The field at Les Etoiles de Pau has thinned by four at the final horse inspection, where – despite a late 11.00 a.m. start and an extra hour of sleep, thanks to the clock change – just about everybody left in the hunt was left to battle the aftereffects of a truly abysmal post-party hangover.
Overnight withdrawals came in spades, with the dominant British contingent badly hit: Steve Heal and his first ride, debutant Hisco, were 18th after cross-country with a smart, steady clear but opted not to present due to some swelling on a front fetlock; Heidi Coy, 32nd overnight with MGH Jessica, withdrew due to a suspected stud puncture on the mare’s elbow; and Izzy Taylor, who was 21st with PSH Encore and 6th with SBH Big Wall, did not present either horse.
Jonelle Price and Capitaine de Hus Z. Photo by Tilly Berendt.
That allows Jonelle Price, already 3rd with Senor Crocodillo and 7th with Grappa Nera, to move into the top ten with Capitaine de Hus Z, who had been 11th after yesterday’s cross-country.
Noor Slaoui and Cash In Hand. Photo by Tilly Berendt.
For those 29 who did present, the morning was largely sans incident – just Morocco’s Noor Slaoui and Cash in Hand, now 29th, were sent to the holding box, but were happily passed upon reinspection. They do come into the final day slightly lighter in assets than they started the week, though: poor Noor lost half of both of her two front teeth mid-round yesterday, but was her usual smiley self this morning, if in a closed-mouthed sort of way.
Now we look ahead to the finale of the 2026 five-star season with this afternoon’s showjumping, which will begin at 2.30 p.m. local time (1.30 p.m. British time; 9.30 a.m. EST).
Tim Price and Jarillo. Photo by Tilly Berendt.
Overnight leaders and reigning champions Tim Price and Jarillo don’t have a fence in hand; their overnight score of 30.9 puts them just 2 penalties ahead of second-placed Bubby Upton and Its Cooley Time, and third-placed Jonelle Price and Senor Crocodillo are just 3.7 penalties off the lead at this stage.
We’ll be back with a full report on the afternoon’s action. To watch along, you can tune in via Pau’s dedicated streaming service. Go Eventing.
The top ten after cross-country at Pau.
Les Etoiles de Pau: Website | Entries + Live Scoring | Live Stream | EN’s Coverage
