Source:  News Release

World's Best Ready For High Octane Grand Prix

Photocredits: Stefano Grasso/ Longines Global Champions Tour

The stars of show jumping are gearing up for a dynamic afternoon of world beating sport at the Olympic Park in the first Longines Global Champions Tour of London.

Leading riders are anticipating an immensely tough course by Uliano Vezzani in the sand arena overlooked by the iconic Olympic stadium. Britain’s Olympic gold medallists Nick Skelton, Ben Maher, Scott Brash and Peter Charles will be up against the hottest competition from legends of the sport from Ludger Beerbaum and Rolf-Göran Bengtsson to Michael and John Whitaker.

Speaking just before taking part in the first 5* of the day, the Sapinda Prix, John Whitaker said: “The standard of jumping is so high, it is an incredible level. The level is incredible at these events, horses and riders, and it just keeps going up. We had 14 clears yesterday so I think Uliano could make the course really high.  This has been a really successful event. It’s great to be on home soil. The horses are jumping really well and the ground is good. I’m really looking forward to the Grand Prix this afternoon and I hope we get a lot of support from the public.”

The Top 30 riders have turned out for the 4th leg of the championship series in force with US rider Laura Kraut in top spot on the ranking ahead of Portugal’s Luciana Diniz, Brazil’s Alvaro de Miranda and Germany’s Christian Ahlmann.

The greatest horses in show jumping are here at the event ensuring high octane competition in the Grand Prix. Big Star, Taloubet Z, Carlo, London and Cevo Itot du Chateau will all be dazzling the crowds here at the Olympic Park.

Riders raised the temperature in the Sapinda Prix with speed merchant Roger-Yves Bost for France winning on Castle Forbes Cosma with compatriot Penelope LePrevost second on Flora de Mariposa.

London Grand Prix tests the best

Photocredits: Stefano Grasso/ Longines Global Champions Tour

We have a super star line up for the second round of the Longines GCT Grand Prix of London. A difficult first round, designed by Italy's Uliano Vezzani, proved problematic for riders such as Marc Houtzager, Saer Coulter, Steve Guerdat, Roger-Yves Bost and Rolf-Goran Bengtsson. 

However, we saw eighteen clear rounds, with two-time season winner Edwina Tops-Alexander landing the final spot on the qualified list for the second round of competition. Great Britain's Tina Fletcher was the first rider to jump a clear round aboard Lady Harris and Lady Kirkham's Hello Sailor. Ireland's Mark McAuley followed swiftly behind with Par Trois. A super round for Ireland, saw the young McAuley join the ranks of the world's best in the second round as the only representative for Ireland. 

Wonderful rounds from Luciana Diniz with her stallion Winningmood as well as Longines Global Champions Tour season ranking leader Laura Kraut aboard the legendary Cedric. Britain's best Nick Skelton and Big Star earned a huge applause from the homecrowd as they crossed the finish line with a time of 74.52 seconds, making the combination one of the fastest in the first round. British Olympian Ben Maher managed the fastest time of the first round with a wonderful display of British horsemanship aboard Jane Clarke's grey mare Cella. 

As we look to the second round, riders will walk a new course and prepare for the intensity of only eighteen riders to compete against. Australia's Edwina Tops-Alexander will be the first rider in the ring for the second round aboard her legendary Cevo Itot du Chateau. The second round is sure to be competitive and difficult but soon we will know the name of the lucky winner of the Longines GCT Grand Prix of London.

Ben Maher in electrifying win over Nick Skelton at London thriller

Photocredits: Stefano Grasso/ Longines Global Champions Tour

Olympic team gold medallist Ben Maher trumped fellow Brit Nick Skelton in an electrifying British thriller at the first-ever Longines Global Champions Tour in London.

The extraordinary British duel in the €450,000 Grand Prix jump off triggered ecstatic applause around the packed grandstands and VIP in one of the most spectacular jump offs in the Tour’s history. Ben Maher on the grey mare Cella galloped to victory over a second faster than Nick Skelton on his champion stallion Big Star.

