Twenty thousand spectators came to watch Pierre Michelet’s cross-country test at Les Étoiles de Pau on Saturday, and they were treated to a spectacular show.
Great Britain’s Bubby Upton, leader after the dressage phase with 18-year-old stallion Cannavaro, was overtaken by compatriot Sarah Bullimore, who now sits at the top of the leaderboard with Corimiro (by Amiro Z out of Lilly Corinne, by Lovis Corinth).
Bullimore and Corimiro added nothing to their dressage score of 30 to rise from 11th after the first phase, while Upton and Cannavaro added 4.8 time penalties to narrowly hold second place on 30.4.
Fifty-year-old Bullimore and her gelding – one of the youngest horses in the competition at nine years old – were among six combinations to complete the course without penalties.
“My stopwatch stopped at around 5’30”. When I looked at it, it was still at 5’30”. He has such a big stride and jumps so high that I finished within the time without even realising it. He’s phenomenal!” said Bullimore.
The chestnut is a son of her former international mare Lilly Corinne, who competed in the CCI5*-L at Pau in 2017, finishing 14th. If Bullimore and Corimiro were to win the 2025 edition on Sunday evening, it would be nothing short of extraordinary.
Mixed day for Bubby Upton
It was a mixed day for Bubby Upton, who suffered falls on her other two rides, Cola and It’s Cooley Time. Fortunately, neither she nor her horses were seriously injured — and incredibly, both incidents occurred at the same obstacle.
Starting in second place with Cola, she fell at the fourth element of obstacle 27, the Maisons du Crédit Agricole Pyrénées Gascogne. (Cola had finished 12th at Pau in 2021.) Barely an hour later, she was back in the saddle with Cannavaro.
At 18 years old, the stallion has nothing left to prove and knows Pau well, having finished sixth last year. Needless to say, Upton was under pressure, but the outcome this time was far happier. The pair finished just twelve seconds over the optimum time.
“It’s a two-thirds, one-third day,” she said. “I’m very happy with Cannavaro, who hadn’t competed at this level for over two and a half years. He’s only 20% Thoroughbred, so cross-country requires him to really dig deep. At 18, he’s still happy to do so.”
Her third horse, It’s Cooley Time, was less fortunate. “It’s partly my fault,” admits Upton. “I rode him like Cannavaro. I should have trusted his energy more and not asked him to change stride as he approached the obstacle. I’m disappointed for him because he could have won.”
“It’s the fastest course I’ve ever done with him…”
New Zealand’s Tim Price – who has now contested Pau CCI5*-L 12 times – moved into the top three, adding 4.8 time penalties to his dressage score with Jarillo to finish the day on 30.9.
The world number six started three horses, but it was Jarillo, the highest-ranked of them, who delivered the standout performance, finishing just 0.9 points off the lead after coming in just eleven seconds over time.
“It was his third CCI5*-L,” explained Price. “It’s the fastest course I’ve ever done with him, and I’m proud. On previous occasions, he’d slowed down a little earlier. Now I know I can let him gallop more and take longer strides over the fences to save time.”
A true CCI5*-L test
Pierre Michelet’s course offered plenty of challenges for the riders. “It was a little less galloping than usual,” Price said. “Before, at the training centre, there were areas where you could make up almost thirty seconds. That wasn’t the case this year. There were questions everywhere, with approaches that forced you to slow down.
“Sometimes people think Pau is less difficult than other CCI5*-L events, but it’s a real five-star — the challenge of the time and the technicality of the track make sure of that.”
French combinations Benjamin Massié with Filao de Perle (31.2) and Astier Nicolas riding Dirty Old Town (31.2) rounded out the top five.
“This year, I’m lucky to have a good team of horses,” said Massié. “[On Friday], Filao did pretty well in the dressage test. Since he was five, I’ve believed he had CCI5*-L potential. Last year, we were almost there — at Luhmühlen I slipped up near the end, riding a bit over-optimistically. [On Saturday at Pau], he showed he has what it takes.”
Thanks to a time closer to the ideal, Massié edged ahead of Nicolas on equal scores.
Notable climbs and setbacks
The biggest climb in the provisional rankings came from British rider Sam Ecroyd on Boleybawn Lecrae, who leapt from 37th after dressage to 12th.
Second after the dressage, fellow Brit Oliver Townend missed the chance for another Pau triumph when his veteran 18-year-old gelding Ballaghmore Class was penalised 11 points for triggering a safety device at obstacle 21.
Encouraging results for Australian debutants
While Australia’s Bill Levett and Kevin McNab are no strangers to the level, both of their horses were tackling their very first CCI5*-L courses.
Levett and 11-year-old RNH Tom Tom R (by BMC Tolan R out of RNH Beach Babe, by Beach Ball) enjoyed a successful cross-country day, jumping clear and adding just 11.2 time penalties to their dressage score to end the day on 45.1 — climbing from 34th to 27th.
McNab and Faro IMP (by F One USA out of Carnival IMP, by Master IMP) didn’t fare quite as well, encountering trouble at fence 21D – a combination that caught out many. They accrued 20 jumping penalties and 27.6 time penalties for a total of 78.2, but completed the course and looking strong and confident around much of it. The nine-year-old gained valuable experience, and McNab was pleased with his performance.
“He came out attacking the course with a bit too much enthusiasm, but there’s still a lot of good to take away. He’s a machine — nothing fazed him out there,” McNab said.
A tight race to the finish
The top ten riders are separated by less than four points — the equivalent of a single rail in Sunday’s show jumping — setting up an intense finale.
The outcome of this 35th edition will be decided on Sunday, 26 October, at 2:45pm local time. The 43 horses still in contention will first face the final horse inspection at 11:45am, open to the public.
