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Immobilier en vente
en France,
en Suisse et en Espagne
Contact:
Jamil Boukarabila - Jaquemet
tel: +41 26 660 31 27 -
mobile: +41 79 332 06 80 -
fax: +41 21 544 13 24
Formulaire on-line |
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(Photos: Stefano Grasso/LGCT)
World No1 Scott
Brash (GBR) has successfully
defended his title and been crowned
2014 Longines Global Champions Tour
Champion! The 2012 Olympic Gold
medallist took 4th place in
tonight’s Doha Grand Prix giving him
a one point advantage over four-time
Olympic medallist Ludger Beerbaum
(GER) and finishing on the same
points as rival Rolf-Göran Bengtsson
(SWE), who was the eventual class
winner tonight with Casall ASK. Due
to Scott having more wins than
Bengtsson this season, he takes the
Championship from the charismatic
Swede who was in this exact same
position when he was run ner-up to
Edwina Tops-Alexander (AUS) in 2012.
Brash picked up an excruciating time
fault in tonight’s first round which
put him out of the final jump-off
and denied him the chance to try for
an incredible fourth LGCT Grand Prix
Gold medal this season.
Championship Leader Ludger Beerbaum
(GER) did not go through to the
second round of the final Grand Prix
of the season. The star picked up 16
faults in the first round with his
stallion Zinedine, his substitute
ride when his top horse Chiara was
not 100% fit to compete. Ludger led
the Championship by just 12 points,
but collected no more points here in
the Longines Global Champions Tour
of Doha Grand Prix. Yesterday, both
Ludger and Brash named Bengtsson’s
Casall ASK as the best horse in this
three-way race and their predictions
rang true tonight. Putting in one of
only two treble clears, the other
being Luciana Diniz (POR) with Fit
For Fun who took 2nd place while
Yann Candele (CAN) with Sho wgirl
took 3rd with four faults, the Swede
always looked like the one to beat.
However, tonight belongs to the
incredible, unbeatable combination
of Scott Brash with Lady Kirkham and
Lady Harris’ Hello Sanctos, a pair
who once again proved to be the
Champion of Champions on the 2014
Longines Global Champions Tour.
The Grand Prix First Round
Remarkably, few of the world-class
field managed to jump clean around
the first round built by Italy’s
Uliano Vezzani - just five
progressed to the second round with
a zero score such was the
technicality and size of the track.
It was clear the course designer was
out to sort the best from the rest
in this final test of the season.
Riders with less experience at this,
the very highest level of the sport,
or with younger horses not yet
seasoned at top level, struggled
with the demands of the course. The
time allowed was also tight and
along with Scott Brash with Hello
Sanctos, Constant van Paesschen with
Citizenguard Toscan Sainte Hermelle
and Bassem Hassan Mohammed with
Victoria also picked up a single
time fault.
The first three fences on the course
where relatively straight-forward
and on sweeping turns, though some
horses looked closely at the Al
Shaqab fence at No2, where both Kent
Farrington (USA) with Uceko and
Henrik von Eckermann (SWE) with
Cantinero were eliminated. But it
was a meaty related distance to the
Longines treble combination across
the massive arena where the first
big question was asked and the two
combinations that followed this
where most riders picked up faults.
The Second Round
Of the five riders through to the
top 18 with a clean score, Bengtsson
and Casall ASK looked to be the
classiest combination. However, they
were joined by some tough
competitors, including reigning
European Champion Roger-Yves Bost
(FRA) with Qoud Coeur de la Loge,
in-form Luciana Diniz and Fit For
Fun, Yann Candele and Showgirl and
most threateningly last night’s
winner Daniel Deusser (GER) and
Cornet D’Amour. Three riders were
close on their heels with a single
time-fault, waiting for a slip-up -
Brash, Van Paesschen and Mohammed.
The second round was a twisting
course with awkward lines and
another tight time allowed, but it
was much more friendly than the
first round. The fences were more
spaced out about the arena and open
to an attacking pace of riding.
Bassem Hassan Mohammed with Victoria
was the first to jump a double clear
carrying just their single time
fault from the first round to
eventually finish 5th.
