Emily King and Valmy Biats. Photo by Tilly Berendt.
After yesterday’s petit section of dressage, some 32 horses and riders entered the arena at Les Etoiles de Pau today in rain, shine, gale and gleam to put their scores on the board for the first phase of this final five-star of the year.
At the end of it, we have a new leader – and, really, an almost entirely reshaped top ten.
Best of the clubhouse by 1.2 penalties (that’s three seconds on tomorrow’s cross-country, if you’re keeping track) is Emily King and the evergreen Valmy Biats, with whom she finished second at Luhmühlen this summer after a rollercoaster spring season.
The French-bred Valmy might not be the most traditional dressage ‘type’ – we’re sure Emily won’t mind us noting his noggin the size of an SUV – but year on year, his performances in this phase eke out another few degrees of capability. Today, despite some tough scoring across the class, the pair posted a 24.5 – a tenth of a penalty away from matching their five-star personal best, achieved at Burghley in 2024.
Emily King and Valmy Biats. Photo by Tilly Berendt.
It started with a bang: 9s across the board for their first centreline meant that the score on the board was, for a merry few moments, a 10.
“Valmy was brilliant. He’s been here a good few times now, and he’s 17 years old, so he knows the drill,” says Emily. “But he’s a real sensitive character, and he’s so powerful, so I always find it a hard balance of showing him off without it all going a little bit too wild and a few errors coming in as a result. I felt like finally we got it just perfect in there.”
Emily and Val were fortunate enough to do their test in one of the sunny gaps between heavy rainshowers, though a fierce wind still blew through the venue. That the quirky Selle Français stayed level despite the gale was no small testament to the solidity of his foundations.
“The wind picked up, and luckily, we didn’t get rained on, but it made it quite a fragile atmosphere in there, and he stayed very stable despite that,” says Emily. “We call him the lion at home because he’s got a big, bushy mane and he’s a big, bushy character, but actually, he’s really sensitive to ride. He just felt really with me today, and he did everything that I asked.”
Big stretch: Emily King and Valmy Biats demonstrate the tricky penultimate movement. Photo by Tilly Berendt.
In a test that sat almost entirely in the 7.5 to 9 range, just the medium walk saw Emily and Valmy earn lower marks after the gelding made some shuffling steps in pursuit of a trot.
“His walk’s always a bit fragile. He always finds that hard, and he’s a little rascal, because he does it so well outside, and in the arena familiarisation, and then when you go in, he always gives a little bit of a jog. That’s probably actually me giving a bit different aid, but he was brilliant today. I think it was one of his best tests he’s ever done. So I’m so pleased that the marks reflected that.”
Emily and Valmy return to Pau on their Luhmühlen high in a bid to rewrite the story of their last visit here when, as one of the favourites in the field, Emily suffered a shock tumble early in the course.
“It walked sort of tough last year, but we were all just like, ‘right, this is good, it’s there to be jumped,’ and then it caused so many problems,” she says. “So when I went out, I thought I could go into the lead if I went quick enough. That was the vibe. Anyway, I went a bit too quick on him at the beginning and fell off at number two! It’s that balance of being quick but actually being smooth, and he’s a hard horse to ride cross country. He is tricky, so I want to try and get that right.”
“He’s strong, and his neck comes a bit in, but his body keeps on going, and his ears are pricked, and he would, bless his soul, jump the moon,” she continues. “It’s just getting him to just actually lower his heart rate down and just breathe and concentrate and look. He can sometimes get a bit frantic, and it’s hectic the beginning of the course here. Everything’s so close.”
Tim Price and Jarillo. Photo by Tilly Berendt.
On the other end of the spectrum, Tim Price and Jarillo – the third of his three rides this week – return after a very different Pau 2025: they won the thing, and will make a strong bid to retain the title this week. Their effort began with a smart test for a 25.7, nearly a penalty better than their score twelve months ago, and good enough for second overnight, which is two places better than where he started in 2025.
