March 23, 2026 
Hermes was famously known as the messenger of the Gods and the protector of travelers, merchants, and athletes. He was also a notorious speedster whose golden, winged sandals allowed him to travel between the worlds of mortals and the divine.
This weekend’s 5* Grand Prix winners at Saut Hermès—Scott Brash (GBR) and Hello Chadora Lady—didn’t have and magic feathers on their horseshoes, at least as far as we know. But they certainly logged a foot-perfect jump-off performance on Sunday, optimizing every stride and maximizing each turn to their benefit to stop the clock at an uncatchable 32.32 seconds.
“I’m absolutely delighted. Chadora was exceptional today, on what was a very special and pretty unique course designed by Santiago [Varela Ullastres], as well as being very respectful of the horse,” said Brash of the track inside Paris’s one-of-a-kind, glass-vaulted Grand Palais. Notably, Varela Ullastres’s track included three doubles, two of which were set, one after another, just three strides apart.
“Chadora secured a number of wins in Doha over the winter and had already jumped very well in the Grand Prix at the Dutch Masters a week ago, though we were a little unlucky with one fault,” continued Brash, who ultimately finished 12th in ‘s-Hertogenbosch.
“My strategy here was to do one minor class and then focus all my attention on this very fine Grand Prix Hermès. Thank you to everyone who makes this incredible competition possible.”
Of the 50-horse field, only six competitors moved on to try their luck on the shortened course. There, Switzerland’s Martin Fuchs acted as pathfinder with Conner Jei, setting the time to beat at 33.35 seconds. Next to go, Brash bested his competitor’s score by just over a second—but there were more surprises in store.
Third to go on the jump-off start list, the Netherlands’ Harrie Smolders managed to stop the clock in a rare, second-place tie at 33.35 seconds aboard Mr. Tac, who previously won this Grand Prix with Victor Bettendorf (LUX) in 2023. “It was Mr. Tac’s return to five-star competition and, obviously, I can only be delighted by this second place,” Smolders said.
After kicking off his 2026 season with three, 5* 1.60m Grand Prix wins over the course of six weeks in Doha, this fourth victory makes Brash the winningest rider so far this year, pulling just ahead of Germany’s Richard Vogel with three, 1.60m 5* Grands Prix, according to Jumpr Stats.
The Scottish rider, who took over the World No. 1 spot from the USA’s Kent Farrington in February, currently trails Vogel, however, in prize money won so far: €743,290 compared to Vogel’s €866,830.
Paired together since 2024, Brash and Hello Chadora Lady currently jump clear at a 1.60m+ at a 42% clip. But their speed and accuracy in jump-offs is nearly unprecedented, boasting a 100% podium finish rate in seven career jump-offs at that height.
“She’s such a beautiful mare to work with. Even outside the ring, she’s such a lovely character, and one of the nicest mares I’ve ever worked with, really,” Brash has said of the notoriously game, 13-year-old OS mare known as “Dora” in the barn. “She wants to win as much as me.”
