Astier, 32, was among France’s Olympic nominated entries list with the 10-year-old gelding Babylon De Gamma, but revealed today (1 July) that his Tokyo journey has ended.
The Frenchman was part of the gold medal-winning side at the 2016 Rio Olympics aboard Piaffe De B’Neville, with whom he also claimed individual silver.
Astier said that Babylon has a “slight sprain”.
“After consultation with the vets, France team staff and owners, we are forced to withdraw from the road to the Tokyo Olympics,” he said.
“This is a huge disappointment, but the priority will always be my horse’s health and we don’t want to take any chances for the rest of his career.
“Wishing all the best to my teammates, who will have the chance to go Tokyo. We will be behind them.”
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The Selle Francais gelding (Mylord Carthago*hn x Happy Vergoignan*hn) has 12 double jumping clears at international events out of 19 starts.
The combination won bronze at the young horse World Championships in 2018, and their record includes a win at Blair CCI4*-S in 2019 and third place at Saumur CCI4*-L in April 2021.
The French squad has not yet been publicly announced for the Tokyo Games. The other eight combinations on the French entries list are: Jean-Lou Bigot (Utrillo Du Halage),Thomas Carlile (Birmane), Sebastien Cavaillon (Sarah D’Agrouges), Karim Florent Laghouag (Triton Fontaine), Maxime Livio (Api Du Libaire), Christopher Six (Totem de Brecey), Nicolas Touzaint (Absolut Gold) and Thibault Vallette (Qing du Briot).
The three reserves on the French nominated entries list are: Sydney Dufresne (Tresor Mail), Gireg Le Coz (Aispirit de la Loge) and Ugo Provasi (Shadd’Oc).
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Lucy is an experienced news journalist, reporter and presenter. Since joining the Horse & Hound team in 2015, Lucy has reported from major global sporting events including the Tokyo Paralympic Games and multiple European Championships, as well as Badminton, Burghley and London, to name a few. She has covered current affairs and sports news across the full spectrum of equestrian disciplines and racing, as well as human and equine welfare, industry news and court cases.
