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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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(Photo: Stefano
Grasso/LGCT)
French star
Pénélope Leprevost thrilled the home
crowd with a turbo-charged patriotic
victory in the Longines Global
Champions Tour Grand Prix of Cannes
tonight.
Pénélope's army
of young fans were ecstatic as she
powered across the finish line in an
eye-popping 36.86, almost a full
second ahead of Swedish champion
Rolf-Göran Bengtsson on the
extraordinary 16 year old stallion
Casall Ask.
It was a night of
great stories under the
multi-coloured lights of the French
Riviera arena. In the overall
championship race Luciana Diniz has
dramatically extended her lead in
the ranking after finishing third on
Fit For Fun.
Luciana is now on
160 points, a full 50 points ahead
of her nearest rival Pius Schwizer
on 110 points and Scott Brash on 105
points. Pius, riding Armani The Gun,
retired in the Grand Prix and Scott
uncharacteristically finished on 8
faults in the first round on Hello
M’Lady. Rolf has jumped up the
ranking from 10th to 4th place and
is on 99 points putting him in
serious contention for the
championship.
With speed and
precision reaching new heights in
the Grand Prix jump-off, the winner
walked away with 40 crucial ranking
points and 99,000 euros for first
place.
The championship
circuit next heads to Monte-Carlo,
Monaco for Leg 7 as the series
powers towards its halfway point.
The exhilarating
first round began against a backdrop
of all the glamour and expectation
Cannes evokes. With packed
grandstands full of visitors from
around the world - including
Wladimir Klitschko, the reigning
Heavyweight World Champion - the
stage was set for the first man on
the course, Jerome Hurel (FRA), and
his bay stallion Ohm de Ponthual to
step into the spotlight. Much to the
delight and cheers of the local fans
within the crowd, Jerome set the bar
high by riding clear around the
1.60m course; a spectacular start to
the Grand Prix.
He was quickly
followed by Jessica Springsteen
(USA) and her mare Lisona, who rode
a beautiful round to take the second
clear of the evening. However,
despite the initially successful
start, many riders were soon caught
out by the technical up to height
course, and the battle intensified
to win the 300,000 euro prize.
Jessica was joined by Ben Maher
(GBR), Rolf-Göran Bengtsson (SWE)
and ranking leader Luciana Diniz
(POR). With silence so intense you
could hear a pin drop, Kevin Staut
(FRA) took centre stage with his bay
mare Elky van het Indihof. As the
grandstands held their breath, Kevin
rode a powerfully quick round to
come home clear and in pole
position. With Pénélope Leprevost
(FRA) and Ratina d'la Rousserie also
riding clear, there would be three
French riders competing in second
round of the first of their home
Grand Prix this season.
The second round
saw further intense battle as the
top 18 riders battled for a place in
the jump-off. Despite their strong
start the top three, Kevin Staut
(FRA), Jerome Hurel (FRA) and
Emanuele Gaudiano (ITA) were unable
to do the double and the challenging
but fair 1.60m course saw just six
combinations achieve a clear round,
four of whom would earn their
position in the jump-off.
It was standing
room only as first to go Maikel van
der Vleuten (NED) and his bay mare
VDL Groep Arera C, completed the
round clear once more in 39.97s.
Next up was last year's second place
position, Luciana Diniz (POR) with
her chestnut mare Fit For Fun 13.
She raised the bar further by going
clear a full two seconds faster and
laid down the gauntlet for the final
two combinations. Rolf-Göran
Bengtsson (SWE) was third to go and
was able to tighten the turns
further still, with the sixteen year
old Casall Ask shaving tenths of a
second off Luciana's time to take
the top spot. Finally, home
favourite Pénélope Leprevost (FRA)
entered the ring to the cheer of the
crowd, with her ten year old bay
mare Ratina d'la Rousserie. With
baited breath the crowd watched as
Pénélope rode a phenomenal clear
round and came home in 36.86, almost
a full second quicker than her
nearest rival.
This is the
second Longines Global Champions
Tour Grand Prix Pénélope Leprevost
has won in her career, her first
being in Vienna in 2012. She claims
the full 40 points from the sixth
leg of the Tour, and moves up to
twenty-sixth in the rankings.
Luciana Diniz maintains her lead on
the overall championship ranking
board, fifty points clear of second
place man Pius Schwizer (SUI), with
Scott Brash (GBR) just five points
behind making the top three.
