Jessica Burke - The First Woman to Take the Longines FEI World Cup™ of Bordeaux

Saturday night in Bordeaux once again proved it is never just another World Cup qualifier. As the Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ class unfolded under lights, the arena became the emotional centre of the entire weekend, played out in front of a crowd that was committed to staying late. As one of the few venues that unapologetically builds its sporting peak into Saturday evening prime time, the class felt closer to a stadium final than a routine circuit stop, with atmosphere and qualification stakes colliding in real time.

Bordeaux Specialists Versus Emerging Challengers

Bordeaux arrives in the final stretch of the Western European League season, when qualification scenarios stop being theoretical and start dictating real decisions. With only a handful of legs remaining after this weekend, riders were no longer managing campaigns in broad strokes; they were calculating points, choosing horses with intent, and weighing jump-off risk against season-long strategy.

That pressure showed throughout the class - from how combinations were warmed up, in whether riders chased the clock or protected a clear, and in how much they were willing to ask of their top horses.

Julien Epaillard arrived with momentum after setting Friday night’s pace aboard Donatello d’Auge, and his presence immediately framed the evening’s competitive narrative. But Bordeaux rarely rewards momentum alone, and Saturday demanded fresh decisions from every rider who entered the ring. As always, one of the defining storylines of the night was the balance between riders who know this arena intimately and those still searching for their breakthrough moment in Bordeaux.

The start list blended established World Cup campaigners with combinations stepping into one of the loudest environments on the indoor circuit. Defending champion Martin Fuchs (SUI) returned with Conner Jei, joined by proven indoor performers including Kevin Staut (FRA), Denis Lynch (IRL), Daniel Deusser (GER) and Penelope Leprevost (FRA).

These are riders accustomed to managing qualification mathematics and jump-off tactics in equal measure. Alongside them sat a wider group of athletes looking to turn opportunity into statement. For those combinations, Saturday night represented more than World Cup points; it was a chance to announce themselves on one of the circuit’s most visible stages, where a clear round under lights carries weight far beyond a single result.

Bordeaux’s status as one of the founding World Cup venues lingered quietly in the background too, adding weight to every decision made on course. The depth of the field was evident throughout the evening, reinforcing a familiar Bordeaux tension: Experience defending territory while newer contenders pushed for momentum.

Jessica Burke (IRL) and Good Star du Bary were the only double clear of the competition to take the winners prize of €69,000, whilst also making history. Image: ©Artiste Associe

From Fence Eight to History Under Lights

Germany’s Daniel Deusser took second place with Otello de Guldenboom. Image: ©Artiste Associe

Fence eight proved the defining moment of the night, separating jump-off contenders from the rest of the field and shaping a jump-off that only four combinations managed to reach. Daniel Deusser aboard Otello de Guldenboom, Tom Schewe with Congress Blue PS, Yuri Mansur on Vitiki, and Jessica Burke partnered by Good Star du Bary all negotiated the questions asked with success, setting up a four-way decider in front of a fully engaged Bordeaux crowd. Mansur’s place in the jump-off was made all the more notable by the fact that Vitiki, now 18, once again delivered under Saturday-night pressure, while Schewe’s nine-year-old mare, Congress Blue PS, showed the other end of the spectrum, stepping confidently into one of the biggest atmospheres on the indoor circuit.

Tom Schewe and nine-year-old Congress Blue PS. Image: ©Artiste Associe

The jump-off brought its own intensity, but it was Ireland’s Burke who ultimately rose to the occasion, producing the only clear round when it mattered most. But not only did she claim the Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ of Bordeaux, she also wrote a new chapter in the event’s history, becoming the first woman to win this World Cup class since its infancy in 1978.

Deusser, Schewe and Mansur all pushed hard in the rounds before Burke entered the arena, but faults crept in as the pressure mounted, leaving Burke alone at the top of the leaderboard on a night where composure proved just as decisive as speed. What organisers had long framed as Bordeaux’s “unfinished business” finally shifted, delivered through a performance that carried significance far beyond a single result.

Speaking at the press conference Burke admitted she had not realised the significance of becoming the first woman to win the Bordeaux World Cup, but described the moment as “very emotional”, explaining that with just four in the jump-off she knew she had to take her chance when it came. She added that Good Star du Bary, now just 10, has only contested six World Cups so far, making the result feel even more special, particularly with her owners and family in attendance. Deusser, who finished second, reflected on his own Bordeaux history, noting that Otello de Guldenboom is the son of Tobago Z, the horse he rode to victory here in 2019. “I tried to go really fast,” he said, admitting he perhaps asked a fraction too much late on course, but praised both rounds and acknowledged Burke’s performance, adding that “today was her day and she absolutely deserves it.”