The battle to win the 2014 Longines Global Champions Tour was on fire last night, 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 Friday’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 last night.

 

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 theChampionship 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. 

 

Source: Global Champions Tour