“He was really, really nice; really rideable. He’s always had talent — since he was born, I imagine, but definitely since I’ve known him, he’s just had that little bit extra,” says Tim of the 12-year-old. “It’s about curating that, bringing that forward, and now he’s established at five-star level, the expectation is that we can deliver that talent in the right way. And today, I felt like we were pretty close to doing a pretty spot-on job.”
Though the charismatic gelding is quirky – he particularly hates being around other horses, and so prefers the isolation of the competition arena to the chaos of the warm-up – and though his last memory of Pau is careening happily around the lap of honour, Tim has found him workmanlike on his return. Except, of course, when trying to familiarise with the rest of the class.
“I think they just recognise the rhythm of the week, and there’s quite a lot of schooling, and you know, out of the stable, back in the stable,” he says. “It’s little and often with a horse like him, just to get him a little bit exposed to the to the atmosphere. It’s funny, though, that the environment here [for dressage] is very different to the prize-giving ceremony. But also, for all his quirks and sharpness, he loves attention, and he loves people to pat him. He loves having his photo taken, and he loves for people to look at him, so I think that was probably a positive memory of his.”
Since last year, he continues, Jarillo is “more established in his body — he feels stronger and a bit more complete in the way that he can use his body. A little bit of an underlying plan with him as he’s gotten more mature and developed is to have a bit more stamina at the end of the course: he’s not one that dies out, but he just comes back a peg. He’s not a Thoroughbred, let’s face it, but he has definitely improved this year. When I look at old horses like Ringwood Skyboy, they took they took time to learn about the stamina requirement of the job, and I think he’s now understanding what it feels like to be at minute 9, 10, 11, and I’m hoping that he’ll come home better than he’s come home before. So that’s been something that I’ve seen improve in him this year, along with his just general mental strength.”
Last year, Jarillo was the last horse to leave the start box on cross-country day. This year, he’ll be the penultimate to go. Whatever happens, though, Tim knows he has a serious horse in the stables for the seasons to come.
“He’s just a lovely horse, and I’m so lucky to ride him. He’s a joy to do, and I don’t mind if he spins around and tries to run away from cannonballs or whatever, whether it’s a horse or a car or something that jumps out at him. I can live with that.”
Sebastien Cavaillon and Ellipse de la Vigne. Photo by Tilly Berendt.
The home side was well-placated by a late entry onto the podium from France’s Sebastien Cavaillon, who produced a smart, professional test with his European Championships ride Elipso de la Vigne for 28.1 and overnight third.
“To take this placing today is good, and I’m happy with my horse. But I’m a little bit disappointed with the ground — yesterday the ground was much better, and today it feels a little bit like glue,” says Sebastien, nodding to the newly-resurfaced main arena with its tendency for clagginess.
Though Sebastien was delighted to put himself well into contention for the weekend, he had hoped that his 12-year-old’s five-star debut might yield a slightly lower score.
“I made a mistake on the flying change at the warm-up; that’s never happened, and it made me a little bit stressed. But he was okay in the arena, and we made his best,” he says. “Normally, the marks are much better. He can do dressage on very good marks between 23 and 26, and but today there is one judge [James Rooney at C, who had them five percent worse than H and B] who doesn’t want to make me happy. Probably I need to go to Ireland, I don’t know!”
Tom McEwen and Quintus. Photo by Tilly Berendt.
Tom McEwen also piloted a debutant into the business end of the leaderboard, posting a 28.6 with the lanky nine-year-old Quintus.
“Good bus!” quipped Jonelle Price as she trotted past Tom in the chute.
Does Lamborghini do buses? If so, he’s probably that kind, rather than, say, the £10 Flixbus you can get from London to Paris that always smells a bit like sick and feet. He comes here after a second place finish at Scone’s CCI4*-S in August; a sixth place finish in the CCI4*-L at Bramham in June; and a thirteenth-place finish in a huge field on his CCI4*-L debut at Boekelo last year.
