Italy’s De Luca Races to Longines Global Champions Tour Win in Shanghai

Maikel van der Vleuten and Alberto Zorzi rounded out the podium with VDL Groep Verdi and Fair Light van’t Heike respectively. For their part, the Paris Panthers captured the third stage of the Global Champions League.

Only four of the twenty-two pairs that started the first round of the Grand Prix moved on to the jump-off, where Italian star De Luca achieved a clear round in 38.05 seconds. The Italian completed the fastest clear of the tiebreaker riding his cool and collected 13-year-old bay gelding. Maikel van der Vleuten was just over a second behind the winner. The Dutchman and his VDL Groep Verdi TN N.O.P. took second place and 100,000 euros after an equally clear ride in 39.36. Italy’s Alberto Zorzi and Fair Light van’t Heike, despite being the fastest in the tie-breaker round in 37.82, had to settle for third and 75,000 euros with their four faults. The top finisher for Great Britain was Scott Brash with Hello M’Lady, in 8th place. While the duo did not advance to the jump-off, they did pocket 12,500 euros at the competition.

Following these results, Lorenzo de Luca leads the LGCT standings. The Italian will come to Madrid (the tour’s fourth stage after Mexico City, Miami Beach and Shanghai, from May 19-21) with 100 points. Maikel van der Vleuten (eighty-nine points) is second, and British star Brash is third with seventy-five.

As for the Global Champions League, the Paris Panthers, represented by Jack Towell and promising young Irish rider Darragh Kenny, comfortably beat the Hamburg Diamonds and London Knights (second and third respectively). Valkenswaard United remains at the top of the provisional standings, ahead of the London Knights and St. Tropez Pirates.

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