Italy’s Piergiorgio Bucci claimed victory on Sunday in the Rolex Grand Prix of the City of La Baule, the highlight event and grand finale of the Jumping International de La Baule – Officiel de France. Switzerland’s Martin Fuchsand France’s Julien Épaillard completed the podium in a competition of the highest calibre
Italy’s Piergiorgio Bucci (world No. 22) has no intention of coming down from his cloud. Just two weeks after winning the Rolex Grand Prix of Rome aboard Pallieter VD N.Ranch, the experienced 50-year-old rider repeated the feat this Sunday in the Rolex Grand Prix of the City of La Baule, a leg of the Rolex Series, a circuit that brings together seven of the world’s most prestigious equestrian events (La Baule, Rome, Dinard, Wellington, Falsterbo, Brussels, and Dublin).This time, Bucci triumphed with Hantano, a 14-year-old KWPN gelding expected to partner him at the World Championships in Aachen in two months’ time. He succeeds Germany’s Daniel Deusser (Otello de Guldenboom) and becomes only the second Italian rider to have his name engraved on the La Baule honours list, following Giorgio Nuti in 1985 with Impedoumi.
As with all the major classes of the 2026 Jumping International de La Baule, the winner was not decided until the very last round. In the Rolex Grand Prix of the City of La Baule, designed by course builder Grégory Bodo and contested under a blazing sun, Piergiorgio Bucci was the last of the seven jump-off contenders to enter the arena at the heart of the Stade François André. Before him, only one rider had managed a clear round in the jump-off: Switzerland’s Martin Fuchs (world No. 27) aboard Conner Jei. “Watching Martin’s round on the giant screen, I thought he had set a time that would be very difficult to beat,” the Italian admitted. “But I never go into a jump-off expecting to be beaten. I wanted to win, and I believed I could, especially because the course design suited me quite well, with two very tight left-hand turns. I’m extremely happy with this victory for my horse. He gives me so much. He deserved a win at an event of this magnitude, one of the greatest competitions in the world. And then there’s this truly exceptional crowd, which always gives us extra motivation. The spectators here understand the sport and cheer for every rider, even the foreign ones. It’s magical.”
Already runner-up in Saturday’s Demeures de Campagne Derby (behind his compatriot Steve Guerdat, who was also the last rider to go), Martin Fuchs once again came close to victory. “For about ten minutes I was very frustrated,” he confessed. “But I quickly shifted to being satisfied with second place at one of my favourite shows of the year. Of course, I would have loved to win, but Piergiorgio rode brilliantly and produced a superb jump-off round.”