Today, they eclipsed their usual low-to-mid-30s four-star scores to make a sterling start to this major step up.
“He’s only a young horse, and he’s also a big horse and a big mover at the same time, so I couldn’t have been happier with him,” says Tom. “He pulled out all the stops, and he was absolutely fantastic. I thought there were some real good highlights and bits to be improved on, which is always a good thing.”
He is, he continues, “a massive horse, and he works really hard. From the outside, he looks super relaxed, but internally, he always gets a little bit nervous. But today, he’s just working really well.”
Part of today’s success, he explains, comes down to a slight tweak in how he rides the gelding.
“We’ve gone about things a little bit differently — I messed up at the start of the year, and nearly put too much pressure on him to get some of the movement, get him a little bit more together. It made him a little bit tense, like you saw at Bramham. Whereas now, I actually treat him like he’s a smaller horse, riding really forward, keeping it really easy, and actually, I’ve found he’ll always prop himself back when he gets in the ring. So I’m delighted that today was pretty much what he can do at five star at this moment in time, and I also believe there’s an awful lot more in them as well.”
“He’s managed to come here as a nine-year-old; he’s managed to do Bramham unbelievably well as a nine-year-old, and Boekelo as an eight-year-old. So I’d say he’s smashing the numbers, really, but numbers are just numbers. It doesn’t really matter 00 it’s how he feels, and he feels amazing. To come out and do a PB for his way of going – regardless of the mark — in an arena like this is super special at this level.”
Tiana Coudray and Cancaras Girl. Photo by Tilly Berendt.
Day one leaders Yasmin Ingham and Gypsie du Loir now sit equal fifth with British-based US rider Tiana Coudray and Cancaras Girl, who also posted a 28.9 this morning to put themselves well in the hunt.
“I’m really, really pleased,” she says. “I think there was one change we threw some marks away on, and I’m sure when I watch it back there’ll be plenty that can still be better. But she just keeps getting better and better. She’s 16 now and she’s stronger than she was last year, and she was stronger last year than the year before. It’s just really, really exciting to have a horse that just tries so hard and trains and shows up to work – it’s really special. She was very level-headed in there, very on the aids, and that’s what we’re all dreaming of.”
The five-star B test features a stretchy half-circle at trot just before the final centreline, and ‘Nana’ was one of just a handful of horses to really demonstrate a lowering of the neck and lifting of the back, which earned them an 8 from Judy Hancock at B.
But that wasn’t always a foregone conclusion.
“They’ve changed the test a little. We used to have a canter stretch circle a bit earlier, and you had more time to show more. But that half circle is so short; there’s not a lot of time to show the movement, so I’ve been really training to get the stretch from the very first stride — because if you don’t, it’s over before it starts. And she hadn’t yet done it until in the ring, so I’m thrilled.”
Tiana, who led the first day of dressage at Badminton this spring with the diminutive mare, says Nana’s heart is the x-factor. Because of that, she has to make sure she’s just as generous.
“She’s a horse I can’t be greedy with. She does everything she does out of goodwill and a fantastic temperament. She’s a beautiful, beautiful animal, but she doesn’t actually have the easiest body for the work, and so I can’t be greedy with her because she’s giving me everything she’s got. As long as I respect that and just nurture what she can give me, then she gives me everything.”
Mélody Johner and Erin. Photo by Tilly Berendt.
Switzerland’s Mélody Johner and Erin sit seventh going into cross-country on a score of 29 – well in touch with their best scores at four-star, which is no small feat on a five-star debut for both horse and rider.
“It’s the third season I ride this horse, and now I can say I really understand the horse for the warm-up and also all the preparation before I go to the test to the to the main arena,” says Mélody. “He’s really, really easy and wonderful to ride, but he can come so quick, so fresh, and so hot, so today he was good with the rain. But I was really slipping a lot with the boots and saddle – which I guess is also a good exercise if I ever want to come and compete in England!”
