Monaco—June 27  

Scott Brash won the first Longines Global Champions Tour event in April in Miami, and on June 27, he added another GCT victory to his record in Monaco.

Scott Brash’s young horse Hello M’Lady stepped up to win the Longines GCT Grand Prix of Monaco. Photos by Stefano Grasso/GCT

The Longines GCT Grand Prix of Monaco was the first win for the 9-year-old mare Hello M’Lady, whose athletic ability shone during this intense battle, earning her place as a strong back up to Hello Sanctos, Scott’s No. 1 ride. The co-owners of Scott’s horses, Lord and Lady Harris, were in attendance to witness their super mare showcase her skills under Scott’s careful guidance.

“It’s good to have a horse who can take the pressure off Sanctos. She’s a phenomenal horse, she’s young, so she’s inexperienced and it’s only the third or fourth time I have pushed her against the clock,” Brash said. “She’s a fantastic mare and I’m privileged to be riding her. Whenever my owners come I seem to win so they must be my lucky mascots, they need to come more often!”

Brash won in spectacular style with Hello M’Lady after an incredible jump-off featuring many of the very best horses and riders in the world. His victory catapulted him up the championship ranking into second place, and in touching distance of the leadership going into the eighth leg of the Tour in Paris next week.

Fellow Brit John Whitaker came a close second with his effortlessly agile Argento, the bay stallion galloping to the fences and giving everything in front of the packed grandstands. Emanuele Gaudiano of Italy kept up his streak of success, riding Admara 2 home in third place, a fantastic achievement after an earlier win in the Longines Global Champions Tour of Monaco.

The first opening CSI5* competition ahead of Saturday’s Grand Prix of Monaco set the tone for the main event with a British 1-2 making the headlines. Brash wowed the crowds once more as he took the win for the CSI5* Prix Sapinda class, riding Hello Annie clear almost 2 seconds ahead of his compatriot John Whitaker, who delivered another fast round with his talented mare Ornellaia.

For the GCT Grand Prix of Monaco, 45 of the world’s best combinations lined up. With riders from 17 different countries competing in the tight 75m x 28m sand arena, the world watched from the grandstands and via the live broadcast as the spot light turned towards the main show. The challenging but fair course, designed by Luc Musette tested the agility and speed as many of the top names in show jumping battled it out for a place in the next stage of the competition.

The first round saw 15 riders jump clear, with three more making up the top 18 who would test the new course. Jessica Springsteen of the United States set the pace early on with a beautifully balanced clear ride with her bay 14-year-old mare Lisona, showcasing both talent and class as she completed the fast course. Guided by her new trainer, Edwina Tops-Alexander, Springsteen rode a triple clear, finishing in fifth place.

Jessica Springsteen rode Lisona into fifth in the Longines GCT Grand Prix of Monaco for the United States.

As night fell, nine riders went clear in the second phase of the competition and through to the jump-off, while the VIP guests and visitors looked on. The battle intensified when Sheikh Ali Bin Khalid Al Thani of Qatar set the bar high early on, after a phenomenal round with Vienna Olympic to cross the line in 29.96 seconds.

He was just beaten by Whitaker, who once more galloped to each fence, pushing the pace as his bay stallion responded to the electric atmosphere and managed to shave off precious tenths of a second, coming home in 28.83 seconds.

“Argento jumped unbelievably and I was just a little bit cautious to the last fence. That’s where Scott caught me, but I can’t complain, I’m in there, at my age it’s good,” Whitaker said.

Third last to go, Brash took to the course, riding Hello M’Lady with fantastic pace and agility to take further tenths of a second off Whitaker’s time, finishing clear (28.45 seconds). Gaudiano made a valiant attempt to better the time, but crossed the line in 28.90 seconds, finishing in third place.

Brash has now closed the gap to just 36 points behind ranking leader Luciana Diniz of Portugal, who now has 181 points. Rolf-Göran Bengtsson of Sweden is now in third place on 128 points, and Sheikh Ali Bin Khalid Al Thani moves up to fourth with 123 points.

See full results from the Longines GCT Grand Prix of Monaco and full current GCT standings.