Pénélope
Leprevost, Longines Global Champions
Tour of Cannes Grand Prix 1st place:
"Ratina is a 10 year-old, freshly
arrived at the top level. It’s her
fourth Grand Prix, and she went
double clear last week in Saint
Tropez. She was not supposed to come
to the Longines Global Champions
Tour of Cannes but we had to change
our plans and I decided to bring her
with me here. It would have been a
shame not to take her! It’s the
first time I tried to be really
quick with Ratina. She is quite hot
so I usually try to calm things down
with her and ride her quietly, but
this has broken all that careful
work!"
Rolf-Goran
Bengtsson, Longines Global Champions
Tour of Cannes Grand Prix 2nd place:
"Going to the last fence I had to
wait a little bit but still I’m
super happy with my 2nd place today
here. Pénélope deserved to win today
- it was a very good jump-off as
everybody just got faster and faster.
Casall has been showing a very
consistent level in this Longines
Global Champions Tour and I’m very
satisfied having a horse like him."
Luciana Diniz,
Longines Global Champions Tour Grand
Prix of Cannes 3rd place and
Longines Global Champions Tour
ranking leader: "I am very happy
to be here, I thank you and
congratulations to all the
organisers and to Jan once more for
this great Longines Global Champions
Tour. As I’ve said, I’m very happy,
I came here and I saw all these
pictures in the whole city of me and
I was like oh my gosh, is that
pressure or is that good? So I
decided to say this is great, I feel
great, and I hope I can share this
message with everyone to ride with
fun and be happy."
Jan Tops,
President and Founder of the
Longines Global Champions Tour:
"You sometimes think things can’t go
better but then you see this jump-off,
it’s amazing to have everyone going
better and better. If you love the
sport then you want to see it like
this. And of course, our course
builder, we must not forget Uliano [Vezzani],
who is a genius all the time, I
always say he knows exactly how to
get the right number and he did it
again. I and also riders and owners,
we appreciate this very much. These
horses are very rare and to keep
jumping these big tracks you need a
really good course builder and he
makes sure that the best one wins
and he doesn’t over jump them. Also
the way he makes the combinations
and the timings I think it’s special,
it’s a real feeling and I think he
needs big recognition for that.
"Of course I want
to thank my partner Francois [Bourey],
for the 10th year, who had the trust
to start from the beginning for this
adventure. We changed the whole
sport from the good to the better
and he was the big one who believed
from the beginning and I want to
thank him again for everything."
Sadri Fegaier,
Haras des Grillons: "The
Longines Global Champions Tour of
Cannes is a wonderful show, I’m very
proud that Haras des Grillons is
able to partner with this unique and
beautiful event. Seeing a French
rider winning is absolutely amazing."
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(Photo: Stefano
Grasso/LGCT)
It was another
successful British evening in Cannes
with a strong 1 - 2 finish as Ben
Maher (GBR) rode Aristo Z to claim
the trophy for the Prix E. Leclerc
CSI5*, and Scott Brash (GBR) coming
a close second with the eleven year
old Hello Annie. French favourite
Pénélope Leprévost (FRA) took third
place after an electrifying
jump-off, much to the delight of the
packed grandstands throughout the
arena.
Under stormy
skies and much cooler temperatures,
the second day of competition took
place with VIP guests from across
the world in Cannes for the show
jumping spectacular on the French
Riviera. Charlotte Casiraghi of
Monaco took a bit of time off from
competing and joined guests to watch
tonight's main competition where
forty-seven world class combinations
took to the floodlit sand arena to
complete the 1.50m jump-off class.
Bruce Springsteen and his wife Patti
were in the VIP the previous
evening, watching their daughter
Jessica in the feature class of the
day.
Pénélope
Leprévost (FRA) laid down the
gauntlet, riding a careful but
accurate first clear round of the
competition with her bay mare, Nice
Stephanie, triggering patriotic
cheers from the local crowd. Rodrigo
Pessoa (BRA) was the next to ride
clear, completing the round with the
eleven year old bay Status. Three
was the magic number as Scott Brash
(GBR) took the third clear of the
competition with the eleven year old
Hello Annie; once more completing
the course with true style. He was
closely followed by compatriot Ben
Maher (GBR) riding the eleven year
old Aristo Z clear to earn his place
in the jump-off.
Bertram Allen
(IRE) with Quiet Easy 4, Christian
Ahlmann (GER) with Reavnir, and
Henrik von Eckermann (SWE) with his
bay nine year old For Sale 6 all
rode clear to take their place in
the jump-off.
The atmosphere
intensified and the arena was bathed
in multiple coloured lights as the
seven strong jump-off got underway.