Scott Brash and Hello Sanctos also
jumped a beautiful second clean
round to stay only on one time fault
collected in the first round, but
his faster time put him just ahead
of the Qatari. In-form Luciana Diniz
(POR) and Fit For Fun were the first
double clear, while Bosty and Qoud
de la Loge and Daniel Deusser and
Cornet D’Amour both had four faults.
Diniz was joined in the final
jump-off by Canada’s Yann Candele
with Showgirl and the eventual
winner Bengtsson.
The Jump-Off
The jump-off course was a mix of
daring turns and brave gallops which
was open to attack from a courageous
rider. Luciana Diniz set the pace in
the three-horse jump off with her
lovely little chestnut and really
put the pressure on the two to
follow her with a time of 43.85s.
Yann Candele pushed his horse as
much as he could but lowered an
upright on a turn to finish 3rd in
43.20s. Bengtsson and Casall ASK set
off like they meant business and the
stallion looked like he would never
touch a pole. There was some gasps
from the spectators at some of the
Swede’s bold lines and turns, but
Casall rose to the occasion with
great style to take the final
victory of the season in a time of
40.46s.
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(Photos: Matteo
de Grandis)
In an exclusive
joint interview to be shown in full
on GCT TV tomorrow, the three
contenders for the 2014 Longines
Global Champions Tour title sat down
together in a rare collection of the
world’s best. Ludger Beerbaum (GER),
Scott Brash (GBR) and Rolf-Göran
Bengtsson (SWE) spoke candidly about
their individual and each other’s
chances in Saturday’s crucial final
Grand Prix of the series where the
2014 Longines Global Champions Tour
Champion will be decided.
Scott has his fingers crossed!
2013 Longines Global Champions Tour
Champion and World No1 Scott
Brash: “(Al Shaqab) has been a
lucky place for me so far. It was
fantastic winning here last year. I
gave (Hello Sanctos) a break after
Vienna. Then I gave him a warm-up
show in Lyon last week and he jumped
really good. It was my mistake we
had the last fence down. He’s come
here in the best shape we can have
him. Fingers crossed for Saturday!”
Rolf remains quietly confident
2012 Longines GCT Championship
runner-up and time Olympic Silver
medallist Rolf-Göran Bengtsson:
“Sitting between these two is an
honour and I have only one chance
here, and that is the win, which is
nearly impossible to make if you
have to make it. But we don’t give
up! (Casall ASK) has had a break
since the World Championships and he
jumped well in Lyon. He likes the
big arena and the footing here and
he is an experienced horse, but you
have to take it a step at a time, we
will just try and jump clear in the
Grand Prix first round and see how
it goes.”
A last-minute substitute for
Beerbaum
Championship Leader and four-time
Olympic Gold medallist Ludger
Beerbaum: “Chiara was meant to
be my ride, but she had light colic
so we decided to not show her. This
has left me with Zinedine, which for
sure is a little bit of a
disadvantage, but I am still ahead.
He has been 5th and 2nd on the Tour
this year so I will try my best with
him. He’s always been my second or
third horse, but he did really well
in Shanghai and London, so why not
here? If the course is not extremely
big and crazy technical, I think I
have a chance. It’s going to be very
interesting for sure.”
Ludger continues: “We can be
completely realistic, if it’s just
the three of us in the jump-off -
Casall was unbelievable in the World
Championships, more consistent than
anyone else. Then Hello Sanctos
would be behind Casall, then three
days and then my horse. If it came
to that, it would be between Scott
and Rolf. I am not competing on the
same level with these two.”
Ludger is always a threat!
Scott Brash: “I don’t think
it matters what Ludger is riding he
is going to have a chance. Ludger is
the man to beat. I agree with
Ludger, Casall has been on fantastic
form. Rolf could definitely win on
Saturday, for sure. We are all going
to be trying so it should be a good,
exciting showdown.”
The Longines Global Champions Tour
of Doha Grand Prix highlights will
be broadcast on Eurosport on
Saturday 15th November, with live
coverage shown from Saturday 3.15pm
CET on beIN Sports, Al Kass,
Horse&Country TV, GCT TV, Equidia
Life and ClassHorseTV.
