Paris, France—July 5
The 19-year-old Bertram Allen of Ireland made history as the youngest rider to win a Longines Global Champions Tour Grand Prix since its inception, doing it in spectacular style after an intense five-contender jump-off.
“I’ve only done a few Longines Global Champions Tours because I wasn’t ranked high enough last year, so to have my first podium finish and to get on top is even more special,” Allen said. “I have to show so much appreciation to my horse [Romanov]—17 years old and trying that hard over three rounds in this heat was really special.”
With Romanov, a chestnut stallion, Allen stormed to the win with an unbeatable time of 37.32 seconds. Ranking leader Luciana Diniz of Portugal took second place with the brilliant Fit For Fun 13, and extended her 36-point lead over Scott Brash to finish the grand prix with 218 points, now 44 points ahead.
“My children always say to me, ‘Mum, what is for you when you go to the shows,’ and I say, ‘it’s just to love the challenge of the show,’ and I say love the challenge of the day,’ Diniz said. “When they have their tennis match I say, ‘love the challenge of the day,’ so my challenge is to be in the lead and today my children are very proud of me and I’m very happy.”
The 17-year-old Romanov jumped incredibly for Bertram Allen as they won the Longines GCT Grand Prix of Paris.
It was a podium with a true Irish flavor as Darragh Kenny of Ireland took the third place and was elated for his compatriot’s success.
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“I was really proud of my horse today; he jumped absolutely incredible over three rounds,” Kenny said. “OK, I was never going to be as fast as these two—I’m quite slow, but I’m still trying and I think Bertram did an amazing job, and I’m really happy an Irish guy can win as it was nice to hear the anthem played. Luciana is always fantastic and it’s just great to be in their company.”
The day began with hot temperatures and packed grandstands, with many local and international visitors turning out to witness some of the best riders in the world battle it out under the iconic Eiffel Tower setting. The earlier feature CSI5* class saw Lauren Hough of the United States celebrate the 4th of July with extra zest, after her win with Royalty Des Isles in the 1.45/1.50-meter CSI5* Prix Renault Kadjar.
The eighth grand prix of the 2015 Longines Global Champions Tour season saw six of the world’s top 10 riders competing on the breathtaking stage of the Champs de Mars next to the iconic Eiffel Tower in Paris. With €320,000 in prize money and 40 valuable ranking points to the winner, the race for the championship certainly sent the mercury levels rocketing as the heatwave continues across Europe.
The high stakes 1.60m competition was played out in front of enthusiastic crowds in the grandstand and in the park of the Champ de Mars where a giant TV screen broadcast the action to the public who picnicked under the stunning icon.
With riders from around the world competing in the prestigious grand prix, the stage was set for the important halfway stage leg of the tour. The first round course was a formidable challenge with big tests for both horses and riders from the fourth fence onwards. The square arena meant course designer Uliano Vezzani had plenty of turns and not so many lines in his design, and fences 4 and 5 were early challenges, including a wide oxer at 1.55-meter. There were four strides to the double combination with a significant vertical showcasing a model of the Eiffel Tower, which was then followed by a big oxer.
The 17 clear rounds, and one 1 time fault penalty rider went through to the second round, with four French riders in the mix, much to the delight of the crowds who lined the arena walls. Once more the very best in the sport battled it out for a place in the jump-off with the atmosphere intensifying in anticipation for the electrifying final round.
Kenny was the first to do the double, riding the 12-year-old chestnut gelding Sans Soucis Z clear in 39.36 seconds. Three was the magic number, as third to go Allen took center stage for the final round. With phenomenal pace and agility he completed the course in 37.32 seconds, taking a wider angle towards the vertical on the penultimate line, allowing him to keep his impressive pace and bring home the win.
Diniz and Fit For Fun 13 put in yet another impressive, careful and passionate round, and came home just half a second off the leader.
See full results of the Longines GCT Grand Prix of Paris.
The Paris stop of the Longines Global Champions Tour had the iconic Eiffel Tower in the background.
