THE home supporters had their emotions tested at Pau last Sunday when France’s leading female rider, Gwendolen Fer, recorded a brilliant show jumping clear to win the CCI4* on Romantic Love, while her compatriot, Astier Nicolas, who held the top spot overnight, dropped to sixth as Molokai had three fences down.

Lying 14th after dressage on 43.1 penalties, Nicolas and Carole Broad’s 14-year-old Pro-Set gelding took over the lead on Saturday when clear inside the time over Pierre Michelet’s very testing track.

In spite of 3.2 time penalties, Fer and Romantic Love moved up from ninth to second (45.1), while Sarah Bullimore improved to third from 12th when Reve du Rouet picked up 2.4 time penalties for a two-phase total of 45.2.

Bullimore was also clear – with time penalties – on Lilly Corinne (54.3), who moved up from 38th to eighth, and on Valentino V (56.6) who rose from 18th to 10th.

With the only other clear inside the time, French rider Cedric Lyard jumped up to fourth from 27th with Qatar du Puech Rouget (47.9) as Australia’s Sammi Birch, in spite of 8.8 time penalties, improved five places from 10th with Hunter Valley II (50.8).

Britain’s Ros Canter, who had been lying second after the first phase on 39.7 with Zenshera, dropped to sixth with the addition of 11.6 time penalties. However, at least this Pau debutante completed, unlike the dressage winner, Australia’s Shane Rose, who was eliminated when his mount CP Qualified (38.7) fell at the B element of the influential Haie fence (11abc), an angled brush over a ditch.

SAD ENDING

Of the 62 starters, 39 completed and 28 of those finished without jumping penalties. Sadly for his connections, Cracker Jack, the mount of the USA’s Boyd Martin, had to be put down having suffered multiple fractures to his pastern in the main arena towards the end of the track.

Sunday’s show jumping phase also had its effect on the result and clears inside the time were few and far between.

In the latter stages, Australia’s Emma McNab was clear but picked up two time penalties to finish ninth on the nine-year-old Tabasco van Erpekom gelding Fernhill Tabasco (60.6), a place behind her compatriot Sam Griffiths on the Touchdown mare, Paulank Brockagh (58).

A fence down saw Ros Canter and Zenshera (55.3) slip another place to seventh but there were clears then from Britain’s Alexander Bragg on Zagreb (53.1) and four of the top five.

Disappointingly for Astier Nicolas, winner of the seven-year-old championship at Le Lion d’Angers, his bid for a double within a week fell apart when Molakai lowered three fences as he did here last year.

Their abdication of the top spot let a delighted Fer record her first four-star win on Romantic Love (45.1), just ahead of Bullimore on Reve du Rouet (45.2) with Lyard placing third on his dressage score with Qatar du Puech Rouget (47.9).

Romantic Love is by the Oldenburg stallion L’Arc de Triomphe (by Landor S) out of the thoroughbred mare Sherlove Ville whose sire, Shercame, was a son of the brilliant but ill-fated dual Derby winner Shergar.

Although he didn’t get to compete at Pau, having had to withdraw ‘Sam’ before dressage, Germany’s Michael Jung held on to his world number one status as neither of his closest rivals, New Zealanders Andrew Nicholson and Mark Todd, who had two rides apiece, could produce a clear across the country.