© PSV J. Morel
Le Coultre de Muze’s Crowning Glory
At fifteen years old, Le Coultre de Muze has just won the first 5* Grand Prix of his career under the saddle of Julien Épaillard—and what a Grand Prix it was! On November 1st, the BWP stallion claimed victory in the prestigious Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ in Lyon. It marks a major milestone for the grey, whose qualities had been showcased for nearly eight seasons with Philippe Rozier. From his prestigious pedigree to his recent partnership with the Normandy-based rider, here is a look back at the journey of a horse whose longevity is rewriting the usual rules of top-level sport.
Three hundredths of a second! On November 1st, in the International Arena of Longines Equita Lyon, Concours Hippique International, that razor-thin margin allowed Le Coultre de Muze to add a new—and to date, most significant—line to his record. Posting a double clear in 38.17 seconds, the stallion, partnered with Julien Épaillard since November 2025, held off the world number one's 38.20 seconds and Switzerland's Édouard Schmitz, who finished third in 38.31 seconds aboard Gamin van’t Naastveldhof. Beyond the sheer speed of the performance, this triumph tells the story of a horse that waited until his fifteenth year to capture his maiden 5* Grand Prix. A horse whose talent was never in doubt, having already tackled the finest arenas on the international circuit, yet still lacked that defining marquee victory.
Born into one of Belgian breeding’s great families
Born on August 13, 2011, at Joris de Brabander’s De Muze stud, Le Coultre de Muze is a stallion registered in the Belgian Warmblood (BWP) studbook, boasting bloodlines of major influence in European show jumping. An international Grand Prix performer himself, his sire Presley Boy—a son of Concorde, out of a Voltaire dam—notably competed under Saudi colors. While his offspring have never matched the sheer numbers of Europe’s most heavily used sires, they include several international performers. The 2024 Groupe France Élevage (GFE) catalog lists 46 international winners out of 113 progeny of competing age. Yet Le Coultre de Muze’s genetic value owes just as much to his dam line. His mother, Geneve de Muze, is a daughter of Vigo d'Arsouilles, who made Belgian show jumping history by winning individual gold at the 2010 World Equestrian Games in Lexington with Philippe Le Jeune. A son of Nabab de Rêve, Vigo d'Arsouilles passed on proven athletic ability to his offspring and established himself as one of the leading sires of his generation.
Seven years under an Olympic champion
Approved by the BWP in 2014 at the age of three, Le Coultre de Muze began his sporting career in Belgium before moving to France to join Philippe Rozier in early 2018. The Rio 2016 team Olympic champion discovered a horse blessed with immense scope, though his education was still a work in progress. The training program was built for the long haul. Le Coultre de Muze progressed through the young horse circuit before stepping up to international classes of varying levels, reaching the 1.60m division in 2021. That season, as a ten-year-old, he placed third in the Cabourg Grand Prix, fourth in a 4* Grand Prix in Saint-Tropez, and sixth in a 5* Grand Prix in Grimaud—results that demonstrated his ability to handle increasingly demanding tracks.
In 2022, his consistency was confirmed. According to GFE figures, Le Coultre de Muze recorded twenty-five international placings from fifty-two starts, including second in a class at the CSI5* in Saint-Tropez, third in a Grand Prix in Valence, and third in a 4* Grand Prix in Saint-Tropez. The 2023 season marked another step forward. The stallion racked up twenty-six international placings and neared €200,000 in prize money for the year, according to GFE. He notably finished fourth in the Longines Global Champions Tour Grand Prix of Monaco, alongside placings in 5* Grands Prix in Bordeaux, Gassin, and Grimaud. These performances firmly established Le Coultre de Muze among the circuit's seasoned campaigners. They also highlighted a recurring theme in his career: while competitive across a wide range of formats, a 5* Grand Prix victory remained elusive. In the autumn of 2025, the Rozier–Le Coultre partnership finished twelfth in the Longines FEI World Cup leg in Lyon. It proved to be one of the pair's final appearances at the highest level: in Lyon, Philippe Rozier announced his retirement from 5* competition. Plans then had to be made for the future of his top horse, owned by Christian Baillet. Julien Épaillard emerged as the natural choice. The stallion left Seine-et-Marne to join the Normandy yard of the "Flying Frenchman."
