Daniel Deusser has won the Longines Grand Prix at the Paris Masters, and is on his way to winning a whopping €2.25m bonus.
‘Speed and risk’
The German rider grabbed first place early on in the jump-off, after a great round with Cornet d’Amour. They managed to hang on to their lead, despite the big names that were to follow, including Olympic gold medallist Steve Guerdat, Pénélope Leprevost and Roger-Yves Bost.
It looked like Simon Delestre and Hermès Ryan might steal their crown, but the pair missed out by 13 hundredths of a second. Third place went to the USA’s Lauren Hough and her fabulous Ohlala.
“I’m so, so happy,” said Daniel. “My horse was jumping in his first Grand Prix after several months off and a handful of small warm-up events. Our sport is about carefully dosing speed and risk. When the fastest go last, how do you know what risks to take? I made the right choice today and now I’m looking forward to Hong Kong.”
Incredible bonus
The Paris Masters Grand Prix is one of three competitions, that form the Grand Slam Indoor of Showjumping. Inspired by the legendary Grand Slam in tennis it features two tough tournaments. The Super Grand Slam awards an incredible bonus of €2.25m to the rider who can win the Longines Grand Prix at the Paris, Hong Kong and New York Masters, in the same season.
There is also the Grand Slam, with €1m up for grabs for anyone that achieve consecutive victories in the three Grand Prix, from one season to the next.
No one has ever achieved either feats, but Daniel is now a real contender for these life-changing prizes.
You can watch all the thrilling action when Longines Paris Masters 2017 premieres on 8 December at 7.30pm on Sky 253 and online via H&C Play or Amazon Video. The programme will then be available to watch on Catch Up.