CAIO Le Pin au Haras: Mario Gandolfo Wins the Marathon, Switzerland Strengthens Its Lead

Many drivers were up early for one final course walk before competition began. The day opened with the youth classes and concluded with the CAI3 Horse Pairs*.

Mario Gandolfo Dominates the Marathon

In the CAI4 Single Horse* class, the marathon belonged to Switzerland’s Mario Gandolfo. He recorded the fastest time in three obstacles, the second-fastest time in another three, and finished sixth in the remaining obstacle. His outstanding performance earned him a margin of 2.7 penalty points over France’s Marion Vignaud, who finished second in the marathon. Thanks to this result, Gandolfo has climbed to second place in the overall standings.

Vignaud also delivered a strong performance, only losing ground in Obstacle 7. Germany’s Anne Unzeitig finished third after a cautious start before building momentum throughout the course.

Dressage winner Stefan Ulrich finished tenth in the marathon, but thanks to his exceptional dressage score the Swiss driver could afford to give away a few points. He still leads the overall classification, although his teammate Mario Gandolfo is now applying serious pressure.

French driver Fabrice Martin, who was third after dressage, also did a consistent marathon. His fourth-place finish in the marathon allows him to remain third overall.

The gap between first and third place is now just over the equivalent of one knocked ball, but with the cones competition still to come, several drivers remain well within reach of a podium finish.

Louis Horde Takes a Convincing Marathon Victory

In the CAI3 Horse Pairs*, it was Louis Horde’s day. After a cautious opening, the French driver produced an outstanding marathon performance, recording the fastest time in five of the seven obstacles.

Dressage leader François Dutilloy had a solid but less spectacular marathon, allowing his compatriot Horde to overtake him in the overall standings.

Belgium’s Laurens D’Hollander, who was third after dressage and also finished third in the marathon, has moved himself into podium contention.

Dutch driver Sam Couwenberg enjoyed an excellent marathon with Nico and North, finishing fourth and moving into a strong position in the top half of the leaderboard.

It was a less fortunate day for Leo van der Burgt, who was eliminated after failing to correct a course error in Obstacle 5.

Switzerland Extends Nations Cup Lead

With Stefan Ulrich leading the individual standings, Mario Gandolfo in second place and Michael Barbey in fourth, Switzerland has strengthened its advantage in the Nations Cup standings.

France remains second, while Luxembourg occupies third place.