Australian dressage rider Simone Pearce has capped off an outstanding week at Jumping International de Bordeaux with a fifth-place finish in the CDI4* Grand Prix Freestyle, scoring 74.380% aboard Will Marq.
Competing in their first ever international freestyle, the combination showed maturity and resilience after an early moment unsettled their rhythm in the electric indoor atmosphere. Despite the disruption, Simone and the ten-year-old gelding regrouped impressively to deliver a strong performance and remain firmly in the mix against a world-class field.
Reflecting on the test Simone shared on social media:
“Unfortunately Will got a big fright in the beginning of the freestyle today which really messed up our flow and of course the score too. But wow I’m so proud of how he came back from it and then was really with me and trying his hardest again. It’s just his first ever freestyle and when we can iron out the kinks in it I think it’s going to be just great with my special boy.”
The freestyle results follows an exciting CDI4* Grand Prix victory on Friday 8, where Simone and Will Marq claimed the win with their best CDI score to date.
Power couple in action
Adding to the significance of the weekend, Simone’s fiancé Martin Fuchs—who also owns Will Marq—closed out Jumping International de Bordeaux in emphatic fashion, winning the CSI5 Grand Prix AUDI* aboard Conner Jei. The Swiss star produced a decisive jump-off round to edge Luxembourg’s Victor Bettendorf by just 0.15 seconds, reaffirming his affinity with the Bordeaux arena where he also claimed victory last year.
Following his win, Martin shared:
“I really love this show jumping event. And what makes this victory even more precious is the success of my fiancée, Simone Pearce, in the Grand Prix dressage. It’s nice to have come here as a family and for each of us to have won a Grand Prix in our respective disciplines. It’s definitely a special moment.”
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Source: Jumping International de Bordeaux edited by Equestrian Life
