Cannes, France—June 11
Scott Brash and Hello Forever triumphed in an epic battle set against the stunning backdrop of Cannes, taking top honors in the Longines Global Champions Tour Grand Prix of Cannes presented by Haras des Grillons.
The two-time LGCT series champion took a sensational win against a star-studded field, which included eight out of the top 10 riders in the world. Jessica Springsteen of the United States took 13th aboard Cynar with a clean go in Round 1 and 4 faults in Round 2. Laura Kraut was 22nd on Cavalia with 4 faults in Round 1. And Audrey Coulter was 36th on Capital Colnardo; Kim Prince was 43rd on RMF Fara van de Maltahoeve.
Four of the fastest riders on the circuit squared up for the finale against the clock and it was Brash, the last rider to go, who produced a brilliant and daring performance, drawing gasps from the crowd, as he delivered the winning round.
Scott Brash on Hello Forever on their way to a thrilling win in the Longines Global Champions Tour Grand Prix of Cannes. Photo by Stefano Grasso/LGCT
“He’s a real trier—but I think it can get a lot smoother yet!” said Brash of Hello Forever. “It’s still early days with him. My horse gave everything—he tries his hardest. He can make life a little difficult for me at times, but he really tries when he gets there and he’s a winner. The nice thing is I think the best is still to come from him, so I’m very happy. It’s nice to know it’s in him, and I hope we get more wins in the future.”
Scott Brash and Hello Forever. Photo by Stefano Grasso/LGCT
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The British national anthem rang out to celebrate Scott’s second victory in the Cannes Grand Prix—his last victory came with Hello Sanctos back in 2014.
Edwina Tops-Alexander of Australia with Lintea Tequila rode a brave and beautiful round to take the silver medal and Daniel Deusser of Germany continued his run of good form taking third spot on the podium with Equita Van’t Zorgvliet.
As the sun set and the floodlights came on in the Stade Des Hesperides in Cannes, only 50 meters from the world-famous La Croisette and super-yachts moored at this glamorous location on the French Riviera, it was standing room only as crowds were treated to turbo charged sport on the eighth leg of the 2016 Longines Global Champions Tour. The overall series is still led by Christian Ahlmann of Germany.
Uliano Vezzani set a challenging test with a mix of tall, gappy verticals and gaping oxers required precision, especially round the tight turns in round one with the last two fences of an oxer over a water tray to a vertical on either four or five strides proving the biggest test.
Eight jumped clear, with Denis Lynch of Ireland on an unfortunate time-fault, and a raft of four-faulters, the quickest of which made it through as part of the top 18, creating a stellar line-up for Round 2. Taking pole position was the 2012 Olympic gold medalist Brash, who showcased skillful riding with the ever-eager Hello Forever.
The second round track proved more straightforward with three doubles rather than a triple combination, and some hairpin bends to keep riders on their toes. For those carrying forward 4 faults, the strategy was to produce a quick clear to climb up the leaderboard and it was Laura Renwick of Great Britain who profited the most, riding the fastest second round clear and rising up to finish sixth with Bintang II, just ahead of Kevin Staut and Marcus Ehning who both put their foot down but kept the poles up.
Lynch stayed on a steady tempo for another clean round of jumping to finish on the 1 time fault carried through and was placed fifth, just missing a spot in the third and final round.
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The jump-off track contained two new fences, with some sharp turn backs and concluded with the Longines double, followed by a right hand turn and a race to the final oxer and over the finish line.
First up, Roger-Yves Bost of France galloped the course with his mare Sangria Du Coty to post a brilliant clear in 40.52 seconds, much to the delight of the home crowd who leapt to their feet as he crossed the line. Hot on his heels, Deusser and Equita Van’t Zorgvliet found some amazing angles with the courageous horse obliged at every turn. Their challenge was less than a second quicker, with the pair clear in 39.32 seconds.
“I have to say I’m really really happy with my horse,” said Deusser. “For me it’s quite a new horse, and only the third show we’ve done together and she really tried today. In the jump-off I knew I had two very fast riders behind me; Bosty was not slow also. I tried to be faster than Bosty, and I just got him, but I knew that the others might be faster.”
Tops-Alexander and Lintea Tequila raced out of the starting block and the sparky mare did everything she could, twisting in the air and proving incredibly agile through the double. They met the last on a stunning stride and slid into the lead, clear in 38.67 seconds.
Edwina Tops-Alexander on Lintea Tequila. Photo by Stefano Grasso/LGCT
“Going to the second fence I saw the distance that I needed, which is what Scott had, and I just couldn’t get it,’ said Tos-Alexander. “I gave as much as possible but I knew when I came out that it wasn’t enough—he’d have had to have had one down for me to end up winning. He deserved it—he gave maximum effort today. It was an amazing jump-off, a fast jump-off; a difficult course, like it was a difficult course last night as well, but it can’t be too easy otherwise it’s not exciting.”
In the end, it was the brilliant Brash who stole the show, with the combination in a determined mood, quickly finding top gear as they galloped to the fences. The crowds gasped as 10-year-old Hello Forever, owned by Lady Harris and Lady Kirkham, leapt cat-like, using his acrobatic skills to ensure every pole remained intact. The pair motored round the final bend to nail the final fence and stop the clock in a stunning 37.98 seconds, which had the crowd on their feet all around the arena.
