Three Brits in top 10 at Saumur CCI3*: Mathieu Lemoine wins
Three British riders finished in the top 10 at NAF Saumur CCI3*, France, with Oliver Townend improving on his fourth place after dressage on Fenyas Elegance to take third. Mathieu Lemoine (pictured) beat his compatriot Astier Nicolas into second place, the pair having held those positions from the outset.
“She’s an exceptional mare,” said Oliver, who must have caught the selectors’ eyes ahead of the European Championships. “The French boys did a great job, and the winner has been particularly impressive in every phase.”
Nana Dalton’s double clear with Abbeylara Prince secured sixth, a significant rise from 21st after dressage, while Emily Llewellyn’s belief in Worldy Du Hans was confirmed in ninth.
“I saw him in France a year ago and wanted to have him, so we persuaded the owners to sell,” said Emily, who knocked just one part of the treble. “He’s done everything I’ve asked and more.”
Oliver Townend produced a remarkable display on Fenyas Elegance, given that the mare has only been in his yard a fortnight. Having brushed aside the disappointment of his other horse Note Worthy being eliminated after finishing fifth in the dressage, Oliver steamed round the cross-country with the chestnut mare.
“She is a real professional, and tries so hard,” said Oliver.
So often we have seen Oliver on a less-than-careful showjumper, but Fenyas Elegance looks the real deal. She pinged round a troublesome track to keep the pressure on the two Frenchmen, who responded with clears. Wiltshire-based Astier had a slightly nervous moment when he missed his stride at an upright and had to take a longer route to the triple bar, but he kept his cool although he accrued one time-fault.
Never miss out on the latest happenings in the equestrian world
While the cross-country phase proved largely uneventful, with 25 of the 32 runners going clear, only six left all the coloured poles up. These riders took home the first six prizes.
Read the full report from Saumur in Horse & Hound magazine, 28 May 2015
Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now
Martha is an experienced journalist who is mad-keen on horses and dogs. Her reporting CV includes the Paris Olympics, European championships, Aachen World Equestrian Festival and World Cup finals. After growing up with assorted liver and white springer spaniels, she enjoyed 14 years with two rescue dogs. Now, her constant companion is Fidget, an extremely energetic and habitually muddy black and white springer. Martha has written on topics as diverse as a top horse’s clone to the best GPS trackers for dogs, as well as equestrian and rural matters for Country Life, The Field, The Times, The Spectator and The Telegraph alongside Horse & Hound.