2018 Longines Global Champions Tour begins this weekend in Mexico

Located 2,000 metres above sea level in the city’s 686-hectare Chapultepec Park with its monumental 50m x 26m Mexican flag, the Campo Marte (Mars Field) has a great atmosphere, according to the President of LGCT Mexico City, Francisco Pasquel: “The crowd here are incredible – they shout, they cry, they clap – it’s very emotional.” Jan Tops, Founder and President of the Tour, added: “I’m very proud – every year I’m excited and can’t wait for the season to start. It’s a great atmosphere here.” 

After Mexico, the Tour will head to Miami Beach, Shanghai, Madrid, Hamburg, St. Tropez, Cannes, Cascais/Estoril, Portugal, Monaco, Paris, Chantilly, France, Berlin, London, Valkenswaard, the Netherlands, and Rome before Doha and Prague near the end of the year.

Last year, the elite Show Jumping Tour was won by Dutchman Harrie Smolders, current World No.2, who was also a member of the victorious Global Champions League squad Hamburg Diamonds with Eric Lamaze and others. This year, the team has been renamed the Montreal Diamonds, and there is some speculation that a Tour stop could be added in the Canadian city next year as an unconfirmed CSI 5* event has been listed on the FEI calendar. There is also a ‘New York Empire’ team, and another date has also been listed in that city around the same time of year.

In any case, in Mexico City Lamaze and his mounts will be facing off against top level rivals in the sport, including Switzerland’s Steve Guerdat, Italy’s Lorenzo De Luca, France’s Roger Yves Bost, Ireland’s Bertram Allen, Australia’s Edwina Tops-Alexander, Great Britain’s Scott Brash and many more. Among their targets will be the €310,000, 1.60m Longines Global Champions Tour of Mexico City Grand Prix Saturday afternoon Mexico time. 

Also, as previously announced by the Global Champions League, “This year a guaranteed overall season prize purse of €35 million will be paid out to the world’s best individual and team riders. This includes €12 million to be shared at the new GC Prague Play Offs in Prague in from December 13-16. There will now be 19 teams competing with the addition of the Scandinavian Vikings but only 16 will qualify for the GCL Super Cup at the GC Prague Play Offs. And the Czech capital will also see every individual LGCT Grand Prix winner invited to the prestigious Longines Global Champions Super Grand Prix – the ultimate showdown starring the season’s top performers.”