HE may be just the second French rider to win an FEI World Cup show jumping title but Julien Epaillard made history in his own right by becoming the first rider to win a World Cup final on a home-bred horse.

His and Donatello d’Auge’s victory has also copperfastened the Selle Français studbook’s leading place in the Hippomundo rankings, boosted by the Jarnac 12-year-old rising from a pre-Basel 19th place to his current third place.

France is within walking distance from the St Jakobshalle arena and, doubling up on the strong showing by French riders and sport horse breeding, was Western European league leader Kevin Staut’s ultimate third place result with Visconti du Telman.

“To win is special, but to win with Donatello is even more special. He’s like family to us, we enjoy living with him every day. He’s very special,” said Epaillard after his perfect dress rehearsal win in the Basel World Cup qualifier in January.

Julien Epaillard (winner, centre) with Ben Maher and Kevin Staut on the podium at the Longines FEI World Cup finals in Basel \ Tomas Holcbecher

The ‘flying Frenchman’ spoke then of his and Spanish-born wife Susana Epaillard García Cereceda’s sport horse breeding operation. Based at Haras de la Bosquittiere, near Deauville in Normandy, they typically breed between just five and eight foals each year.

“We have also bred Usual Suspect D’Auge, so already we have very nice results. Our breeding is quite young, 20 years old.”

Both Donatello and Usual Suspect, (a winner of over €865,000 since 2015), share the same sire in Jarnac. Selle Français-registered with a strong Anglo-Arabian topline, Jarnac’s sire Ryon d’Anzex was fifth in the World Cup qualifier at the 2004 Millstreet Indoor International with Fernando Fourcade Lopez (ESP).

Allez France

Jarnac is the sole blacktype offspring of his dam Vic Du Vass. Like many French-breds, her pedigree traces back to Furioso, the thoroughbred son of Precipitation and Jarnac was the star performer of her eight recorded foals.

With Julio Arias Cueva, Jarnac’s best World Cup qualifier form was his seventh place to Mic Mac du Tillard (Cruising) in Gothenburg in 2011. The pair also competed on the eighth-placed Spanish team at the European championships held that same year on home ground in Madrid.

Hello Pierville, Donatello d’Auge’s maternal grandsire, had a number of World Cup qualifier appearances with Susana: Vigo (2008), Oslo (2010) and Helsinki that same year where they finished 11th to Taloubet VDL and Christian Ahlmann.

When crossed with Susana’s Galoubet A mare Galoubette Mondain, competed on the Samsung Nations Cup league by Rutherford Latham, the result was Donatello d’Auge’s dam: Tequila D’Auge.

Almé Z, Galoubet A’s sire, also appears in the bloodlines of Ben Maher’s runner-up Point Break and Visconti du Telman’s dams. Furioso or Almé Z, the trail invariably leads back to French breeding.

By the Heartbreaker-sired Action-Breaker, Point Break’s damline goes back to the Galoubet A son Baloubet du Rouet, one of only two show jumping horses to win three World Cup titles. The 2011 champion Taloubet Z is another by Galoubet A.

Rankings reshuffle

So what impact has the Longines-sponsored World Cup final prize fund had on the prize money rankings? Major.

Susana was 23rd in the show jumping breeders last week and now appears in fourth place after ‘Donny’s’ World Cup title. She has claimed Hippomundo’s ‘Biggest riser’ weekly accolade too with this rankings leap.

Meanwhile, her husband also earned that title after he was catapulted up the rankings to eighth place and also becomes the second Frenchman, along with third-placed Simon Delestre, to feature in Hippomundo’s top-10 show jumping rider tables.

Donatello d’Auge has surged up the rankings to third place (€394,395 won so far in 2025) and Jarnac moves to 14th place amongst the show jumping sires where he enjoys the best average prize money per offspring of these top-20 sires (see By The Numbers).

This is the seventh show jumping final won by a Selle Français, (including the three years that Baloubet du Rouet won) and Donatello d’Auge’s win has now pushed the studbook’s collective earnings by show jumping horses so far in 2025 to over €8 million.

Dara O’Malley also earned the Hippomundo highest riser title last week among Irish show jumping breeders after DSP Revere’s Grand Prix win at Basel with Germany’s Marcus Ehning.

“It was fantastic,” said wife Fiona about the Hermes de Reve gelding’s three-star 1.55m Grand Prix win last Saturday and it’s proving to be a golden run for the couple’s DSP-breds. “DSP Revere’s full-brother Deerpairc Revelry is entered for Badminton, so first Basel and next a Badminton runner. Exciting times!”

Dara is now ranked seventh among Irish show jumping breeders and this post-Basel leaderboard is headed by Frank and Laura Glynn after FTS Killossery Konfusion’s run of success on the American West Coast.

Marcus Ehning and DPS Revere won the three-star Grand Prix in Basel last weekend \ Tomas Holcbecher

The ISH studbook is currently ninth in the show jumping category, although it enjoys the second-highest average earnings by its 452 horses (€3,566) amongst the top-10 studbooks.

1 - Glamourdale (KWPN). Lord Leatherdale - Thuja, by Negro. Breeder: J.W Rodenburg. Rider: Charlotte Fry (GBR).

2 - DSP Quantaz (DSP-BB). Quaterback - Piroschka 610, by Hohenstein I. Breeder: Kathrin Damm. Rider: Isabell Werth (GER).

3 - Total Hope OLD (OLD). Totilas - Weihegold OLD, by Blue Hors Don Schufro. Breeder: Christene Arns-Krogmann. Rider: Isabel Freese (NOR).

1 - Donatello D’Auge (SF). Jarnac - Tequila D’Auge, by Hello Pierville. Breeder: Susana Epaillard Garcia Cereceda. Rider: Julien Epaillard (FRA).

2 - Point Break (SWB). Action-Breaker - Beretta, by Balou du Rouet. Breeder: Nya Äppelvikens Ridskola AB. Rider: Ben Maher (GBR).

3 - Visconti du Telman (SF). Toulon - Rohanne du Telman, by Dollar du Murier. Breeder: Marjorie & Francoise Sanguinetti. Rider: Kevin Staut (FR).

Ben Maher and Point Break finished second at the Longines FEI World Cup finals in Basel \ Tomas Holcbecher