Nobody in the Eurexpo arena on Friday evening had come to watch Hylanderhof's Saruschka. Until this year the ten-year-old Hanoverian mare had never jumped above 1.45m in an international class, and her entire record at 1.50m and above amounted to eighteen rounds, all of them logged since January. By the end of the night she had a five-star Grand Prix to her name and her rider had a piece of silverware that had eluded him throughout his career.
Henrik von Eckermann and Hylanderhof's Saruschka, by Stakkato Gold out of a Baloubet du Rouet mare and owned by Georg Kähny, won the €105,500 CSI5*-W Longines Grand Prix as the only combination in the class to produce two clear rounds.
Henrik Von Eckerman & Hylanderhof’s Saruschka winning the Longines Grand Prix of Lyon 2026. Image: ©U. Tuzzolino for UT Society.
A Tricky Short Course from Varela
Santiago Varela Ullastres built a first round of thirteen obstacles and sixteen efforts, and twelve combinations came back for the jump-off, which on paper suggested a fast finish and in practice produced nothing of the sort.
The short course had enough in it to catch almost everybody. Martin Fuchs and Lorde posted the fastest time of the evening at 43.99 seconds and pulled a rail at the penultimate fence for their trouble, which set the tone for what followed. Switzerland's Gaëtan Joliat made the jump-off with Chelsea Z and finished ninth.
Von Eckermann went third from last, by which point the pattern was obvious to anyone paying attention, and he took the one approach the course was rewarding. A careful, unhurried clear in 49.47 seconds was enough to win, and he had the advantage of a late draw in which to work that out.
Mégane Moissonnier took second with Glamour du Lys and Fuchs took third on Lorde, both of them paying for time or a rail rather than for want of pace.
It was, by the winner's own cheerful admission, not the most thrilling finish the Lyon crowd has witnessed. He was unapologetic about it. He had never won this Grand Prix before, he said, he loves coming to Lyon for the atmosphere, and he was absolutely delighted. For a rider who held the world number one ranking for thirty-three consecutive months, adding a first Lyon Grand Prix at this stage of a career is a more satisfying result than the margin suggests.
The Mare Worth Watching
Saruschka is the genuine story of the week. Three podium finishes in four months and now a five-star Grand Prix, on a record that contained nothing above 1.45m internationally as recently as last winter, is a trajectory that does not often happen to a horse arriving at ten rather than seven.
Von Eckermann has built a career on producing horses carefully rather than quickly, and he has been candid across the week about riding within what each of his string is currently ready for. That the Grand Prix was won by restraint rather than by speed is entirely consistent with it.
Fuchs Finds His Own New Partner
Twenty-four hours later, in the same arena, Fuchs went one better and did so with a horse he had been riding for barely two months.
The Equita Masters presented by Hermès Sellier, the signature class of the week and worth another €105,500, drew twenty-one starters over another Varela course of thirteen obstacles and sixteen efforts, with the top thirteen returning for the second round. Fuchs and the eleven-year-old Selle Français gelding Fave d'Authuit, by Cornet Obolensky out of a Kannan mare, were last to go and finished on a single time penalty across the two rounds.
Pénélope Leprévost was second with Hileklaire Un Prince and Mark McAuley third with Clooney van Spalbeek Z, both finishing on three. Daniel Deusser was sixth with a new ride of his own.
Fave d'Authuit arrived in Fuchs's string in September, having previously been campaigned by Canada's Erynn Ballard, with whom he competed at the World Championships in Aachen in August. Lyon was only their third show together and their first five-star.
Fuchs was disarmingly honest about whether he should have entered at all, saying he had not been sure the pair were ready for a track of that difficulty, and that it was the owner's encouragement that put him in the class. He also credited von Eckermann, who had watched the earlier rounds and advised him on how to ride the line in the second round, a detail that says a good deal about how the top of the sport functions.
Lyon Suits Him
Fuchs has an unusual record at this venue, having won the Longines FEI Jumping World Cup qualifier here three consecutive times between 2021 and 2023, and he described riding and winning in Lyon as always special.
He has been clear that there is no rush with the new gelding. No immediate Grand Prix campaign, possibly a World Cup leg later in the season, and otherwise time to let the partnership develop.
With the Masters settled and the Grand Prix gone to Sweden, the week's main business remained outstanding. The €308,600 Longines FEI Jumping World Cup leg ran on Sunday afternoon, and a Frenchman settled it in front of his own crowd.