It’s set to be another exhilarating round of competition as the temperatures rise in Hamburg for the fifth Global Champions League team competition. The League returns to Europe and a passionate local crowd all eager to witness the revolutionary new team format first hand for the first time, with the action kicking off on Friday 6th May at 18:00 local time.

President of Jumping Hamburg, Volker Wulff spoke of the excitement surrounding the new format: "We’re all looking forward to seeing it live. We have wonderful teams here and one rider [Janne-Frederike Meyer] who lives in Hamburg and is riding for the Shanghai Swans, competing with Jessica Springsteen. She’s a local hero.”

With over 80,000 spectators expected in the stunning German show ground, Friday’s competition looks set to be a battle of the best once more as the teams fight for valuable points in the overall Championship rankings. Currently, it is Valkenswaard United who lead the teams into round five of action, sitting on 100 points overall. Just four points behind are the Monaco Aces, and seven points behind them are the Antwerp Diamonds, who will hope to regain positions once more. Earlier today the draw for the team order took place, with riders watching on in anticipation as the starting order was revealed. Valkenswaard United took the premium position of starting 12th, with the Shanghai Swans drawing the short straw to open the competition.

Rolf-Göran Bengtsson and Olivier Philippaerts will team up for this round of action for Paris Jets, with both already looking on fantastic form this weekend. Valkenswaard United will field its formidable duo of Bertram Allen and John Whitaker, winners of the GCL debut in Miami Beach, and no doubt looking to extend their four point lead over the rest of the teams. The heavy guns will be out and strong intentions clear, as this weekend Bertram will compete with Romanov, his experienced 18 year old horse, and a combination who won the LGCT Grand Prix of Paris in 2015 - making history as they did so. Another experienced combination will be the Cannes Stars, with LGCT Grand Prix of Shanghai silver medallist Marco Kutscher teaming up with LGCT Grand Prix of Mexico City gold medallist Roger-Yves Bost who brings the 10 year old Sunshine du Phare.

Local hero Janne-Friederike Meyer will compete for the Shanghai Swans with the beautiful grey mare Charlotta once more, her GCL Mexico City winning horse. In front of a knowledgeable and passionate home crowd, she’ll be looking to put in another strong performance for the team, and competes alongside Jessica Springsteen who will ride top horse Cynar V. The young stars of Cascais Charms, David Will and Andreas Kreuzer, will unite once more and will be looking for a repeat of their win from last weekend, with Andreas vowing “we’re going to fight to the end.” Team owner Georgina Bloomberg will join forces with American compatriot Kimberly Prince for Miami Glory, and Laura Kraut and Marlon Zanotelli will combine once more for the Rome Gladiators.

Following his impressive performance in Mexico City, where he competed on a horse he’d met only earlier that day, U25 rider Gonzalo Anon Suarez will be back in action for Madrid in Motion, competing alongside Pedro Veniss, the experienced Brazilian rider who has ridden at almost every GCL event so far. Harrie Smolders will be back in action for the Antwerp Diamonds with the brilliant grey and consistently clear Bokai, the only combination in the Global Champions League so far to jump every round they’ve competed in with zero faults. His team mate for the Hamburg leg will be Audrey Coulter and Alex, another strong combination who have secured podium positions on every outing.

Sheikh Ali Bin Khalid Al Thani will provide the anchor and experience for the Doha Fursan Qatar team, riding the impressive Imperio Egipcio Milton, and will be joined by Ali Yousef Al Rumaihi who will compete on the League for the first time this season. Lauren Hough and Rodrigo Pessoa will be the final formidable team for the Vienna Eagles, and with ground to make up in the rankings, they’ll be hungry for a strong finish this weekend.
 

Earlier today the official draw took place, with the team order as follows:

Global Champions League of Hamburg:

Tune in to watch all the action live via GCL TV from 18:00 local time. For all the latest information and news, please visit: www.globalchampionsleague.com .