The course was shortened and the
fences raised to 1.55m for this
intense phase of the competition.
Pénélope Leprévost (FRA) was once
more first to go, and rode a
stunning clear round with the
fastest pace to the last fence,
setting the bar high at 33.83s.
Scott Brash (GBR) continued his
exceptional form, raising the bar
once more with measured brilliance
and extraordinary precision to come
at 33.77s, and second in the
competition. In an incredible twist
Christian Ahlmann (GER) matched
Pénélope Leprévost's time exactly to
100th of a second. and finishing
with identical times. This was
extremely unusual with such
different horses of height and
build, but showcasing the high
calibre of talent and skill on show
and the intensity of the
competition.
Just when the
fans thought it couldn't be ridden
any quicker, the climax came as Ben
Maher (GBR) and his firecracker of a
horse lit up the arena to ride clear
and take the win in a spectacular
time of 32.76s. With just tenths of
a second between the top riders, and
six of the seven riding a double
clear, the stage is set for a
thrilling final act in Cannes for
Longines Global Champions Tour Grand
Prix.
It was a lively
social scene around the arena and
the exciting event was watched over
by the Mayor of Cannes David
Lisnard, who was also joined by
French Ministers and the famous
French TV presenter and
singer-songwriter, Julien Lepers.
Monsieur Lisnard praised the high
standard of the event and said:
"Global Champions Tour is an amazing
and magical show and for the City of
Cannes it is very important to have
this kind of high level
international sport."
It will be high
stakes in tomorrow's Grand Prix,
where ranking leader Luciana Diniz
(POR) will be defending her lead.
Don't miss our exclusive interview
with Luciana Diniz, talks intimately
about her philosophy on life, the
deep bond with her champion horses
and reveals her new charity. The
full interview will be live tomorrow
via our website:
www.globalchampionstour.com.
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(Photo: Stefano
Grasso/LGCT)
The current world
number one Scott Brash threw down
the gauntlet in Cannes with a
dramatic win in the big class of the
day, three seconds ahead of his
nearest rival. It was a blistering
start to the first day on the French
Riviera which unfolded under idyllic
blue skies. As the sun went down,
the lights came on for the second of
the CSI5*, the 1.50m Prix FFE French
Tour Generali, which saw Ben Maher
(GBR) take an early lead with his
eleven year old gelding Aristo Z. He
was soon overtaken by fellow British
rider, John Whitaker (GBR) with his
beautiful dark bay stallion Argento
after they completed a strong clear
round in 64.62s. However, both were
beaten by their compatriot Scott
Brash who delivered an effortlessly
smooth and quick round with eleven
year mare old Hello Annie, owned by
Lady Pauline Kirkham and Lady
Pauline Harris. Scott took the win a
clear three seconds faster than
second place man Julien Epaillard
(FRA) with his chestnut stallion
Sheriff de la Nutria LM.
Speaking about
his win, Scott said: "It's started
great to Cannes and I'm really happy
as Hello Annie was fantastic here
tonight. She's a really useful
horse, she jumps the big classes for
the first couple of days and these
sorts of horses are really useful to
have in your string to keep your
rankings points up. It's great to
see the Brits do well - John rode a
great round, as did Ben also - his
horse has been off for a while so
it's good to see him back, and this
result is very good for Britain.
I'll ride Hello M'Lady for the Grand
Prix - I jumped her earlier today
and every day this week, so fingers
crossed for Saturday."
Throughout the
day, the sixth leg of the
championship saw talented young
riders including Charlotte Casiraghi
of Monaco, competing in a string of
amateur competitions before the
world's best horse and rider
combinations took centre stage. With
266 temporary stables set up just a
stones throw from the shoreline of
the Mediterranean sea, many of the
most talented horse and rider
combinations in the sport have
descended on this classic tour
destination for its 10th anniversary
year. Course designer Uliano Vezzani
described the ambience: "The
atmosphere is fantastic. It's a show
that I really love and feel a part
of because of the atmosphere during
the event. We are almost at the mid
point of the season and the riders
are always the best. For a course
designer to design in this location,
and with these horses, it's a gift.
It's very satisfying but a big
commitment to be completely involved
- I really love this circuit."
Also speaking
about the set up in Cannes and the
sixth leg of the tour, British rider
Ben Maher (GBR) said: "This round
has been here a few years now, and
it's probably one of my favourites.
It's always good to come here, and
it's nice to enjoy some time during
the afternoon relaxing before
jumping here in the evening. It's
very dramatic under the lights and
I've had some good times here."
