Longines Global Champions Tour Checks in at Château de Chantilly in France

Chantilly, about 55 km north of Paris, is known among other things for its lacework, horse racing and Chantilly cream, but also for its historic Château de Chantilly and ‘Grand Ecuries’ or stables — reportedly the largest stable building in Europe — which serve as a backdrop to the competition’s grass arena. Beside their resident horses, the stables house the Musée Vivant du Cheval (Living Horse Museum), created by Yves Bienaimé in 1982.

After his recent successes at Spruce Meadows in Canada, World No.1 Kent Farrington of the United States will be leading a big group of star riders taking to the grounds at Chantilly. Number 3-ranked Lorenzo de Luca of Italy will be there, as will Frenchman and World No.4 Kevin Staut on home soil. Sixth-ranked on the planet Christian Ahlmann of Germany is also set to ride, as is Great Britain’s Scott Brash, currently in the eighth spot in the Longines FEI Rankings. Rounding out the top ten are Maikel van der Vleuten of the Netherlands (9) and Simon Delestre of France (10).

As for the LGCT rankings, the current leader is Harrie Smolders of the Netherlands. Smolders is bringing his top stallion Emerald to Chantilly, aiming for ‘consistency’ to take the overall title after the remaining legs in Berlin, London, Valkenswaard, the Netherlands, Rome, and Doha, in November. “It’s a big goal [to win the Championship],” Smolders told competition organizers. “It’s the best of the best, and every year you see also that the winner of the Global Champions Tour is really exceptional — they are an exceptional rider and they have exceptional horses.”

The list of riders in Chantilly July 13-16 is extremely strong as it also includes: Alberto Zorzi (ITA), Jos Verlooy (BEL), Jack Hardin Towell (USA), Roger-Yves Bost (FRA), John Whitaker (GBR), Lauren Hough (USA), Sergio Alvarez Moya (ESP), Marcus Ehning (GER), Laura Kraut (USA), Bassem Hassan Mohammed (QAT), Niels Bruynseels (BEL), Julien Epaillard (FRA) and Jerome Guery (BEL). Former LGCT Grand Prix of Chantilly winners Gregory Wathelet (BEL) and Ludger Beerbaum (GER) are also scheduled to be there to take a shot at another title. With such a field of top riders, the event at the Chateau — which appeared in the James Bond movie A View to a Kill — promises new suspense for equestrian sports fans.