(Photo: Stefano Grasso/LGCT)

Under the Friday night lights of the beautiful Cannes arena, home rider Pénélope Leprevost and Nice Stephanie were just too fast for their fellow competitors in the Prix Louis Julian & Fils Joaillier. The leading French lady rider raced away with the win in a lightening time of 61.93s. Second place went to the British pair World No1 and No2, Scott Brash with Hello Annie (62.62s) and Ben Maher with Diva II (63.74s).

VIPs looked on from the luxurious platform level, including Patti and Bruce Springsteen, Charlotte Casiraghi and Guillaume Canet. As the heat of the day mellowed into a perfect evening, the stars of tomorrow’s Longines Global Champions Tour of Cannes Grand Prix went up against the clock in front of a full house of lively and vocal spectators. 

Uliano Vezzani’s course was once again deceptively tricky. The first half allowed riders to attack the fences and move up the gears, while the second half, with it’s wider, square oxers and a short double of uprights, demanded more respect. Many big names lowered more than one rail, leaving just 12 of the 52 starters on a zero score when the class came to a close.

The home crowd cheered their hearts out as Leprevost led the parade in for the prize giving - a win for France in tomorrow’s Grand Prix would most certainly raise the roof. The French riders will be gunning for victory when the first round of the Cannes Grand Prix gets underway at 7pm, but the British No1 and 2 are also in cracking form in Cannes, so we may well see a French-British podium when the event comes to a close tomorrow night.     

(Photos: Stefano Grasso/LGCT)

The great and the good enjoyed the first shimmering day of the Longines Global Champions Tour of Cannes yesterday, with the intense Mediterranean heat calling for shirt sleeves and elegant summer dresses inside and outside the exclusive VIP areas. The Tour is a magnet for the stylish equestrian set who were out in force on the French Riviera both spectating and competing. Among the VIP guests were Patti and Bruce Springsteen who were  supporting their daughter Jessica, a rising star of the show jumping world, as she competed in the CSI5* classes.

French stars Guillaume Canet and Marina Hands were among those enjoying the renowned hospitality while also taking part in the CSI1* events. Mr Canet added another trophy to his ever-growing collection by winning the Prix VIP Riders Club of Cannes in fine style yesterday. A very happy Ms Hands was also placed in an early class and was clearly thrilled with her result. The riders later enjoyed the fabulous VIP facilities provided by the show, offering an unparalleled vantage point from which to enjoy the evening’s world-class CSI5* competitions.

The new face of Gucci, Charlotte Casiraghi of Monaco, a long-time supporter and show jumping enthusiast, took to the competition arena with her gorgeous bay Madison d'Olgy placing third in the first class of the day, while renowned Qatari businessman and racehorse owner Sheikh Joaan Bin Hamad Al Thani, whose horse Treve won the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe last year, enjoyed the show jumping from his VIP table. Following on from Shanghai where the Tour welcomed Asian superstar Eddie Peng and actress Yang Gong Ru, Cannes has been a mecca for the glamorous equestrian crowd. LGCT continues to attract celebrities from all walks of life, and with Monaco, Paris, Chantilly and London still to come the Tour remains the place to be.

(Photo: Stefano Grasso/LGCT)

The feature CSI5* class of the first day of the Longines Global Champions Tour of Cannes was won by Portugal’s Luciana Diniz and with her beautiful mare Lady Lindenhof, 2nd was Johannes Ehning (GER) and Appearance, 3rd was Rolf-Göran Bengtsson (SWE) and his ever-consistent Casall ASK.

Uliano Vezzani’s course offered smooth sweeping turns and generous distances, but it was deceptive in it’s simplicity. Clears were incredibly thin on the ground despite the world-class line-up. The light top rails fell all over the floodlit arena leaving just seven clear rounds from the 53 elite level starters.

Rolf-Goran Bengtsson (SWE) led from first to go with a daring round in a time of 67.35s, forcing those who followed him into making a mistake. Luciana Diniz and Lady Lindenhof, who had a great show in Hamburg a few weeks ago, put in a swift time of 64.84s to take the lead from the Swede from late in the draw. Johannes Ehning chased the leading time but could not quite get there, stopping the clock at 65.53s.

(Photo: Stefano Grasso/LGCT)