Marcus Ehning and Cornado NRW produce sensational win at Grand Prix Hermès in Paris

Marcus Ehning knew it!

Just 0.03 seconds! A mere three hundredths of a second was enough to give Marcus Ehning his second victory in the Grand Prix Hermès in five years. But Ehning already knew when he crossed the finish line that his time would be good enough to beat the in-form Patrice Delaveau on Lacrimoso, much to the disappointment of the French public: "I was able to watch the first half of Patrice's round and I saw I had a slight opportunity to gain time between obstacles 2 and 3; the double went perfectly and I was again able to take one less stride before the second to last obstacle, the Hermes vertical. I could see it was really tight but I knew it would be enough."
Marcus had done the same thing to another French rider, Roger-Yves Bost on Myrtille Paulois, just a month ago in Bordeaux, winning by a mere 21 hundredths with the same horse, Cornado. It is becoming a bit of an unfortunate habit: "And I hope it will continue. It's true I'm in a rich vein of form at the moment. Still, you have to acknowledge there is also an element of luck in these jump-offs. Here, I won by 3 hundredths of second, but two weeks ago I lost by 2 hundredths in Göteborg. That's what sport is about, but I must admit that things are going well for me at the moment." In short, France seems to bring out the best in him: "I love this competition and I feel great being in France, where I always seem to achieve good result. I feel happy here, there are so many wonderful competitions," before adding, tongue in cheek: "I'm sorry that a few top riders decided to go to Doha this weekend...it's my fault: they knew I was coming here and that they didn't have a chance." It is certainly true that with this magnificent grey stallion, which belongs to the State of North Rhine-Westphalia ("So, ultimately to me too... a little!") through the state stud farm of Warendorf, Ehning can appear invincible ("Absolutely not!") and it is this horse, which is gradually becoming the new four-legged star of the circuit, that Marcus will take to Lyon in mid April to try and win a fourth World Cup title.

Considering the situation, Patrice Delaveau was not at all bitter and certainly did not see this second place as a defeat: "I have no problem with finishing three hundredths behind Marcus Ehning at the Grand Palais, and the famous saying from Hugo Simon, "rather dead than second", certainly doesn't concern me here. Being second after the two magnificent clear rounds that Lacrimoso gave me today is by no means a defeat. Here today, when you consider the quantity and quality of the horses and riders that compete on the 5* circuit, finishing in the top three or four is already a fantastic result.....even if winning is better!" Today, Lacrimoso consolidated his position as the number 2 horse of the Delaveau stable, maybe even as number 1 b: "He has really matured. He has enormous potential, is easy to handle and has improved his concentration. He just needs to make some progress on grass still…" Which is not too serious for the moment, because the World Cup in Lyon will be held on sand, like the Grand Palais. This second place will certainly boost the French rider's confidence just one month ahead of the grand finale. He is not the only one: Marcus Ehning also boosted his confidence this afternoon!

Source: Saut Hermes