A new rider, a new language
With Philippe Rozier, Le Coultre de Muze had developed specific work routines, a bond, and finely tuned cues built over nearly eight seasons. Julien Épaillard first had to understand those ingrained habits before introducing his own style of riding. Their debut took place in November 2025 at the CSI4* in Rouen in a 1.35m class, where the pair immediately delivered a clear round fast enough for twelfth place. However, the stallion’s new rider discovered a very different horse from the one he had imagined watching him with Philippe Rozier. In an interview with GRANDPRIX, Julien Épaillard admitted he had underestimated the horse's sensitivity. Beneath his powerful frame, Le Coultre de Muze requires precise riding built on trust and a clear understanding of his reactions. Épaillard emphasized the value of the insights shared by Philippe Rozier, whose deep knowledge of the horse proved instrumental during the transition. The partnership did face a brief setback following an injury to the stallion, but Épaillard used the comeback period to revisit key fundamentals of their connection. It was this evolution he summed up after his Lyon triumph, noting that the two partners had gradually moved from formal terms to being on a "first-name basis."
2026: From formal terms to a "first-name basis"!
The 2026 season showcased the strides made by the new combination. In the spring, Le Coultre de Muze finished second in a 1.55m speed class at the CSI5* Printemps des Sports Équestres in Fontainebleau. On May 8, he and Julien Épaillard claimed their first international victory together in a 1.50m jump-off class at the CSI4* in Bourg-en-Bresse. At the end of May, they confirmed their form at the CSI4* Cabourg Classic, winning another 1.50m class and taking second in the Grand Prix. Their upward trajectory became especially clear in June. Following a fourth-place finish in a 1.55m class at the CSIO5* in La Baule, Le Coultre de Muze triumphed on June 19 in a 1.60m speed class at the CSI5* Longines Paris Eiffel Jumping. Going clear in 63.57 seconds, he finished ahead of Daniel Deusser and Pepita van't Meulenhof BR, who were second in 65.21 seconds. That Parisian win was significant: Le Coultre de Muze proved he could win over 1.60m against top-flight opposition, even if a 5* Grand Prix title still awaited. In September, at the CSIO5* in Gassin, the pair took fourth in the Grand Prix. They continued building momentum at the highest level, notably competing in the Longines FEI Jumping Nations Cup™ Final in Barcelona. On October 23, one week before heading to Lyon, they won a 1.50m class at the CSI4* in Liège. This string of placings and wins signaled a partnership capable of blending the horse's experience with his rider's trademark speed. All that remained was to convert that consistency into victory in one of the world calendar's flagship events.
Lyon, the crowning achievement
On November 1st, Julien Épaillard and Le Coultre de Muze lined up for the second leg of the Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ Western European League. The first-round course designed by Santiago Varela Ullastres offered plenty of scope for clear rounds, yet demanded accuracy and rhythm across seventeen efforts. Fourteen combinations qualified for the jump-off.
The competition was fierce. Switzerland’s Édouard Schmitz set the early benchmark at 38.31 seconds with Gamin van't Naastveldhof. Julien Épaillard then had to find the lines and tempo needed to shave time off that mark. The Normandy rider delivered, stopping the clock at 38.17 seconds. Richard Vogel, the last major challenger, fell short by just three hundredths of a second in 38.20 aboard Cloudio, while last-to-go Ben Maher and Point Break finished fourth in 38.63. Le Coultre de Muze could finally savor his first 5* Grand Prix victory. For Épaillard, it marked another triumph in Lyon following his 2022 win with Caracole de la Roque. For the stallion, it was a breakthrough at a level he had been knocking on the door of for several years.
Le Coultre de Muze’s progression under Julien Épaillard proves that age alone does not define a horse's capacity to improve. The stallion already possessed vast experience over 1.60m tracks, yet his new partnership unlocked fresh ways to channel his talents. The foundation laid by Philippe Rozier, the vision of owner Christian Baillet, and Julien Épaillard’s ability to build trust with a sensitive horse all played an equal role in this success. Ultimately, the story of Le Coultre de Muze is less about a late bloomer and more about a long-awaited crowning moment. Having been a promising young stallion, a reliable international campaigner, and a proven Grand Prix contender, the Belgian grey has, at fifteen, elevated his career record to a whole new dimension.