Look out for the full video of the
interview which will be released on
our digital channels tomorrow.
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(Photos: Stefano Grasso/LGCT)
At a press launch
this morning, the key figures in the
organisations of Al Shaqab and
Longines Global Champions Tour set
the scene for a fantastic final
event of the season here in Doha,
Qatar. From the 13-15 November, the
very best riders in the world will
compete at the state-of-the-art Al
Shaqab stadium for over €1.7million
in prize funds and the glory of
being named 2014 Longines Global
Champions Tour Champion.
The feature class
of the show, and the final dramatic
Grand Prix of the season, will take
place on Saturday afternoon at
5.15pm local time. Three of the
biggest stars in the sport -
four-time Olympic Gold medallist
Ludger Beerbaum (GER), World No1
Scott Brash (GBR) or two-time
Olympic Silver medallist Rolf-Goran
Bengtsson (SWE) - are in the running
for the overall season title and the
eyes of the equestrian world will be
on Qatar to see who takes the
coveted crown.
With the 2014
season about to reach it’s thrilling
climax and the history books poised
to add another star show jumping
name to the Tour’s Hall OF Fame,
Longines Global Champions Tour
President Jan Tops hinted
tantalisingly at the potential for a
new US event next year and further
new destinations planned for the
Tour in 2016.
Meanwhile,
another record-breaking season is
galloping towards its grand finale,
so don’t miss any of the action! The
Longines Global Champions Tour of
Doha Grand Prix highlights will be
broadcast on Eurosport on Saturday
15th November, with live coverage
shown from Saturday 3.15pm CET on
beIN Sports, Al Kass, Horse&Country
TV, GCT TV, Equidia Life and
ClassHorseTV.
Press
Conference
Present:
Fahad Al Qahtani - President of Al
Shaqab
Jan Tops -
Founder and President Longines
Global Champions Tour
Omar Al Mannai -
Al Shaqab Event Director
Marco Danese -
Longines Global Champions Tour Sport
Director
Fahad Al
Qahtani: “In the name of God, we
thank Mr Jan Tops and the organisers
for this great opportunity. And we
would like to thank the media also
as they are one of the reasons for
the success of this event, so thank
you. We started in 2011 with events
here and after the 2011 Arab Games
we proved capable of organising
major events and it’s the second
year we do this event, very
successful in size and value, and
the best Champions are competing
here at Al Shaqab. I thank you and
wish you all success, and hope the
public will enjoy this event.”
“We want to give
the Al Shaqab experience: we are
positioning ourselves with high
targets and a vision, and we have
the greater vision which is Qatar
Foundation and community projects
and community development
opportunities. We have recreation
for families, a riding centre and
organising such an event as this. We
are very careful about selecting
events, making sure we relate to the
right partners. We consider them
strategic partners.”
Jan Tops:
“It is always a pleasure to come to
this venue, it is unique on the
world stage. We have a great
cooperation with the team here and
it goes smoother every year. For
Qatar, this last year has been so
successful with Arabian horses,
racing and the jumping. We are
building a great partnership - Al
Shaqab and GCT are hosting the
greatest riders in the world for the
final event of the season. We have a
possibility of three winners, all
olympic medallists, and we have a
great weekend of sport ahead.”
Mr Tops went on
to say Qatari rider Bassem Hassan
Mohammed has a fantastic chance to
get on the podium on Saturday, and
highlighted Bassem’s history-making
Grand Prix win in Monaco and the
Qatari team’s Gold medal at the
Asian Games this year. Speaking of
their growing success, he added:
“Now they are contenders to be on
the podium, which is a tremendous
change this last year especially,
they are much more consistent and
the crown was winning at the Asian
Games last month."
“I have really
good expectations for the
preparation for the (2016) Olympics.
We have a handful of really good
riders and what we really want is to
build up more riders to ten or
fifteen of them at top level, and we
can compete against the best nations
in the world and medal in the
Games.”
Omar Al Mannai:
“We have the participants of all
ages for the national competitions
from Qatar Equestrian Federation and
from the army, we have seen that it
is good to have national
competitions that give the
opportunity for local riders to
compete with the stars of the
equestrian world."
