41 horse and rider duos competed in the Trophée de Genève, Sunday’s Rolex Grand Prix qualifier at CHI de Geneva 2024. In the first round, some of the fences, such as the triple or the Alexandre III bridge and the brick wall, which were taken straight from the Paris Olympics, were particularly prone to failure, but 19 pairs managed to overcome the pitfalls of the course designed by Gérard Lachat and Grégory Bodo.

Photo by Pierre Costabadie/Icon Sport
Photo credits: Rolex Grand Slam / Tom Lovelock

The jump-off was like a second round. Equestrian fans got their money’s worth, whether in the stands at Palexpo or following the competition live on the CHIG website. It was a bit like an early Christmas present under the tree.

Riders Gave Thier Best

The riders gave their best and kept trying to beat the best time. The Brazilian rider, Stephan De Freitas and his Olympic horse, Primavera Imperio (40.95), the German rider, Marcus Ehning and the majestic Coolio 42 (37.79) and the Italian rider, Lorenzo de Luca and Denver de Talma (34.33), who went into the jump-off in sixth place, were in the lead. For a long time it looked like it was going to be a clear-cut affair. Even the crowd favorite and reigning Olympic silver medallist from Paris, Steve Guerdat, had to accept four points for a slightly faster ride than the man in the lead.

Martin Fuchs – Fast and Furious

Martin FUCHS (SUI) riding CONNER JEI during the day 2 of Rolex Grand Slam of Show Jumping 2024 at Palexpo on December 12, 2024 in Geneva, Switzerland. (Photo by Pierre Costabadie/Icon Sport)

in which the Swiss rider took a stride less in canter before the oxer at the end of the course. It was a nail-biter right to the end, but nobody could beat this time.

Martin Fuchs was overjoyed with his victory. He followed in his father’s and uncle’s footsteps, who won this prestigious competition with Dollar Girl in 1991 and Interpane Goldlights in 1994. «When I inspected the course I knew I wanted to do my best in the jump-off and take one less stride on the last line. I thought that could make all the difference. Connor is in very good form and I gave it my best shot. I really wanted to win. I love this show, the crowd, the arena and the course, which suits my horses very well. I’m always very motivated here», he said after the competition.

Barbara Schneider won the first competition of the day, the Prix Radio Lac des CSI 5*, with Judy Km, and Thibaut Keller won the Prix Swiss Wine Genève with Happy Girl T.