Jun 28, 2021
Ben Maher takes his second gold medal at the LGCT season while St Tropez Pirates take their first win in the rollercoaster GCL of Paris Presented by Metrobus.
The British rider was given a standing ovation during his breathtaking victory in the Longines Global Champions Tour Grand Prix of Paris Presented by the City of Paris. This has moved him to second place in the overall LGCT ranking with 132 points as Peder Fredricson still leads with 149 points. Edwina Tops-Alexander still stands in third with 120 points.
Earlier on the weekend, Bertram Allen won the CSI5* Longines Global Champions Tour - Longines Paris Eiffel Jumping competition.
Disputed from the 25th to the 27th of June 2021, the Longines Global Champions Tour and the Global Champions League took place in Paris.
Maher and his 10 year old Ginger-Blue emerged victorious in a three way equestrian jump-off on the impressive stage of Champ de Mars in front of the Eiffel Tower. The French Grand Prix de Paris played out in one of the most iconic sceneries for show jumping during the sixth stage of the season.
The course, designed by Gregory Bodo, was soon clearly a difficult challenge as both Denis Lynch and Rodrigo Giestera Almeida finished very close to the jump-off but with a one time fault. Moreover, French equestrians Edward Levy, Olivier Robert and Roger Yves Bost amongst others missed on the thrilling jump-off as well.
The three riders to make it to the jump-off were Ben Maher and Jodie Hall McAteer from Great Britain and Sameh El Dahan from Egypt. Ben Maher crossed the finish line with a smooth clear but with 39.35 seconds.
Following Maher, McAteer entered the arena for her biggest jump-off in her career. The crowd cheered the 21 year old who rushed through the course but knocked down the second to last fence, finishing with 8 faults in a time of 47.55s.
Finally, it was Sameh El Dahan’s time to shine after a splendid performance in the GCL earlier that day, clinching the third place with Cannes Stars. He was faster than Maher but took a massive risk and had to pay out at the penultimate fence. He finished in 38.45s but with 4 faults, settled for second place.
As Maher had already qualified for the LGCT Super Grand Prix at the GC Prague Playoffs in November, this golden ticket was handed to Sameh El Dahan riding WKD Aimez Moi.
The GCL team of Dani G. Waldman and Olivier Robert won for the first time in this equestrian international event. Stakes were high as the GCL team series saw an intense battle right until the last team.
Valkenswaard United composed by Alberto Zorzi and Edwina Tops-Alexander got second place while Cannes Stars claimed the third spot with Sameh El Dahan and Agustin Covarrubias Teavanta.
St Tropez Pirates encountered a bit of disappointment as Dani G. Waldman flew too fast into the combination, causing the vertical to fall. This piled the pressure on his teammate Olivier Robert. However, riding Vivaldi des Meneaux, Robert kept a calm pace keeping the Pirates on just 4 faults.
So far, Valkenswaard United has been the most consistent team, granting them a lead in the 2021 GCL Championship of 157 points versus the second place for Shanghai Swans with 116 points. Third place goes to Monaco Aces with 108 points.
This exciting horse riding competition looks now to Monaco for the 7th round starting the 1st of July 2021.