Mélody has been a mainstay of the Swiss team over the last number of years: last year, she piloted Erin to tenth individually and fourth with the team at the European Championships, and she rode his similarly great grey predecessor Toubleu de Rueire at two Olympics, a World Championships, and a Europeans.
This summer, she and Erin were part of the Swiss team’s World Championships effort in Aachen, where they secured a coveted ticket for the LA Olympics. With that huge goal accomplished, she began to think about finally making the step up to the topmost level of the sport.
“I think with this one, the biggest goal was really to go to Aachen, because I just have this one for the four-stars,” she says. “I broke my foot at the beginning of the year, so the season was a little bit different than planned. I always said if we earned a ticket for Switzerland for the Los Angeles Olympics, perhaps I would try a five-star. And for me, Pau was quite good with the calendar, and it’s not the easiest, but it’s not like Badminton or Burghley, so for me it was really perfect.”
So when this weekend goes well, does that mean she’ll set her sights on one of the Big Bs?
“I’m sure that [Andrew] Nicholson will say this,” she laughs. “And I’m sure if Nicholson is saying this, I will say ‘okay, for sure!’. But I’m not sure at this moment, because I think Badminton and Burghley, they give me some fears — I think it’s really for the big, big stars. And I don’t think of myself as a big star!”
Mélody’s connection with Andrew goes beyond just riding with him in his tenure as Swiss cross-country coach – Erin is also one of his former rides, and was bred by Ramon Beca, who also bred Andrew’s Badminton winner Nereo.
“Andrew rode this horse until three-star level in England, and when we were looking for a new horse after Toubleu de Rueire Nicholson said to me, ‘I think I have one, but he’s really sensitive, especially in show jumping.’ But I’m a lucky, lucky woman, because I jump a lot with good horses in big levels. So he said to me, ‘perhaps with you, as a woman with this sensitive horse, and also as a show jumping rider, perhaps you can make a good partnership.’ I think it was not so bad an idea, and I’m really thankful to Andrew because without him, I wouldn’t have this horse in my stable.”
Bubby Upton and Its Cooley Time. Photo by Tilly Berendt.
Bubby Upton moves into eighth place with the last of her three rides, double Bramham winner Its Cooley Time, with whom she posted a 29.3 today. Yesterday’s ride, the stalwart Cola, moves down to fifteenth.
She’s followed on the leaderboard by two combinations in equal ninth place – Izzy Taylor and the second of her three rides, debutant SBH Big Wall and Ireland’s Sarah Ennis and Dourough Ferro Class Act each delivered excellent 29.5s to secure their position in the spotlight going into the second phase.
Izzy Taylor and SBH Big Wall. Photo by Tilly Berendt.
“SBH Big Wall is another horse I’ve had from the beginning, and it’s a treat to have them from the beginning to the five-star level because you do know everything about them – and they know everything about you,” grins Izzy. “So yeah, that’s very special. I was really pleased with him today. There were some little mistakes. Obviously, it’s not been the smoothest year for us. But he went in there, on his five-star debut, and gave it a good shout. We’re all greedy and we all want more, but that’s the nature of it, isn’t it? And yeah, of course, there’s room for improvement, and you know, being able to ride them a bit more consistently will hopefully help. But I think for where we are, I’m very happy with that.”
Being a very good boy, she explains, is just part of who the Puissance son is.
“If he was a human, he’d be very level. So I think that’s really helpful with an event horse, because he doesn’t have a crazy side. Or if he does, he keeps it well hidden!”
Sarah Ennis and Dourough Ferro Class Act. Photo by Tilly Berendt.
Sarah Ennis attributes her sudden shift to dressage supremacy to some new help behind the scenes from Irish dressage rider Kevin Acres.
“I’ve been working really hard at home with Kevin,” she says. “He’s been an amazing help. Like even Joseph [Murphy] was talking to me after [my test], and he just said ‘the difference in your riding!’, but that’s down to him. He’s extremely good, and it’s made all the difference to coming to his first five-star and getting the sub-30.”
