With the season now one-third of the way through, the fifth leg of the Global Champions League and Longines Global Champions Tour series stepped up a gear in Hamburg.
Nail-biting
As the summer temperatures increased, so did the competition in Germany. In the GCL team competition, riders brought out their top horses, obviously meaning business.
In round one, three teams – Valkenswaard United, Paris Jets and Antwerp Diamonds – all finished on zero faults, making for an exciting second round.
In round two, both Antwerp Diamonds (Audrey Coulter and Harrie Smolders) and Valkenswaard United went clear again, meaning the pairs of riders’ combined times would be the decider of the final order.
Top team
Just as they had been victorious at the first GCL leg in Miami, British rider John Whitaker and Ireland’s Bertram Allen were the winners, taking their team, Valkenswaard United, to the top of the GCL team ranking.
As the final rider to go, the pressure was on Bertram to change the top podium position and relegate Antwerp Diamonds to second. With a combined time of 150.29s, Bertram secured the gold medal, after a phenomenal round on his experienced 18-year-old horse, Romanov.
“They’re getting very competitive these Global Champions Leagues, so I knew I had to bring a good horse,” said Bertram.
Valkenswaard United currently stand at the top of the leaderboard, with 130 points overall. Monaco Aces take second position with 119 points, closely followed by Antwerp Diamonds with 116.
Tour
In the Longines Global Champions Tour of Hamburg Grand Prix, four-time Olympic gold medallist Ludger Beerbaum enjoyed a sensational win on his new horse, Casello 2.
“It was a bit like Leicester winning the Premier League!” said Ludger, delighted with a win on home turf, “It is very very special to win [in Germany], and if I could have a wish from the 15 legs, it would be to win here.”
His compatriot Christian Alhmann leads the LGCT rankings with 161 points, followed by Italy’s Emanuele Gaudiano with 95, with French rider Simon Delestre jumping into third position, close behind with 95 points.
The series continues on 19 May, with the sixth leg hosted by Madrid.
Watch the action from Hamburg on Horse & Country TV at the following times