Marco Danese:
“We have 49 riders in CSI5* and 90
horses on site here at Al Shaqab. We
always have the best riders and
horses competing at almost all of
the events.”
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((Photos: Michael van de Velde/LGCT)
A total of 67
world-class showjumping horses flew
Qatar Airways from Liege, Belgium to
Doha, Qatar today and yesterday
ahead of the final nail-biting round
of the 2014 Longines Global
Champions Tour season (13-15
November).
((Photos: Michael van de Velde/LGCT)
The horses fly in
special 'air stables' and receive a
'business class' experience to
ensure they remain comfortable and
happy throughout their journey to
one of the biggest events in the
equestrian calender. The final Grand
Prix of this year's series takes
place at AL SHAQAB, one of the most
spectacular equestrian venues in the
world, providing a fabulous
international stage for the crowning
of the overall Longines Global
Champions Tour Champion.
For this, the
dramatic conclusion to a
roller-coaster ride of a season, the
stars of the sport are all out in
force for the final showdown, but
it's now a three-horse race to the
Championship title between World No1
Scott Brash (GBR), four-time Olympic
Gold medallist and World No2 Ludger
Beerbaum (GER), and two-time Olympic
Silver medallist Rolf-Göran
Bengtsson (SWE).
((Photos: Michael van de Velde/LGCT)
The CSI5* Doha
finale offers some of the biggest
prize money in the sport, and this
year over €1.7million is on the
table, including the record
€1million end of season bonus of
which the lion's share goes to the
2014 Championship winner.
Grand Prix
highlights will be broadcast on
Eurosport on Saturday 15th November,
with live coverage shown from
Saturday 3.15pm CET on beIN Sports,
Horse&Country TV, GCT TV, Equidia
Life and ClassHorseTV.
((Photos: Michael van de Velde/LGCT)
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(Photos: Stefano Grasso/LGCT)
In a few day's
time, many of the finest equine
athletes in the show jumping world
will begin their journey to the
final thrilling stage of this year’s
Longines Global Champions Tour,
hosted by the state-of-the-art
stadium and stud, Al Shaqab, Doha.
All eyes will be on the breathtaking
Qatari venue as the top combinations
fight for the last available points,
over €1.7 million in prize money and
the ultimate title of 2014 Longines
Global Champions Tour Champion.
The big guns
Among the equine
athletes flying Qatar Airways from
Liege, Belgium to Doha, Qatar this
weekend are some of the most
high-profile and prolific winners of
the year. Heading up the big guns en
route to take part in the final,
dramatic Grand Prix round of the
season is Scott Brash’s (GBR) Hello
Sanctos; the 12-year-old bay gelding
has partnered the World No1 to a
record-breaking three Grand Prix
Gold medals this season and the pair
look poised to defend the title they
won so convincingly in 2013.
“I will do my
best to win the Championship again
this year,” said Brash. “I have had
a fantastic season and Sanctos has
been incredible, but Ludger is still
in the lead at the moment and he
will be a tough man to beat.”
Fighting talk
from Ludger
Brash’s
arch-rival for the 2014 crown, the
one-and-only German legend Ludger
Beerbaum, will be bringing his
11-year-old grey mare Chiara to
Doha, with whom he finished 2nd to
Brash and Sanctos in the Doha Grand
Prix last year. With more top horses
to choose from than many other
riders, there was some speculation
over who Beerbaum might bring, but
Chiara seems to enjoy the giant
arena and big occasion of Doha.
“I didn’t ride
well in the first round of the Grand
Prix in Vienna or I would be in a
safer position on the Ranking than I
am now,” says Beerbaum. “Scott needs
to finish 5th or higher to beat me,
but if I can finish above him I win.
It will be close. I will be watching
him closely.”
A fairytale
ending?
Fresh from a 5*
win in Lyon last weekend,
fan-favourite Rolf-Göran Bengtsson
(SWE) will be taking his star
15-year-old stallion Casall ASK to
the final showdown. Bengtsson is the
only other rider who could steal
victory from Beerbaum should Brash
fail to, but he must win the Grand
Prix to achieve this. Having led the
Championship for a good portion of
the season it would be a poetic
twist if the 2012 runner-up were to
win both the Grand Prix and the
Championship in ten day’s time.
