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(Photo: Stefano
Grasso/LGCT)
The final CSI5*
class of the Longines Global
Champions Tour of Lausanne, the Prix
du Qatar, was won by Abdullah Al
Sharbatly (KSA) with Andrea. Second
went to recent World Championship
Team Gold medallist Jur Vrieling
with VDL Zirocco NOP and 3rd to
young rising star Bertram Allen
(IRE) with Romanov. The class was a
fast and furious race against the
clock which had the crowd rising
from their seats in excitement as
each horse crossed the finish line.
Jamil Boukarabila
félicite son ami Abdullah Al
Sherbatly lors de sa victoire ŕ
Lausanne.
Le consultant hippique était de
passage dans sa ville d'origine
entre deux voyages ŕ l'étranger pour
le compte
d'écuries des Emirats Arabes Unis.
The first round
was a technical course built by
Belgium’s Luc Musette, demanding
precision and control, and clear
rounds were few and far between for
much of the first half of the draw.
Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum (GER) and
Atlanta, 11th to go, were the first
to manage a clean round, swiftly
followed by Philippe Rozier (FRA)
and Rahotep de Toscane. A tough
combination across the arena - a
wide oxer going in followed by two
short strides to a double of
uprights - was particularly
troublesome; as was the penultimate
double of LGCT uprights tight out of
a corner.
The sun beamed
down on the lakeside arena for the
third day in a row, as buzzing
spectator stands enjoyed the final
showdown between some of the best
horses and riders in the world. As
the class progressed, the
competitors seemed to get the hang
of the tricky test set for them and
clear rounds began to accumulate -
Janika Sprunger (SUI) with Uptown
Boy, Alberto Michán (MEX) with
Camilo La Silla, Martin Fuchs (SUI)
with PSG Future, Rolf-Göran
Bengtsson (SWE) with Unita ASK and
Denis Lynch (IRE) with Querida all
progressed to the 14-horse jump-off.
The shorted
course against the clock consisted
of eight obstacles and was scattered
with lone flimsy uprights. The first
three riders all lowered fences
attempting to set a strong time to
beat. Cassio Rivetti (UKR) with
Seacoast Forlap chose to ride a more
cautious clear which was immediately
bettered by Edwina Tops-Alexander
(AUS) with Fair Light van T Heike;
however, Simon Delestre (FRA) with
Ryan des Hayettes then attacked at
full tilt and wiped 5s off her time.
Abdullah Al Sherbatly,
tout heureux d'avoir offert au
Royaume d'Arabie Saoudite une
magnifique victoire lors de l'étape
lausannoise du Longines Global
Champions Tour, s'appręte ŕ se
rendre ŕ la remise des prix sur sa
bonne jument Andrea.
It looked like
the Frenchman would never be caught,
but amazingly Emanuele Gaudiano
(ITA) with Admara 2 did just that
from the middle of the draw, but he
was followed by Jur Vrieling who
went even faster again with his
big-striding mount. Sharbatly had
the benefit of being late in the
draw and his super-careful mare
never looked like touching a pole,
no matter how he dared her. Bertram
Allen followed but he couldn’t cover
the ground at the speed Sharbatly
did.
Next stop for the
Longines Global Champions Tour is
Vienna this coming weekend and our
host venue this season, Magna
Racino. Vienna offers the top ten
Championship contenders their last
chance to grab vital points before
heading to Doha in November.
Germany’s Ludger Beerbaum took over
the No1 spot from Sweden’s
Rolf-Göran Bengtsson in yesterday’s
Grand Prix and now holds a narrow
lead of just 15 points. Having had
one of his best season’s to date,
this could well be Beerbaum’s year
to be crowned LGCT Champion if Scott
Brash (GBR) doesn’t catch him.
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(Photo: Stefano
Grasso/LGCT)
It was a battle of the Legends with
a capital 'L' in Lausanne this
evening when Germany’s Ludger
Beerbaum and Chaman took on
Britain’s John Whitaker and Argento
in front of a hugely excited and
supportive Suisse crowd, with the
four-time Olympic Gold medallist
Beerbaum coming out on top by just
0.81s. Third place went to the
relative newcommer on the Longines
GCT Argentina’s José Maria Larocca
with GDE Matrix, who finished one of
just two other treble clears 0.84s
ahead of 4th placed Gerco Schröder
(NED) and Cognac Champblanc who
jumped his socks off. With his win
tonight, Beerbaum has stormed up the
Championship ranking from 4th to 1st
taking a narrow lead of 15 points.
The picturesque lake-side
showground was packed for the Grand
Prix showdown with spectators
thrilled by the incredible sport.
Hundreds of guests enjoyed the
competition from ring-side seats
alongside the arena. With the event
taking place in Lausanne, home of
the International Olympic Committee,
it was fitting that the IOC Sports
Director Kit McConnell joined
hundreds of guests to watch the best
show jumpers in the world in action.
Film star Marion Cotillard added
some Hollywood glamour to the event
when she joined her husband
Guillaume Canet, a regular
competitor on the Longines Global
Champions Tour, in the VIP.
