Julien Epaillard Flies to Victory in the Opening Competition at the FEI World Championships Aachen 2026

Julien Epaillard and Fringan de Vesquerie produced a blistering performance to take victory in the opening Jumping competition at the FEI World Championships Aachen 2026.

The French combination topped a world-class field in the Turkish Airlines-Prize, the first Team and Individual Qualifier of the Championship, completing the speed competition in 70.60 seconds and putting themselves into an excellent early position in the battle for the World title.

Epaillard, currently ranked ninth in the world, partnered the 11-year-old chestnut gelding to the fastest result of the competition and collected €33,000 for the win.

Smolders takes second

Dutch star Harrie Smolders came closest to catching the French winner, aboard Mr. Tac. Smolders and the 14-year-old gelding stopped the clock at 71.96 seconds, finishing just 0.68 championship points behind Epaillard to claim second place.

Great Britain's Scott Brash also made a superb start to his World Championship campaign. Riding Hello Mango, Brash finished third in 72.19 seconds, leaving him only 0.80 points off the lead.

Germany starts strongly on home soil

There was plenty for the Aachen crowd to celebrate, with Sophie Hinners and Iron Dames Singclair taking fourth in 72.28 seconds. Germany placed two further combinations inside the top six: Daniel Deusser and Otello de Guldenboom shared fifth place with Switzerland's Steve Guerdat and Dynamix de Belhème, both recording 72.32 seconds.

That left Hinners just 0.84 points from the lead, while Deusser and Guerdat sit only 0.86 behind Epaillard margins that could hardly be tighter at this early stage of the Championship.

Big names pack the top ten

Israel's Mark Bluman and Landon de Nyze finished seventh in 72.50 seconds, while Britain's Ben Maher and Point Break shared eighth with Belgium's Nicola Philippaerts and Katanga v/h Dingeshof on 72.61. Completing a remarkably international top ten was the UAE's Omar Abdul Aziz Al Marzooqi, who guided Enjoy de la Mure to 72.62 seconds.

The leaderboard illustrates just how competitive this World Championship could become: less than a second separates Epaillard from the combinations sharing fifth, while only 1.01 championship points separate the leader from eighth place.

Championship battle underway

Other notable performances on the opening day included Laura Kraut and Baloutine in 11th, Pieter Devos in 12th, and Giulia Martinengo Marquet in 13th. Several leading contenders picked up four-second penalties along the way, including Shane Sweetnam, James Kann Cruz, McLain Ward and High Star Hero, and Germany's Richard Vogel.

With the Team Final and Second Individual Qualifier still to come, Epaillard and Fringan de Vesquerie head into the next phase of the Championship as early leaders but with the world's best packed so tightly behind them, nothing is decided yet.

INDIVIDUAL RESULTS

TEAM RESULTS

The action continues tomorrow, Thursday 20 August, with the first round of the Team Competition,Thursday 20 August (local time: 9:00 am/5:10 pm)

Photo: Julien Epaillard (FRA) rides Fringan de Vesquerie. Credit: FEI/Benjamin Clark