Mark McAuley & L'Arc en Ciel Z ©Agence Ecary

Mark McAuley and L’Arc en Ciel Z won the Grand Prix de Megève on Sunday, claiming the CSI3 1.50m feature class by 0.57 seconds following a 13-combination jump-off. The victory brought a record-breaking 15th edition of the show to a close. The event, themed this year around Pop Art and cartoons, welcomed 190 riders and 341 horses representing 18 nations, the strongest field in its history.

McAuley and L’Arc en Ciel Z top a stacked field

The 60 starters in Sunday’s Grand Prix included defending champion Jean-Luc Mourier on New Libero One d’Asschaut, former world number one Martin Fuchs on Falcon du Toultia Z, Olympic champion Roger-Yves Bost on Equine America Ballerine du Vilpion, and 2025 runner-up Olivier Philippaerts on Carrielane. They were joined by Marc Dilasser on Giulio du Ter, Grégory Cottard on Hold Up de Valeme and Megève regular Inès Joly on Gariguette de Bedon.

Course designer Julien Pradervand, who also works regularly at CHI Geneva, built a 1.50m track that allowed only 13 combinations through to the jump-off. “We kept the same approach as earlier in the week : fair on the horses, tough on the riders,” he said before the class. “You have to use the camber but keep the movement and the canter going, so the mistakes come from the course, not from asking too much of the horses. It’s a strong field this year, which made building the track even more interesting.”

During the course walk, riders had identified the main danger areas: the downhill line to the double n°5, close to the crowd, and the tight 9-10-11 combination, where horses needed to remain balanced through three closely spaced jumping efforts. The pastel-coloured fences, which are more difficult for the horses to read, and the choice of strides on the final line to n°13 created further challenges.

McAuley, often described as the most French of Irish riders, is based at Haras de la Tuilière, a long-standing partner of the show. He knows the Megève arena better than most, and it showed. Seven of the 13 jump-off starters completed a second clear round, but McAuley set the winning time of 36.20 seconds aboard L’Arc en Ciel Z. Belgium’s Anthony Wellens finished second on Quelle Force Van Sappenleen, 0.57 seconds behind, while Brazil’s Pedro Junqueira Muylaert took third place on Captain Ciwano in 36.86 seconds. Defending champion Jean-Luc Mourier was the highest-placed French rider, finishing fourth on New Libero One d’Asschaut in 37.24 seconds and narrowly missing out on a place on the podium. “I’m delighted, this is a Grand Prix I’ve always dreamed of winning,” McAuley said. “My horse was brilliant; he gave me everything. The course rode well and the time was tight but fair. Julien Pradervand did a great job all week. Megève is one of our favourite shows of the year, and the welcome here is always fantastic.”

It was Roger-Yves Bost’s first appearance at Megève. The Olympic and European champion competed alongside his children, Nicolas and Clémentine, who also rode in the CSI3*. Bost picked up four faults at the final fence aboard Equine America Ballerine du Vilpion but had no big complaints. “It’s my first time here as a rider, and it’s a brilliantly run show with a great atmosphere. Everyone is so welcoming,” he said. “The courses are technical and well built. We came as a family, together with my children and five grandchildren, and we’ve loved every minute. I hope to be back next year.”

Saturday’s Prix La Tuilière, the CSI3* Petit Grand Prix over 1.45m, was won by Switzerland’s Barbara Schnieper aboard Judy KM.

Florian Rouault and Gandhi Delisa take the CSI1* Gold Tour

Florian Rouault won the Gold Tour Grand Prix, the 1.35m Prix Compagnie Saint-Cyr, aboard Gandhi Delisa. Thibault Nichanian finished second on Falling Star Sunshine, with Benjamin Palatsi taking third place on Colmara. “She jumped brilliantly and was right with me the whole way,” Rouault said. “I went late in the jump-off and knew that no one else had gone clear, so I could take tighter turns while still riding safely. The ground here is tricky, but the course was well built, with some really good technical questions. It’s our first win at this level.”

Hugo Cheynet and Django de Narush won the Silver Tour Petit Grand Prix, the 1.30m Prix Bagarotti. The Bronze Tour final, held the previous day, went to Qatar’s Suhaim Hamad Al Yafei and Gamin Raye in the 1.20m Prix Ballaloud.

Van Paesschen and Dadi-Cellis win the Six Bars

The Prix Groupe Dunoyer, Megève’s Six Bars competition, drew a large crowd on Saturday night, with spectators hoping to see the arena record of 2.12m broken.

The record remained intact, but Belgium’s Constant Van Paesschen and Dadi-Cellis were the standout combination, clearing 1.91m without a fault to take the win.

David Mourier and Epsom du Rond Pré finished second on four faults, while Switzerland’s Adrian Schmid on Unforgiven and Lea Hüsler on Pepper also completed the competition with four faults.

15 years of sport and a party to match

The 15th edition was also an anniversary to remember. On Tuesday, 14 July, the show’s birthday was celebrated in the village square. The Mayor of Megève and a crowd of local residents watched as eight of the week’s leading riders paraded through the village on horseback before coming together to blow out 15 candles.

The Prix des Champions, the Jump & Drive and the third edition of the Megève Summer Auction, organised with Extra Horses, kept the evenings buzzing , further proof that top-level sport and a party atmosphere continue to go hand in hand at Megève.

 Pascaline Scharapan, President of Jumping International de Megève

" This 15th edition was simply incredible. We faced two major storms during the week, but the team rose to the challenge and ensured that conditions remained excellent throughout. The horses’ comfort and safety always come first, whatever the weather. Our ability to celebrate these 15 years so successfully is thanks to a close-knit team that has become like a second family over the years and continues to bring this event to life, season after season. Seeing the world’s best riders place their trust in us and return in ever greater numbers is the best reward we could ask for. We had an exceptional field for an exceptional edition. ”

Full results : click here