Valkenswaard United win in Monaco to heat up Global Champions League battle

The pairing edged out the home team Monaco Aces duo of Daniel Bluman and Schuyler Riley to take top spot on the podium and in doing so increase the pressure on the battle at the top of the GCL rankings leaderboard.

The pressure was on the Aces for the Global Champions League of Monaco from the outset as the new team competition made its debut in front of packed stands at the iconic Monte-Carlo setting. In the previous eight rounds, the team had only finished out of the top four on one occasion, making them one of the most consistent on the League so far.

The riders took to the smallest arena on the League calendar, where agility, speed and scope were to prove key to the final result. Rob Jansen’s course was a test that demanded both skill and careful jumping from both horse and rider, with the time allowed a challenge in itself. Being drawn last to go in round one meant that Monaco Aces team riders Bluman and Riley knew what was expected, stamping their mark on the competition by being the only team to sail through to round two on 0 faults.

Doha Fursan’s Faleh Suwead Al Ajami with Come Soon and Bassem Hassan Mohammed with Argelith Squid also jumped clear rounds, however a time fault put them just behind the leading home team. Joining them would be the Antwerp Diamonds, Rome Gladiators and Valkenswaard United all on four faults), Madrid in Motion (with five), and Paris Jets and Miami Glory (8 faults). The tight arena saw the delicate poles fall for the likes of Kevin Jochems of the Cannes Stars, and Vienna Eagles’ Danielle Goldstein who both picked up 12 faults, pushing them out of contention for round two.

For the 8 teams through it soon became clear that faultless rounds were to be the defining factor in the results. The clear rounds mounted with Scott Brash of Miami Glory, Laura Renwick of Rome Gladiators, Athina Onassis of Madrid in Motion, Daniel Bluman of Monaco Aces and both members of the Paris Jets, Rolf-Göran Bengtsson and Nicola Philippaerts all securing faultless second rounds.

The Paris Jets were the ones to watch as the competition came to its climax, however they were pipped to the podium on speed after Audrey Coulter and Jos Verlooy put in fast rounds with their horses to finish on a combined time of 127.00 against Paris Jets’ time of 129.67 seconds.

Valkenswaard United’s Allen had all the pressure on his shoulders, however took it in his stride, riding a fast clear round with his relatively young 9 year old mare Izzy By Picobello to put them at the top of the leaderboard so far.

Yet it all came down to home team Monaco Aces as Schuyler Riley needed to keep their scorecard clear. But it was not meant to be with an unlucky 8 faults, pushing Monaco Aces off the top spot and into second place, with Antwerp Diamonds in third.

The result means the overall battle for the 7.5 million euro championship prize is as close as ever, with just a three point margin at the top of the table. Monaco Aces keep hold of their overall ranking lead with a tally of 217 points, with Valkenswaard United’s win closing the gap to 214.

With every result counting towards the final Championship result, each point gained becomes even more valuable as the teams battle it out to take the prestigious top spot ahead of the final event in Doha. The Rome Gladiators are third on the rankings with 200 points overall, with the Antwerp Diamonds sitting on 196 points, and just four away from the top three.

The Global Champions League now heads north to the French capital, Paris, for the tenth round of action on 3 July.

Longines Global Champions League 2016
Overall team ranking standings after leg 9 – Monaco, France

2016 TEAM RANKING

1 Monaco Aces 217.00
2 Valkenswaard United 214.00
3 Rome Gladiators 200.00
4 Antwerp Diamonds 196.00
5 Cascais Charms 172.00
6 Cannes Stars 172.00
7 Paris Jets 165.50
8 Miami Glory 162.00
9 Doha Fursan Qatar 160.00
10 Shanghai Swans 159.00
11 Madrid in Motion 155.00
12 Vienna Eagles 147.50