HOT FAVOURITES OUT IN THE FIRST
ROUND
The first round of Luc Musette's
Grand Prix course was a twisting,
turning gauntlet with a number of
bogey fences. Ranking leader
Rolf-Göran Bengtsson (SWE) with his
relatively inexperienced Clarimo ASK
lowered two fences in the first
round and did not make the top 18
cut for the second round, opening up
his Championship No1 spot to attack
from those below him. Hot favourite,
World No1 Scott Brash with Hello
Annie, who has won an incredible
three rounds this season with Hello
Sanctos, retired halfway round after
collecting eight faults early on.
After coming so close to adding
another medal to his tally at last
week’s World Championship, Ludger
Beerbaum (GER) came back with a bang
in Lausanne this evening making the
testing first round course look
simple where others had struggled.
Former two-time Longines GCT Champ
Edwina Tops-Alexander (AUS) and Old
Chap Tame also produced a careful
clear round to put pressure on the
riders ranked above and below her on
the Championship table. Qatar’s
Bassem Hassan Mohammed, back with
his Monaco Grand Prix-winning star
mare Victoria, also finished on a
zero score.
A SURPRISING SECOND ROUND
The second round was full of tall
airy uprights and wide square oxers
which took a lot of jumping. First
to go was Jane Richard Philips (SUI)
carrying four faults from the first
round, who jumped a stylish clear
and made the task look achievable.
But it wasn’t until nine riders
later when Gerco Schröder with
Cognac Champblanc entered the arena
that another clear made it onto the
score sheet. Beerbaum followed
immediately after with another
double clear. But it was a double
clear from Britain’s John Whitaker
with Argento that really raised the
roof.
Tops-Alexander dropped out of the
running in the second round with an
uncharacteristic 14 faults as did
Mohammed with 12 faults. But it was
a pair of less familiar faces on the
Tour, José Maria Larocca and Pilar
Lucrecia Cordon (ESP) with Nuage
Bleu, second-to-last and last to go,
who really rose to the occasion by
going on to jump a double clear to
join this world-class trio in one of
the most highly anticipated
jump-offs of the season.
AN EMOTIONAL JUMP-OFF
The jump-off course itself
offered some daring turn-back
options and Gerco Schroder was the
pathfinder with his big-jumping
grey, riding a careful but neat
round and setting a time of 40s
dead. Beerbaum was next to go and
rode what he described as a ‘close
to perfect round’ to stop the clock
at 37.50s. The crowd cheered and a
rare smile crept across the German’s
face as he left the arena patting
his horse. Camera’s followed Ludger
into the warm-up arena where he
watched Whitaker’s round anxiously.
John Whitaker entered to a warm
and welcoming applause, and managed
to make up time with his stallion’s
quick movement across the ground as
he tried to claw back some of the
seconds saved by Ludger’s smooth,
big striding Chaman. Argento raced
through the finish in 38.31s jumping
confidently around a course john
described as 'a bit big for me'. The
relief on Ludger’s face was clear as
he watch a long-time rival settle
for 2nd place.
Larocca was last to go and with
pole position he knew what he had to
do, but the experienced legends were
deceptively quick and he could only
finished in 39.16s. It was an
emotional Grand Prix for many this
evening, seeing Ludger Beerbaum and
John Whitaker go up against each
other once again, and for John to
take the first LGCT podium finish of
his long and illustrious career was
a special moment for many who
watched it.
Next stop is Vienna next weekend
where eight of the Top Ten riders in
the world will be fighting for
supremacy at this year's venue Magna
Racino, including Marcus Ehning
(GER), Gregory Wathelet (BEL), Kevin
Staut (FRA), Pénélope Leprevost
(FRA) and Ben Maher (GBR). Can
Beerbaum hold onto his narrow lead
faced with this onslaught on
world-class talent? If anyone can,
it’s him.
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(Photo: Stefano Grasso/LGCT)
Tonight’s feature class, the CSI5*
Prix de Canton de Vaud was won by
2014 World Championship Team Gold
medallist and Longines Global
Champions Tour of Madrid Grand Prix
winner Maikel van der Vleuten (NED)
with VDL Groep Eureka, who took the
victory by over a second from 2nd
placed Doda de Miranda (BRA) with AD
Nouvelle Europe Z. Third went to
home rider Jane Richard Philips
(SUI) with Upanisad di San
Patrignano, who finished less than
0.5s behind Miranda.
The crowd followed every rider’s
round with energetic enthusiasm,
cheering the clears and groaning
with disappointment when poles were
lowered. Luc Musette’s two-phase
course harboured a few deceptively
tricky fences. No1 proved to be
rather spooky to the younger, less
experienced horses who were
suspicious of the way shadows fell
across the fence. Though the
obstacle i tself rarely fell - many
horses jumped extra-high to clear it
- it’s fear-factor served to
encourage mistakes from unsettled
mounts later in the course.
The upright going into the last
short one-stride double and the back
rail of the wide oxer coming out
also hit the sand a number of times,
as did the final fence - the
Longines plank. At the half-way
point of the 47-strong class, only
five riders had completed the class
clear and by the end just nine
clears were on the scoreboard.
