Fifteen days after turning the Piazza di Siena upside down before flooding it with tears, Piergiorgio Bucci did it again. This time at La Baule, in the great Sunday mass of the Rolex Grand Prix, at the end of a jump-off where it was not only about being fast, but also about having the right horse, the right left hand and just the right dose of insolence. Result: the Italian bags another 5* Grand Prix, his second Rolex Series win of 2026. A real shame, honestly, that there still is no overall ranking. At this pace, “PG” would already be choosing the colour of the leader’s armband.

Seven chosen ones for one last dance

There were forty-five starters in this 1.60m Grand Prix, launched under a heavy heat that felt like a Sunday of truth. In the stands of the Stade François-André, there was not a seat left, not a patch of shade, almost not a breath to spare. On the track, Grégory Bodo had designed a course that turned, moved forward, never trapping for the sake of trapping, but demanding enough to sort out the ambitious, the precise and those having a very big day.

Only seven found the key.

Martin Fuchs first, with Conner Jei. A horse who, this season, feels in France as comfortable as he does in his own box: four Grands Prix in France, one win, three second places. The address is starting to be well known.

Then Julien Épaillard, with Fringan de Vesquerie, looking for more answers after an already busy week.

Pieter Devos too, increasingly convincing with Casual DV Z, double clear in the Nations Cup and once again there on Sunday.

Then Gilles Thomas, happy to have Ermitage Kalone back in a state far more in line with his standing.

Two Belgians in the final dance, joined by two Irishmen: Bertram Allen, reminding everyone that he can still look the very best in the eye, and Cian O’Connor, pushing Chatolinue PS more and more towards Aachen.

And then, as the best friend of the grand finale, Piergiorgio Bucci. The man walking on water, but still with his boots firmly planted in the stirrups.

Fuchs sets the stage, Bucci takes the stage apart

First to go in the jump-off, Martin Fuchs did not pretend. The Swiss rider produced the kind of round you ride when you know you will get no information from anyone else, but still intend to put everyone after you straight into the red zone. Conner Jei rolled, Fuchs tightened, and the clock stopped: 41.03 seconds.

A proper marker. Firmly planted.

Behind him, everyone got the message. Julien Épaillard adjusted the helmet, closed the leg and sent Fringan de Vesquerie into his own house style: full throttle, but clean in the idea. The time was huge, 38.78 seconds, but a pole fell in the combination. The Frenchman owned it afterwards: he had seen Fuchs on the screen, and had felt there was nowhere he couldlose time.". Maybe he needed to add a stride. Maybe. But with Épaillard, experience is rarely gained at walking pace.

Pieter Devos, meanwhile, may have put the pressure on himself. The looseness of the first round disappeared, Casual DV Z breathed a little less, and eight faults sent the Belgian to the bottom of the jump-off standings. Nothing that erases his week, far from it. The pair still scored points in people’s minds.

Gilles Thomas did not ride like a man who had come to chase the fastest round of his life, and that was not necessarily the point. With Ermitage Kalone, the essential thing was elsewhere: continuing to put the stallion back on the rails of the very top level. One fault, yes. But an impression far more positive than during his outing in Aachen a few weeks earlier. Looking towards the summer, that is no small detail.

On the Irish side, four faults each for Bertram Allen and Cian O’Connor. Nothing spectacular, but lessons learned. And rather positive lessons at that.

Only Bucci remained.

“I cannot go in to lose”

The Italian entered the arena in a simple situation: Martin Fuchs was still the only clear rider of the jump-off. He could secure it, come home second, smile, thank everyone and leave with a very nice day. Except Rome had changed something.

““When I entered the arena, someone told me that second place was secured if I was clear. But I could not go in to lose. I have a horse that can win,”", explained “PG”.

And above all, this jump-off looked like a personal invitation for Hantano. Two important turns to the left, the horse’s strong side. The kind of detail that turns a jump-off into a playground. His style remains unusual, almost singular. Bucci knows it better than anyone: Hantano is not the kind who forgives everything. He always tries, but he asks the rider to get it right.

On Sunday, Bucci got it right everywhere.

The difficulties disappeared one after another. The stadium began to understand. The timing beam delivered its verdict: 40.61 seconds. Faster than Fuchs. Clear. Grazie mille, ciao a tutti.

Rome freed Bucci, La Baule confirmed him

Piergiorgio Bucci did not try to produce grand speeches. No need. "“I don’t really have many words to explain it. I have fantastic horses", he said after his victory. Fifteen days earlier, he had won Rome, his home show, the one you watch as a child before dreaming of one day entering through the front door. Since then, everything seems lighter.

“Rome was incredible. It is our show, the one we have loved since we were children. After that, I was a little freer in my riding. I told myself: I try, and if it does not work, I have still won Rome.”

Except it does work. Again. And in style.

Bucci speaks of horses in incredible form, incredible owners, and of this pressure he almost willingly puts on himself because he feels the moment is there. “It is the moment to win as much as possible” he says. He believes he is living the best season of his career: a third 5* Grand Prix won this year, a fifth Grand Prix in total.

“PG” does not want to think too much about the harder years, the ones when the horses were missing, when everything seemed more complicated. But he admits that baggage has made him “stronger” and “wiser”. This Sunday, above all, he looked freer than anyone else.stronger” and “wiser”. This Sunday, above all, he looked freer than anyone else.

Aachen in the corner of the mind

Naturally, with two monuments already in the bag, the question of Aachen comes quickly. Bucci does not get carried away. He knows what his horse can do, but he also knows what he demands.If I give my best, if I do everything right, he can only jump clear.” he sums up. A simple phrase, almost cold, but one that says everything about the very top level: talent, yes, but with no room for error.

At La Baule, Julien Épaillard also found answers for the summer. Fringan de Vesquerie held up all week, between the Nations Cup and the Grand Prix. One pole in the jump-off, but a horse who confirms. “I learned a huge amount about him this week, and it suggests good things for the future, especially in two months,” said the Frenchman.

Martin Fuchs, meanwhile, needed ten minutes to digest it. "For the first few minutes, I was very frustrated.", admitted the Swiss rider, second again after already finishing runner-up in the Derby the day before. Then clarity returned.Piergiorgio was just better than us today. He produced a super jump-off. He is the true winner of this day”

Hard to sum it up better than that.

Piergiorgio Bucci arrived at La Baule with Rome in his pocket. He leaves with a new Rolex on his wrist, another line added to his crazy year, and one more joke: his Rolex shop, he will open it “in the centre of Rome”.

At this pace, he will mostly need to think about making the display cabinet bigger.

Find the full results of the Rolex Grand Prix Ville de La Baule here.