On a thrilling night of top sport, and in front of a sold-out stadium of screaming spectators, Brazil’s Marlon Zanotelli and the 14-year-old chesnut gelding VDL Edgar M scorched to victory in the penultimate leg of the Longines FEI Jumping World Cup Western European League in Bordeaux, France.

A world-class 38-strong line-up of stars always promised a cracking competition and, when almost half (17) of them left course designer Jean Francois Morand’s first-round track in place, it came down to a thrilling race against the clock.