“It’s not
impossible, but both Scott and
Ludger will be super-motivated,”
said Bengtsson. “Casall feels good
and fresh. He’s had a rest since the
World Championships and I did not
push him in Barcelona (FEI Nation’s
Cup Final). Al Shaqab is a great
place to compete with lots of space,
so I will do my best.”
Threats from
all sides
Although it’s a
three horse race to the Championship
finish line, there are a number of
very talented horse and rider
combinations who could still snatch
the €450,000 Grand Prix win. Scott
Brash managed to do the double last
year winning both the Doha Grand
Prix and Championship in one go, but
it had never been done before.
This year Brash
will have to contend with the likes
of 2014 FEI World Cup Final winners
Daniel Deusser (GER) and Cornet
D’Amour, 2014 Aachen Grand Prix
winners Christian Ahlmann (GER) and
Codex One, the exciting new
partnership of Tiffany Foster (CAN)
and Tripple X, reigning Olympic
Champion Steve Guerdat (SUI) and
Nasa, former Olympic Champion
Rodrigo Pessoa (BRA) and Status,
Pan-Am Team Gold medallists Kent
Farrington (USA) and Uceko, and
former two-time LGCT Champion Edwina
Tops-Alexander (AUS) with Old Chap
Tame.
One of the
biggest threats could well be in-form
Dutchman Jur Vrieling and 14-year-old
VDL Bubalu, who will be retired from
international competition after
Doha. The stallion has won a World
Championship Team Gold medal and the
Nation’s Cup Final this year and
could well go out with a bang in the
very last competition of his career.
Watch it live!
The season finale
Grand Prix highlights will be
broadcast on Eurosport on Saturday
15th November, with live coverage
shown from 3.15pm CET on beIN
Sports, Horse&Country TV, GCT TV,
Equidia Life and ClassHorseTV.
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(Photo: Stefano Grasso/LGCT - 2013 Champion
Scott Brash and runner-up Christian Ahlmann - Can Brash
defend his title in 2014)
With the
Longines Global Champions Tour of
Doha (13-15 November) just two weeks
away, tension is mounting for those
star riders preparing for the final
crucial round of the season. The
CSI5* Doha event offers some of the
biggest prize money in the sport,
and this year over €1.7million is on
the table, including the record
€1million end of season bonus of
which the lion's share goes to the
2014 Championship winner.
The Ultimate Prize
Over three days of world-class
competition at the state-of-the-art
Al Shaqab stadium (part of the
illustrious Qatar Foundation),
Olympic, World and Continental
Champions will push each other to
the limit chasing the ultimate prize
- the title of Champion of Champions
and a potential total payout of
nearly €450,000 if they are able to
land both the Grand Prix and the
Championship together. Only one of
three megastars of the sport could
achieve this...
British and World No1 Scott Brash
managed to do the double last year
on his lucrative 28th birthday and
he is in a great position to defend
his title in 2014, but he has stiff
competition in the form of former
Olympic Champion Ludger Beerbaum
(GER) and former European Champion
Rolf-Göran Bengtsson (SWE) who both
currently sit ahead of 3rd-placed
Brash in the Championship Ranking.
Beware Olympic Champions
On Saturday 15th November, the
eagerly anticipated €450,000 Doha
Grand Prix will sort the best from
the rest and one of these three
great sportsmen will be named as the
2014 Championship victor. There are
other big names such as Olympic
Champions Steven Guerdat (SUI),
Rodrigo Pessoa (BRA) or Eric Lamaze
(CAN) who could prevent a second
consecutive clean sweep by snatching
the final Grand Prix win, but no one
can catch Beerbaum, Bengtsson and
Brash as they race for the 2014
Championship finish line.
Championship leader Ludger Beerbaum:
“I have to watch out for both Scott
and Rolf. But the fact that Scott is
still without his maximum seven
scores counting makes him more
dangerous, as he can get full points
in Doha but Rolf and I cannot. If
Scott finishes 5th or above in the
Grand Prix and I am behind him, he
wins. I need to have myself and my
horse fresh and fit in Doha.”