The first CSI5*
class, the Prix BMW Bayern Avenue,
took place as dusk fell at 19:00
with 49 riders competing in the
1.45m special two phase. Home
favourite Roger-Yves Bost (FRA) set
the pace early on, eleventh to start
and completing a blindingly quick
and accurate clear round with his
chestnut mare Sydney Une Prince. His
lead of three seconds was then taken
by Abdulrahman Al Rajhi (KSA) who
rode a beautifully calm but
incredibly fast round with his
gelding Chicago 84. Despite this
being his first competition in
Cannes, and only his second
experience in the Longines Global
Champions Tour championship,
Abdulrahman Al Rajhi managed to
complete the special two phase round
in just 26.44secs, almost two
seconds clear of Roger-Yves who came
second and Maikel van der Vleuten
(NED) who came in third with his bay
gelding Vdl Groep Quatro.
Abdulrahman Al
Rajhi (KSA) spoke following his win:
"I'm very happy as it was the first
class I rode in here in Cannes, and
it is also only the second time I
have competed in the Longines Global
Champions Tour championship. I hope
that we can win again in the next
classes! I am very happy with the
way my horse jumped today, he's in
good condition and is very relaxed.
Sometimes he can get a little
nervous, but he jumped very well
today so I'm pleased."
Among those
competing on the amateur circuit
this weekend, local favourite
Guillaume Canet (FRA), who
commented: "I would prefer to come
to Cannes for this show and not the
festival! Now when someone asks me
if I went to Cannes my first thought
is for the competition. I enjoy
coming here very much, like most of
the Longines Global Champions Tour
rounds - it's a great organisation
and you have the chance to ride
amongst the best riders in the
world; it's great."
Keep up to date
with all the action via our website
www.globalchampionstour.com and
through our social media channels.
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(Photo: Stefano
Grasso/LGCT)
Over two thirds
of the Top 30 riders in the world
will come out with all guns blazing
on the French Riviera for next
week’s 10th edition of the Longines
Global Champions Tour in Cannes.
The Top 2 ranked
riders, Scott Brash (GBR) and Daniel
Deusser (GER), will be among those
in hot competition in the glamorous
Cote d’Azur where Hollywood stars
recently paraded on the infamous red
carpet on La Croisette.
Current Longines
Global Champions Tour overall
ranking leader Luciana Diniz (POR)
will be determined to hold on to her
lead in the thrilling, unfolding
championship race. Luciana is in
pole position on 125 points, but is
only 15 points ahead of Swiss ace
Pius Schwizer on 110 points and hot
on his heels is the formidable Scott
Brash on 105 points.
Pius will want to
repeat the success of his victory in
Cannes in 2014 and there will be all
to play for at the big showdown on
Grand Prix night on Saturday. With
€300,000 prize money up for grabs
and 40 precious ranking points to
the winner, the Grand Prix
competition will be intense.
The atmosphere in
the 75m x 55m sand arena, close to
the beautiful bay of Cannes and the
famous Croisette, will be electric
with thousands of spectators and
hundreds of VIP and corporate guests
expected. Henrik Von Eckermann
(SWE), Bertram Allen (IRE),
Christian Ahlmann (GER), Constant
van Paesschen (BEL), Edwina
Tops-Alexander (AUS), Bassem Hassan
Mohammed (QAT), Jane Richard Philips
(SUI), Jessica Springsteen (USA) and
Maikel van der Vleuten (NED) will
all be in action. There will be a
strong turn out of champion riders
including Simon Delestre, Roger-Yves
Bost, Penelope Leprevost and Kevin
Staut, all representing their
country at the first Longines Global
Champions Tour Grand Prix of the
season on French soil.
The 2015 series
kicked off in spectacular fashion in
Miami Beach in April and the
championship race is already
captivating equestrian fans
worldwide. As the Tour celebrates
its 10th anniversary year, it is
also the 10th edition of the event
in Cannes at the Stade des
Hesperides show ground. Back in
2006, the first year of Global
Champions Tour, the Cannes event was
the second leg of the series. The
Grand Prix was won by Thomas
Fruhmann on The Sixth Sense with
Nick Skelton in second place on
Arko.
The Longines
Global Champions Tour Grand Prix of
Cannes will be broadcast on
Eurosport, BeIN Sports and live via
GCT TV on
www.globalchampionstour.com and
also on Equidia, Class Horse TV and
Horse and Country TV.
Click
here for the latest rider list.
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