Bonjour, mes amis. Je suis heureux de vous présenter la concurrence CCl4* cette fin de semaine à Pau, France. Il sera beaucoup de plaisir et enthousiasme. Quoi? Vous ne parlez pas français? Well then, I guess we’ll save our romantic languages class for later.
Now then, I’m sure you’ve heard of this little 4-star event over in the land of vertically-sliced fried potatoes. But I’m here to answer your questions anyway, so let’s get started.
Where is Pau? What is a Pau?
Pau is a delightful city near the southwestern border of France. The name probably originated from an ancient word “pal” meaning rockface. This is because Pau is right at the foothills of the beautiful Pyrenees Mountains.
How do you pronounce “Pau?” Pa-yuu? Pow? Poe?
“Pau” sounds like “poe.” As in, Edgar Allen, po’boy, and POny.
Oh, like Po from the Teletubbies? Is there a Tinky Winky too?
Phonetically, maybe, but otherwise no. Nothing like the teletubbies. Nothing.
What’s so special about Pau?
In the center of the city is a castle- Chateau de Pau. It was the birthplace of French king Henry IV and was once the holiday home of Napoleon. Pau is also a big sports town, boasting the first continental European golf course in 1856, and an annual part of the Tour de France bicycle race. Wikipedia also notes that Pau is home to equestrian events, including steeplechase.
Is that where Lance Armstrong lives, in that castle?
No. I believe he lives somewhere in Texas. Now, back to the equestrian events…when eventers refer to Pau, they are talking about the CCI4* event held there in the fall. Which, coincinentally, happens to be this weekend (Oct 13-16).
Oh yay! I bet Boyd Martin will win!
While Boyd has achieved some success abroad this year, your guess would be incorrect. There are no Americans competing at Pau this year. The biggest storyline is the competition between Mary King and William Fox-Pitt, as they battle to win the HSBC Classic Series title.
What’s so special about that?
The HSBC Classic Series is a point accumulation earned by riders for their results in CCI4* events. Mary King leads by 13 points; but if William wins Pau, and Mary finishes below 8th place, William will win the Series. It offers $150,000 in prize money to the winner; $75,000 for second place. So, it’s kind of a big deal.
I wish stick-horse riding gave out prize money like that.
Yes, that would be nice. But I don’t think your stick-horse would make it around a CC4* cross-country course. At least, it wouldn’t pass the vet inspection on Sunday morning.
What else is there to know about the red-teletubby four-star?
You watch too much PBS. The official site of the “Les Etoiles de Pau” is http://www.event-pau.fr/en/homepage. There, you can find ride times, results, and live scores. After the first day of dressage, Mary King leads with Apache Sauce on 48.3. William Fox-Pitt is close behind in second with Macchiato on 50.0. Let the race begin!