Watch It Live!
The pressure is on as all eyes turn
to Qatar and the climax of this
record-breaking season which has put
forward an unprecedented total
season prize fund of nearly
€9million. For the full Doha rider
listing please click here. The
season finale Grand Prix highlights
will be broadcast on Eurosport on
Saturday 15th November, with live
coverage shown from 3.15pm CET on
beIN Sports, Horse&Country TV, GCT
TV, Equidia Life and ClassHorseTV.
To buy tickets for the event, visit
Virgin Tickets
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(Photo: Stefano
Grasso/LGCT)
The countdown has
begun and in just under three weeks,
the greatest show jumpers in the
world will come together for the
final testing Grand Prix of the 2014
Championship race, hosted by the
magnificent AL SHAQAB in Doha,
Qatar. From the 13-15th November,
this spectacular state-of-the-art
equestrian stadium complex will
welcome some of the biggest and
brightest names in show jumping,
including reigning Longines Global
Champions Tour Champion and World
No1 Scott Brash (GBR) and his
biggest rival for this year’s title,
four-time Olympic Gold medallist and
World No2 Ludger Beerbaum (GER).
A star-studded line-up
For this, the dramatic conclusion to
a roller-coaster ride of a season,
the stars of the sport are all out
in force for the final showdown. AL
SHAQAB, part of the renowned Qatar
Foundation, will welcome World No4
and No5 Kent Farrington (USA) and
Kevin Staut (FRA); 2014 FEI World
Cup Final winner Daniel Deusser
(GER); World Championship Team Gold
medallists Maikel van der Vleuten
(NED), Gerco Schröder (NED) and Jur
Vrieling (NED); Olympic Champion
Steve Guerdat (SUI), European
Champion Roger-Yves Bost (FRA),
two-time Longines Global Champions
Tour Champion Edwina Tops-ALexander
(AUS), and former Olympic Champions
Eric Lamaze (CAN) and Rodrigo Pessoa
(BRA). For the full rider list
please click here.
A Champion of Champions
On Saturday 15th November, the the
overall Longines Global Champions
Tour Champion will be named. In
sparkling form, Ludger Beerbaum
leads the Championship race, with
Scott Brash, who’s won an
unprecedented three Grand Prix this
season, poised in 3rd. But it’s a
three-way charge to the finish line
and former European Champion
Rolf-Goran Bengtsson (SWE), sitting
2nd on the leaderboard, is also in
the running. Runner-up to
Tops-Alexander in 2012, Bengtsson
should never be discounted, however
he needs to win the Grand Prix in
Doha to take the Championship, Brash
has to finish at least 5th to retain
his crown, but if Beerbaum finishes
above Brash the title will be his.
Longines Global Champions Tour
Founder and President Jan Tops: “The
top three could still win the
Championship. Scott has a good
advantage with one less score than
the rest, on the other hand Ludger
is way ahead, so it’s going to be
very exciting. They are all Champion
riders and winners. It’s great for
the public to see and AL SHAQAB will
once again provide wonderful stage
for this final round.”
A rich reward
With a Grand Prix prize fund of
€450,000 and a bonus Championship
prize fund of €1 million being
shared among the highest ranked
finishers in this year’s series, the
competition on Grand Prix day will
be fierce. All of the Longines
Global Champions Tour Top Ten ranked
riders are confirmed for Doha as
well as a collection of Olympic,
World and Regional medal-winners,
all vying for the top sport and the
lion’s share of the winnings. When
Brash won both the Doha Grand Prix
and the overall title last season,
he netted a cool €450,000 - all on
his 28th birthday! Can the Scottsman
do it again, this time ladened with
the pressure of expectation
(something he insists he relishes),
or will the German legend or Swedish
hero pip him to the post?
On Saturday 15th November, you can
watch season finale highlights on
Eurosport or follow the action live
on beIN Sports, GCT TV, Equidia
Life, ClassHorseTV and Horse&Country
TV. Don’t miss one of the most
exciting sporting spectacles of the
season!
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