New Zealand eventer Tim Price has won the CCI5*-L at Les Étoiles de Pau in France, finishing on his dressage score of 30.9 penalty points aboard Jarillo, and also placing fourth with Happy Boy on 34.3.
This 35th edition of Pau will go down in history. According to event director Pascal Sayous, it was probably the best of the thirty he has experienced as an organiser — and it’s easy to see why. Changeable weather forced adjustments to the programme, a fantastic cross-country test shook up the rankings, and a final show jumping phase where the top ten still had hopes of victory… all in front of more than 40,000 spectators in Pau.
Five-star competition is the pinnacle of the sport of eventing, with just seven held around the world. It is the second time Tim has won at Pau, having claimed victory there in 2021 on Falco, and marks his sixth CCI5-L* crown. Tim and Jarillo were consistently strong — fourth after dressage on a score of 26.5, adding only time penalties on cross-country before jumping clear in the show jumping.
Happy Boy was ninth after the dressage with a score of 29.1, added time in the cross-country, and was also clear in the show jumping for a final tally of 34.3. Coming into the show jumping on Sunday morning, any one of the top ten combinations could have won, with the penalties extremely tight.
“With Jarillo, all you have to do is lower your heels and put your legs in and he jumps,” said Tim.
Pau was just Jarillo’s third CCI5-L* start and third completion.
“When I walked the course, I thought it was tough. There were 10 of us within four points of each other. The time allowed was tight, so it was a course for the best horses and the best riders. That’s what we want!”
Tom Jackson rises to second with Plot Twist B
Brit Tom Jackson finished second aboard Plot Twist B, having climbed from 31st after the dressage to finish on 33.2.
After sitting 31st in the dressage, Jackson never imagined he would find himself on the second step of the podium. However, his magnificent penalty-free round earned him the biggest comeback of the weekend (+29 places!). He and Plot Twist B are no strangers to Pau, having finished 18th in the 2024 edition. After being forced to withdraw from the CCI5*-L in Luhmühlen, Germany, last June, they competed in three four-star events to prepare for the challenges of Pau.
Their exemplary cross-country performance – one of six rounds without any penalties – paved the way for a podium finish. Plot Twist B recovered very well and flew through the course designed by Yann Royant. Tom Jackson thus equalled his best performance at this level, having also finished second in the CCI5*-L at Burghley in 2022.
Boyd Martin on the podium
Boyd Martin of the USA placed third on Cooley Nutcracker with a score of 33.9.
Fresh from the United States, where he finished third in the CCI5*-L in Elkton (Maryland) just a week ago, Boyd was savouring his third place all the more as he had to withdraw from Pau with his second mount, his faithful Fedarman B.
This weekend, he rode the Irish Sport Horse Cooley Nutcracker, whom he has been riding since the end of 2024. Cooley Nutcracker competed at the Paris Olympics with his compatriot Elisabeth Halliday (19th individual). Interestingly, the gelding was started by France’s Astier Nicolas, with whom he competed in the 2021 World Championships for Young Eventing Horses.
“I wasn’t sure how Cooley would perform because I haven’t been riding him for very long,” admits Boyd, “but when I saw how he jumped the first few fences, I was delighted. He has been very well trained by Astier and Elisabeth, with whom I share the same trainers. My goal is not to ride just one type of horse, but to ride all types of horses. While Elkton was a cross-country course that required stamina, the one in Pau required good riding, shortening and lengthening the stride.”
Both Australians complete Pau with their five-star debutants
Australian Bill Levett and RNH Tom Tom R completed on a score of 53.9 for 23rd place at the gelding’s CCI5*-L debut. The combination had two rails down and 0.8 of a time fault in Sunday’s show jumping phase.
Fellow Aussie Kevin McNab jumped clear with Faro IMP, adding just 2.8 time faults to his score to finish 36th on 81. It was the stallion’s first CCI5-L* start.
“Faro IMP jumped the most beautiful clear show jumping. So excited to see what he can do in 2026! What a machine,” said McNab.
Further results
Great Britain’s Sarah Bullimore and Corimiro dropped from first to fifth after having two rails down and adding 0.4 time faults in the show jumping to finish on 34.4, while China’s Alex Hua Tian was sixth with Chicko on 34.5.
Next were two French riders: Benjamin Massie with Filao de Perle (35.2) and Astier Nicolas with Dirty Old Town (35.2). In ninth was British rider David Doel aboard Galileo Nieuwmoed on 37.2.
New Zealander Jonelle Price and Senor Crocodillo rounded out the top 10 on 39.2 after adding time penalties in the final phase this morning. Jonelle was also 18th with Grappa Nera, who won the Pau CCI5*-L in 2022, on 47.5. Compatriot Jesse Campbell and Cooley Lafitte were 20th on 49, with Tim Price and Global Quest 25th on 63.7. The other Kiwi combinations in the field — Abigail Long with Henton Audacious and Jonelle Price with Hiarado — both withdrew from the final horse inspection before the show jumping.
30th edition of Pau a success
Just 39 of the original 53 starters completed the event. The cross-country saw two retirements and eight eliminations, with two other combinations withdrawn at the second horse inspection.
With more than 40,000 visitors and a field of top-level riders, this 35th edition of Les Étoiles de Pau confirmed its status as a major event, both regionally and internationally. As Pascal Sayous, Managing Director of Centaure Production, points out:
“I am very happy with this edition, the thirtieth that I have directed, and sincerely the most beautiful. We were a little worried about the weather at the beginning because the storm was forecast to be very violent. We came through it well. I have been doing this job for a long time and each time I feel a special emotion. It is the work of hundreds of people, not only a team of permanent staff but also more than four hundred volunteers and dozens of companies.”
The winner, Tim Price, praised the outcome:
“We started the week in difficult conditions due to the weather, but the riders appreciated the spontaneous decisions taken by the organisers to ensure that everything ran smoothly. In the end, we finished with a superb Sunday and a prize-giving ceremony in the sunshine!”
