Rule, Britannia! Big British victory at Longines Global Champions Tour stop in London

Peebles, Scotland native Brash with Hello Forever and Maher (born in Enfield in the London area) with MTF Madame X topped Saturday’s Grand Prix’s jump-off over third-place Denis Lynch of Ireland on All Star 5. The full results as well as video of their respective rides can be seen here.

In fact, 11 horse-and-rider combinations advanced to the tie-breaking round over the massive 1.60m obstacles, and nine duos rode clear again. The podium thus came down to best times, and Brash and his 11-year-old chestnut gelding tore through the sunlit course, crossing the finish line in 38.62 seconds to a burst of applause. €99,000 went to the victors, while Brash’s compatriot Maher earned €60,000 and Lynch €45,000.

In fourth place, the Netherlands’ Harrie Smolders and Emerald N.O.P. also had a fantastic ride, further solidifying his overall rankings lead on the Tour. The man currently trailing him in the race to become 2017’s Champion of Champions, Alberto Zorzi of Italy, finished just outside the jump-off in London on Cornetto K, in 13th.

“It’s been a great day and I am absolutely delighted,” Brash said afterward. “It was a very fast jump-off, but thankfully Hello Forever pricked his ears and went for it. He is an incredible horse and he really did his best for me; you have to be on your toes when you’re riding him, but he’s fast and athletic. I love winning in front of a home crowd and this has been an amazing venue.”

Jan Tops, Founder and President Longines Global Champions Tour, added that, in his view, “This is how you would write a perfect script. Of course in England, the home crowd is great, and you see that with many events where the national riders do miracles. Like last week we saw the same with Christian in Germany [Christian Ahlmann captured Berlin’s Grand Prix at the previous Tour stage], he was amazing, and this week we saw the extra cheer for the home team, and it worked. And this year was special because the first and second were British… it was a 600th of a difference, that’s amazing for the sport to see.”

The patriotic atmosphere of Union Jacks and Chelsea Pensionsers in central London was tempered by concern when John Whitaker was thrown from his stallion Cassinis Chaplin on his 62nd birthday. But there was relief when it was announced that the celebrated rider was speaking with medical personnel and taken to hospital for medical checks.

For all the results from the various classes in London, including the team-based Global Champions League won by Brash and Lynch’s Miami Glory team, see here.