Delighted Ben Maher, part of the gold medal team in London 2012, took some dramatic risks in the high stakes jump off and said: “Today everything paid off. I took risks but a horse like that gives you so much confidence.” Ben said the arrival of such a high calibre international 5* in London was long overdue and added: “This week we put on a good show and we supplied really good sport.” Ben won a Longines watch and €148,500 in prize money with Nick Skelton receiving €90,000.

The battle for second and third place was no less dramatic with Nick finishing 0.01 of a second faster than Germany's Christian Ahlmann on the amazing Taloubet Z. The world’s best riders competed in a dramatic afternoon of high octane sport at the Olympic Park climaxing in a jump off on an unforgiving course set by Uliano Vezzani. 

After the 4th leg of the 2013 season Luciana Diniz of Portugal is now on top of the overall ranking on 106 points with US rider Laura Kraut hot on her heels in second place on 105 points. Laura looked as if she would pull off a back to back victory on the incredible Cedric but had 4 four faults in the jump off. Christian Ahlmann’s 3rd place today puts him in 3rd on the championship ranking on 100 points with Nick Skelton moving into the Top 10. The top three are now closely bunched at the top of the championship leader board going into the 5th leg of the series in Cannes as the Tour moves to the French Riviera for the next two events.

Speaking ahead of the Grand Prix John Whitaker pointed out the exceptionally high standard of competitors at the event meaning only the very best would win through. The BBC broadcast the second round and jump off live.

First Round

Five-time Olympian John Whitaker was first in on Argento setting the British flavour to the Grand Prix from the word go. Fellow Brit Tina Fletcher was the first clear on Hello Sailor. And it was 26-year-old Irishman Mark McAuley who stunned the home crowd with a clear round. Olympic team gold medallist Peter Charles landed the third clear round of the afternoon aboard Murka’s Odie de Frevent. Robert Smith, son of UK show jumping legend Harvey Smith who watched the day’s events at the Olympic Park, executed a superb round but finished with a frustrating time fault. William Funnell on Billy Congo joined the British contingent on a clear and Saudi rider Kamal Bahamdan and Qatar’s Sheikh Ali Al Thani also lined up for the 2nd round with clears. Among the other prominent clear rounds by seasoned Tour stars were Alvaro de Miranda, Edwina Tops-Alexander, Laura Kraut, Ludger Beerbaum, Nick Skelton, Luciana Diniz and Michael Whitaker. Steve Guerda t elected to retire and Marc Houtzager left the ring with an uncharacteristic 14 penalties. Scott Brash, Christian Ahlmann, Patrice Delaveau jumped clear with Ben Maher laying the foundations of his victory. The triple Longines combination alongside the VIP, which was packed to capacity, was a major challenge as horses barely had enough run up to pick enough momentum to jump through the vertical, oxer, oxer. 

Second Round

Edwina Tops-Alexander was first to jump in the second round. Her moderately paced time in the first round meant that the two-time Longines Global Champions Tour season winner would be first to compete in the second round aboard the legendary Cevo Itot du Chateau. Edwina and Germany's Ludger Beerbaum both suffered 4 fault scores, and did not make the jump off. Christian Ahlmann and Taloubet Z set the pace going clear and sure enough, Patrice Delaveau and William Funnel followed suit as well as Sweden's Hendrik con Eckermann. The young Scott Brash, Olympic gold medallist with Team GBR last year in Greenwich, delivered the second clear round for Great Britain proving again that he thrives on pressure. And there was no doubt the pressure was on for the British riders to perform well. Portugal's Luciana Diniz would lead British legends Nick Skelton and Michael Whitaker through to the jump off as well as the incredibly talented Ben Maher. The second round was almost over as soon as it began, with an impressive ten horse-and-rider combinations clear and through to the jump off. 

