Jean-Philippe Frances: "A World Championship in Europe ..."

Leperon.fr - Full Article

Saturday, September 15, 2018

[translated]
On the way to the stables that Jean-Philippe Frances gave himself to some confidences.


The Spur: Many things have been said about the start of this race. But what really happened?

JPF: Until the day before the race, we did not know exactly where the start would be, or how to get there. The infos have been modified several times.

Spur: You have not made any recognition?

JPF: there was nothing to see! No beacon, nothing. We could not even see the curls on foot.

The spur: and departure in itself?

JPF: a group of riders took the start at 6:33 am under the orders of no one knows who ... here ...

The Spur: the arrival of the 1 st loop, the decision was made to neutralize the race. Good or bad decision?

JPF: The best decision would have been to cancel this race away!

The Spur: other riders wanted the same thing as you?

JPF: Spain wanted the race canceled and even signed the petition. The French federation did not want. For the team, I left. Spain, seeing that neither France nor Belgium was withdrawing, decided to leave again.

The Spur: how have riders been able to make fewer kilometers and continue despite everything?

The jury did not know who had traveled how far?

JPF: Impossible not to know! All riders were equipped with 2 GPS: 1 on the horse and 1 other on the rider. It would have been easy to eliminate those who had not traveled the right distance. As in cso or in cross: when there is a mistake of course, the rider is eliminated.

L'Eperon: Bénédicte Emond-Bon stated that she had been against the cancellation of the race because the "replacement" Championship would have taken place in Dubai. Have you tried to convince her otherwise?

JPF: there has never been a Championship in Dubai! I explained all this to Bénédicte and Sophie Dubourg.

The Spur: yet that's what is said ...

JPF: it's totally wrong! Sheikh Hamdan, Juma and I discussed the situation together during the break. Sheikh Hamdan was for the cancellation of the race.

He proposed that a "replacement" Championship be organized in Europe, where the team leaders would like it and that he would take care of the traveling expenses of all the riders and horses.

We shook hands, and Juma and I told him that we would forward his proposal.

L'Eperon: and the FFE has not changed its mind following this offer?

JPF: Bénédicte and Sophie Dubourg were categorical: it was a non-firm on their part.

Yet it would have been an opportunity to show the FEI that their vision of endurance did not go at all.

The Spur: this race in the United States was symbolic for you ...

JPF: the loop would have been completed after what had happened in Kentucky. The FEI had endorsed results that were false and we know more ...

The Spur: you have kept Tarzibus for this deadline. It's easy to imagine that you have rejected substantial purchase offers ...

JPF: That's right. But getting ready for WWW is very much for everyone. When I come back, I see my lawyer and if there is a breach, we attack.

From what I know, Sheikh Mohamed also wants to attack in order to recover the money he has put in these JEM and not only for stamina. (the sum would be 25 million).

The Spur: important question: how is Tarzibus? Not too stressed by the race?

JPF: Tarzibus is fine. The race was difficult. In Europe, it runs between 20 and 23km / h and there, at 20 to see a small 21km / h, it had huge cardiac variations. Many horses were hyperventilating.

This also raises another problem: that of qualification minima; they are ridiculous. To qualify for the JEM, these are the same conditions as for a 3 *, the same speed. With the deplorable organizational conditions and the weather we had, the cat is just normal.

The check mark to really shake things were missed in the 1 st stage ... Interviewed by Babsie Kaporal