Several rankings in French show or abroad have put Pénélope sufficiently confident to "return" on the prestigious step of the Longines Global Champions Tour among the leaders of the discipline mentioned above.
The best in the world who are they? 2018 World Cup winner Beezie Madden, also a two-time Olympic team champion. No. 1 in the world, the Dutchman Harrie Smolders, also vice-champion of Europe in title. The four French Olympic champions, our four musketeers, Roger-Yves Bost, Kévin Staut, Philippe Rozier and... Pénélope Leprévost. The reigning European Champion, Sweden's Peder Fredricsson. All of the Longines Global Champions Tour leaders, Edwina Top Alexander (AUS), the women's icon of the sport and strong leader of the circuit, Ben Maher and Scott Brash (GBR), 2012 Olympic team champions in London, Nicola Philippaerts (BEL) who has just won the Portuguese stage of the LGCT Cascais, or Daniel Deusser (ALL) bronze medallist at the Rio Olympics and winner of the World Cup in 2014. These are just some of the heads of a list of 40 riders where swarm titles and talents. The best in the world? Certainly!
Pénélope and the Champ de Mars: an old story
A bit of culture with this Mills' painting dating back to 1924 proving that the Champ de Mars had already been, for a long time, a place dedicated to the horse. The site was indeed one of the very first racecourses in France, a little... improvised certainly, when they were introduced from England on the European continent. The day this painter immortalized this race, September 5, 1824, the victorious mare was named... Penelope! (A canvas to discover as part of a very beautiful exhibition at the Jeu de Paume de Chantilly entitled "Painting the Races").