Including Maikel van der Vleuten who
led from early in the draw with his
tough little mare VDL Groep Eureka,
who bravely tried her heart out at
every fence.
Strong performances from LGCT Top
Ten riders such as Edwina
Tops-Alexander (AUS), Maikel van der
Vleuten, Rolf-Göran Bengtsson (SWE)
and Scott Brash (GBR) have set the
stage for a fierce battle in
tomorrow’s key Grand Prix, the
pivotal 12th round of this 14-leg
season. With just two Grand Prix
remaining until the final in Doha in
November, every point counts in the
race to be crowned Longines Global
Champions Tour Champion 2014. Can
any of the other top riders stop
2013 Champion Scott Brash’s sprint
finish up the leaderboard?
Watch the Longines Global Champions
Tour of Lausanne Grand Prix live
tomorrow from 6pm CEST on GCT TV,
beIN Sports 9, Equidia Life and
ClassHorseTV, and on Eurosport from
8.45pm.
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(Photo: Stefano Grasso/LGCT)
The
opening CSI5* class of the Longines
Global Champions Tour of Lausanne
was won by Italy’s Luca Maria Moneta
and his trusty 17-year-old Jesus de
la Commune, who proved that aged is
just a number when the heart is
willing. Second place went to
reigning European Champion
Roger-Yves Bost (FRA) with
Quaoukoura du Ty, who claimed his
ninth top three placing in an LGCT
class this season. Third went to the
man of the moment, 19-year-old
Bertram Allen (IRE) with Belmonde,
who burst into the highest levels of
the sport this season by winning the
first round of the World
Championships last week.
This afternoon’s class welcomed an
illustrious line-up with no less
than six 2014 World Championship
medallists taking to the competition
arena. Luc Musette’s course caused
few problems and offered a welcoming
introduction to this gorgeous
lake-side arena in the Olympic
Capital of Lausanne. Of the 51
starters, 25 jumped a double clear
with the top five placed riders all
finishing within one second of each
other.
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(Photo: Stefano
Grasso/LGCT)
The battle to win
the 2014 Longines Global Champions
Tour will be on fire tonight, with
six of the world’s top riders in
with a chance of taking the ranking
lead. As the Championship race heads
towards its climax, the stage is set
for a nail-biting competition in the
Longines Global Champions Tour of
Lausanne Grand Prix in Switzerland's
Olympic Capital. At the stunning
location next to Lake Geneva, there
have already been strong
performances from LGCT ranking
leader Rolf-Göran Bengtsson (SWE),
No3 Edwina Tops-Alexander (AUS), and
World No1 Scott Brash (GBR) - who
has won three of the last seven LGCT
Grand Prix.
Already, World
Championship Team Gold medallist
Maikel van der Vleuten (NED) has
laid down the gauntlet by winning
yesterday’s CSI5* Prix de Canton de
Vaud with VDL Groep Eureka. With
only two more stages to go in the
2014 Championship series, Rolf-Göran
Bengtsson is just 20 points in front
after a Grand Prix win in Chantilly
and podium places in Monaco and
Antwerp. Fellow Swede Henrik von
Eckermann and 2011/2012 LGCT
Champion Edwina Tops-Alexander are
both on 201 points - but Henrik has
edged into 2nd place with more 2nd
placed finishes to his name. Both
Von Eckermann and Tops-Alexander
could jump into the No1 spot
depending on the final point scores
tonight.
Speaking at the
event launch hosted by the Beau
Rivage Palace Hotel on the edge of
Lake Geneva, Rolf said: “It is still
very close. We are getting close to
the end of the season and there are
a few really dangerous riders coming
up behind me, we have World No1
Scott Brash who for sure wants to
climb up in the ranking list and
will be very motivated.” Show
jumping legend Ludger Beerbaum
(GER), 4th on the Championship
Ranking, is riding Chaman tonight
and if he wins the Grand Prix he
could take over the lead if Rolf
does not score points.
Great Britain’s
Scott Brash will be riding Hello
Annie and can also jump into the No1
position depending on the scores of
the other leading riders. Last year
young American rider Lucy Davis
stunned the show jumping world by
winning the Grand Prix here in
Lausanne and she is determined to
give her best tonight. Jan Tops,
President of the Longines Global
Champions Tour, said: “The standard
of competition at our events this
season has been incredible, the
Grand Prix is like Olympic level
every time and all the riders are
fully focused on moving up the
ranking.”
Prize money of
€300,000 and the pursuit of crucial
ranking points will fire up the
riders in tonight’s big battle.
Ahead of the Grand Prix the world’s
greatest show jumping horses were
taken by their grooms to the shores
of Lake Geneva for some early
exercise this morning. The Longines
Global Champions Tour circuit moves
to Vienna, Austria next weekend and
then to Doha in Qatar for the final
leg in November.
Watch the
Longines Global Champions Tour of
Lausanne Grand Prix live today from
6pm CEST on GCT TV, beIN Sports 9,
Equidia Life and ClassHorseTV, and
on Eurosport from 8.45pm.
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