Jump off

There was no doubt in anyone's mind that this jump off would be a spectacle in itself. With ten combinations clear, riders would have to pull out all the stops to guarantee themselves a spot anywhere near the podium. Top-performing Longines Global Champions Tour rider Laura Kraut was first of the riders to jump off. Riding the incredible Cedric, Laura set a cracking pace, but had an unfortunate rail. It was world number one ranking rider Christian Ahlmann jumped an incredible round with Taloubet Z. It was as if Christian ceased to tap on the breaks, finishing with a time of 31.86 seconds. Patrice Delaveau and William Funnell tried to chase Christian's time but failed. Shouts and chants came from the stands and the packed VIP as Scott Brash entered the ring with his Olympic mount Hello Sanctos. Scott gave it his best shot, with an excellent execution but with a time of 32.44 seconds. Top-ranked Longines Global Champions Tour season rider Luciana Diniz and Longines GCT Grand Prix of Madrid winner Michael Whitaker gave it their best shot but to no avail. It was all down to Britain's much-loved Nick Skelton and Ben Maher to determine whether the first Longines GCT Grand Prix of London would see Germany prevail or in fact, hosting Nation Great Britain would appease the waiting crowds. Nick Skelton and Big Star entered the ring to huge applause. Setting an early pace, Nick and Big Star attacked the course, clearly fired up with the hopes of a British win. Coming around to the second to last fence on a wide turn, a turn that may very well have cost Nick and Big Star those extra few fractions of a second. Crossing the finish line, Nick and Big Star had beat Christian's time by 0.01 of a second. Nick Skelton and Big Star had managed to unseat Christian Ahlmann and Taloubet Z by the smallest of margins and no one could be happier than the British crowd who applauded and cheered with passion. Last to go was Ben Maher and his newly acquired Cella. A very fast combination, the international stadium was hushed with tension as no one could predict what would happen next. Ben had the clear advantage over any of the previous riders, as he was last to go and had nothing to lose if he elected to take every risk available on course. That is exactly what Ben did! Starting off with an unbelievable pace, it was clear to Nick and everyone else watching that the only way Nick could hold onto his lead was if Ben and Cella knocked a rail. Coming around on a s-shaped turn, Ben sliced fence five and six, leaving only the last fence, a Longines vertical erected next to the VIP. Guests in the VIP stood on edge, leaning over the railing, shouting in encouragement as Ben and Cella galloped to the last fence. They were clear over the last fence and as everyone craned their necks to see the score, it was all over. Ben and Cella had not only beaten Nick and Big Star's time but had managed to do so with a generous margin. Finishing with a time of 30.58 seconds, Ben and Cella left their fellow horse-and-rider combinations in the dust. 

Grand Prix Quotes

Ben Maher

Asked about the wild cheers from the crowd during his jump off round Ben Maher said: “I did not hear anything, just like the Olympics, I only heard it towards the second to last fence. When I jumped the 3rd jump I took a very long way back. It was risky but I got away with it. I knew I was quick. I just let her go. She has a huge stride. I was able to gallop up there rather than hold on to the end. And I think that is where I made my time. I have to just let her run. It is a very risky style of riding but the horse gives you so much confidence. Today everything paid off.”

Nick Skelton

I was very pleased with Big Star he was jumping in great form. He is phenomenal. For the public and for TV. It was a great competition, very exciting and a great result. I was going as fast as I could but there was a risk factor for me at the last fence.”

Christian Ahlmann

I was hoping to win this Grand Prix but it was not to be, we had great riders in the jump off. We had a really great jump off. Ben gave us a lesson today on how to win.

Ranking Leader Luciana Diniz

I said 2013 was going to be my year. I want to congratulate Jan Tops, the organisers, sponsors for a great, great show. We are all very happy. Well done to all the riders for doing so well.

Juan Carlos Capelli, Longines Vice-President and Head of International Marketing

Mr Capelli said: “It was a fantastic show, especially today. Thank you to everybody, we are very proud to be a partner here.”

Jan Tops, President Longines Global Champions Tour

If you love the sport as much as I do, you can appreciate these top champion riders in this competition. I have to thank my organising partner Peter who had a short time to do this. We could not do it without sponsors and we have our long-term partnership with Longines and I very much appreciate all they are doing for the sport.

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