Cédric Angot & Gandor du Fief Fly to First at the Longines Deauville Classic CSI 4*

Deauville, France – August 13, 2026 – Setting off towards the end of the first third of the field in the opening feature class of the Longines Deauville Classic CSI 4*, which got under way today at the Pôle International du Cheval Longines – Deauville, Cédric Angot (FRA) took victory aboard Gandor du Fief. First to go on the twelve-fence track designed by Switzerland’s Gérard Lachat (SUI), Mégane Moissonnier (FRA) claimed a fine second place with Kandoo, while Cédric Hurel (FRA) and his Fantasio Floreval Z completed the podium of the €29,000 Patrimmofi Gestion Privé Prize CSI 4*.

Two weeks after winning a 1.45m class at the Dinard CSI 3*, Cédric Angot (FRA) and Gandor du Fief triumphed this Thursday in the Prix Patrimmofi Gestion Privée of the Longines Deauville Classic CSI 4*. Here in the Calvados, in this 1.50m class counting towards the Longines world ranking, the former rider of Saxo de la Cour, now aboard his ten-year-old Selle Français, cut every turn to become the only rider to complete the course in under a minute (59.91). With only a third of the field having gone, the Frenchman took over from Mégane Moissonnier (FRA), who had opened proceedings with Kandoo Z and delivered a penalty-free round in 60.03. The top two then remained unchanged for the rest of the class.

At the very end of the running order, however, the 2024 French Pro Elite champions, Cédric Hurel and Fantasio Floreval Z, completed the top three in 60.49. Just before them, Luxembourg’s Victor Bettendorf (LUX) had held that spot, a tenth of a second slower, riding the Selle Français mare Encore Toi du Linon, with whom he brilliantly won the Sunday Grand Prix of the Longines Paris Eiffel Jumping at the end of June.

While this victory is a happy one for the rider, who thereby secures his place in the Grand Prix Longines – Région Normandie scheduled for Sunday, it is no less surprising. In recent weeks, in addition to their success in Brittany, the son of Upsilon and Cédric Angot (FRA) finished third in the 1.50m Grand Prix at the same show, before taking second place in a 1.45m class last weekend at the Normandie Horse Show CSI 3* in Saint-Lô. “I am delighted with Gandor, with how he behaved today and, more broadly, with what he has been showing for three shows now. When I see my distances, I feel calm, because he is really on form. With this win, my qualification for the Grand Prix is secured, which is obviously a weight off my shoulders for the rest of the weekend. Every rider comes to a show with the ambition of jumping the Grand Prix, but a fault can happen quickly. When there are many clear rounds in a class, you can rapidly find yourself down the order and miss out on the weekend’s feature event. After the Grand Prix at the Jumping Internatioanl de Dinard CSI 3*, I decided to drop Gandor down a level. That is why he jumped only one class at the Saint-Lô CSI 3* last weekend,” the winner commented after the prize-giving.

Mission Accomplished for Gérard Lachat

Swiss course designer Gérard Lachat—known for his work at the prestigious CHI Geneva and CSIO 5* St. Gallen, and a regular designer for events organized by the GrandPrix Events team—successfully met the challenge on this opening day with a course featuring twelve obstacles, including three double combinations. This Thursday, the top twenty riders in the class secured their qualification for Sunday’s Grand Prix. While sixteen of the eighty-two starters managed to leave all the rails up—a success rate of 19.5%—Sofian Misraoui (FRA), Kim Emmen (NED), and Yun-Chi Lin (FRA), riding Halisco d’Asschaut, Quando van het Hellehof, and Driss de Kerglenn—the latter formerly ridden by Colombian rider René Lopez Lizarazo, also made it into the top 19 despite incurring two time penalties. Max Thirouin (FRA), riding his reliable Mylord Carthago mare Utopie Villelongue, also secured his qualification by posting the fastest round with four penalty-points.

Final Results – €29,000 Patrimmofi Gestion Privé Prize CSI 4*

1) Cédric Angot (FRA) & Gandor du Fief – 0 – 59.91

2) Mégane Moissonnier (FRA) & Kandoo Z – 0 – 60.03

3) Cedric Hurel (FRA) & Fantasio Floreval Z – 0 – 60.49

Source: Press Release from Grand Prix Events

Photos: © Grand Prix Events / Pixels Events

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