After Doha and Mexico let’s go to Miami

Last year, Australian’s Edwina Tops-Alexander won this Miami leg of the Longines Global Champions Tour with her amazing California. Faster than ever, she was three seconds ahead of Qatari’s Bassem Mohammed who settled for the second place. The Australian comes back this year with the same mare to fight for her title. But victory won’t be easy as some of the best athletes of the world decided to come in Florida.

Among her opponents, American riders will be numerous to try to shine in front of their home crowd. McLain Ward will be particularly a formidable adversary with his two horses HH Azur and Contagious. With the first one, he won last March the CSI5* Grand Prix of Wellington. With the second one, he helped the American team taking over the Nations Cup in early March in Florida. Spectators will also have to keep an eye on Margie Golstein-Engle with her competitive Royce with whom she made an excellent season last year on this circuit. In addition to American riders, one Canadian, Eric Lamaze, will try to outshine the other athletes. Out of the competitions since last September, he is going back little by little to top level. He will compete in Miami with Chacco Kid, the horse that took the twelfth position in CSI5* of Wellington, and Fine Lady 5, bronze medalist at the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. As her rider, the mare is gradually returning on international competitions.

As often happens, the biggest European team will be the Belgian one. They’ll be represented by eight riders. Among them, Peter Devos and Nicola Philippaerts, respectively winner and second at Longines Global Champions tour in Doha, and Jerome Guéry, who won in Mexico City. This week again, he’ll be ridding Quel Homme de Hus to claim a second victory in the circuit.  

A lot of Dutch and Swedish will travel to Florida as well. Spectators will have to keep an eye on riders like Peder Fredricson, third during the Longines World Cup Final, or Harrie Smolders, third in the Mexican capital last week. Germans Daniel Deusser and Christian Ahlmann as well as the young Irish Betram Allen will also fight for the title.

Four British riders will also try to shine in Miami. William Whitaker will be associated to RMF Cadeau de Muze, an eleven years old male that join his stables last January. Micheal Whitaker will also be there with Strides Hilanasterne. As for Ben Maher and Scott Brash, respectively with Don Vito and Hello Senator, the same horses they had in Mexico City, they will try to have better results than last week.

Startlist : here