“I’ve worked with people in the past, like I’ve done a lot with Ian Woodhead, but I can’t get across the water,” she continues. “It’s just so expensive for us to keep up with, and finding the time to travel. And then if you do go across, you can kind of do a few days together, and then you’re on your own for a long time. Whereas if I ring Kevin and say I’ve managed to mess up my changes again, he’s like, ‘come over’, and I’m 20 minutes away, so he can get on and say, ‘This is the way it has to be.’ And oh, the difference is amazing.”
Dourough Ferro Class Act is very well-bred for this phase: he shares a paternal grandsire with Valegro. Perhaps that’s part of why he’s not the most conventional cross-country horse – and why his tendency to pay a visit to the stars over every fence has made him infamous in his own right.
“At Blenheim at the Europeans, everybody saw him at the first fence and said, ‘That’s never going to finish. He’ll never keep that up,’” laughs Sarah. “But he’s still doing it at the last fence and full of running. It is who he is, a little bit.”
The gelding has, she explains, become a real part of the family since she got the ride in his six-year-old year.
“He actually was purchased out of the Goresbridge Go For Gold sale for a Swedish lady, and then he showjumped with Michelle Kenny for two years, and then I had him for half a year as a six-year-old, and I just couldn’t let him go. I’m not getting any younger, and it’s rare I have a horse go through [the levels] like him. I just loved him; he was just a pet from the start. So I emptied my bank account.”
Alexa Gartenberg and Cooley Kildaire. Photo by Tilly Berendt.
Pennsylvania’s Alexa Gartenberg has spent four years in the UK based with Kevin and Emma McNab, and this week, those years of effort are coming good as she tackles her five-star debut with the 13-year-old Cooley Kildaire.
“It’s like a dream come true. I can’t believe I’m here,” she beams. “Ever since I was young, it’s been a dream of mine, and here I am. It doesn’t feel real.”
The pair produced a very sweet, workmanlike test to put a 35.2 on the board, which sees them sit 34thovernight – just over ten penalties behind the lead in this tightly-packed field.
“I’m really proud of him. He finds dressage quite difficult, and he’s not naturally the most supple, soft horse, so he finds it really hard. But he tries so hard and has a heart of gold. He almost tries too hard sometimes and like holds his breath, but he was actually relaxed more in the arena than in the warm-up, which was great. Emma McNab has been helping me on the flat this year, and she’s really brought out the best in him, and has really increased our scores. We’ve been focusing on just keeping him through in his whole body and getting him really soft in his rib cage, and actually making sure that he is truly through and soft, because again, he knows how to do all the movements. It’s just making sure he’s soft and truly through in order to do them.”
There’s also a size discrepancy to keep in mind.
“He’s really big, and I’m like a fly on his back, so I’m not obviously very strong, so I can’t really fake anything, per se,” she says. “He actually has to be soft and on the aids in order to properly perform. And flying changes are actually his party tricks — he loves them. I joke that because he’s naturally quite stiff in the rib cage, he doesn’t know how to do a late or a wrong change — he’s just so working to his own advantage.”
Alexa, who sourced from gelding with Sharon White just before moving to the UK, was touched to receive a special message this morning from across the pond.
“Manon Davidson had Kili before, and she sadly passed away very young, in just her twenties,” says Alexa. “I woke up to a text from her mom this morning, saying that Pau was always a dream of hers and how meaningful it is. That was really emotional and just so, so special.”
Tomorrow’s cross-country challenge will begin at 12.00 local time (11.00 a.m. BST/6.00 a.m. EST), and will be broadcast in full on Pau’s dedicated streaming platform. To check out the start times, head to this link, and to take a look at Pierre Michelet’s typically twisty, technical, go-kart track of a course, head over to the CrossCountry App preview here. We’ll be back with plenty of coverage to help you unpack the best of the day – and until then, Go Eventing!
The top ten after dressage at Pau.
Les Etoiles de Pau: Website | Entries + Live Scoring | Live Stream | EN’s Coverage
