Australia’s Tops-Alexander and Britain’s Brash set sights on Tour hat-trick

Edwina Tops-Alexander and Scott Brash have both won the Longines Global Champions Tour title twice – the former in 2011-12 and the latter in 2013-14. And after Tops-Alexander’s victory in this past weekend’s CSI 5* Grand Prix of Miami Beach at the second leg of the 2018 Tour – following Brash’s win in the Mexico City opener – the  Australian and Brit have launched their quests for a third championship in strong fashion.

Riding her 11-year-old mare California, the 44-year-old Tops-Alexandeer came out on top of a jump-off with five pairs in Florida, winning €100,000 and picking up 40 Tour points, putting her in third place in the Tour standings behind Brash (with 67) and Belgium’s Pieter Devos (60). Dievos was fourth in the Grand Prix  with Claire Z, while Brash finished outside the jump-off but still in 10th with Ursula XII.

Tops-Alexander is also now assured – as will all winners of the various Grand Prix this year – a spot in the Longines Global Champions Super Grand Prix at the inaugural play-offs in Prague, Czech Republic in December.

And speaking of the possibility of a possible Tour hat-trick or three-peat by herself or fellow Olympian Brash, she said: “I know the two of us are going to be at it again to win.” But while the duo prevailed on Uliano Vezzani’s course on the sands of Miami Beach, Tops-Alexander’s and California’s route to the podium was not direct. “I didn’t even know until 11 a.m. that I was going to ride her today,” said Tops-Alexander, who did not compete during most of last year’s Tour as she and LGCT founder Jan Tops had a baby. “We all work hard and sometimes it pays off. You have to believe in yourself.”

As for the Miami Beach site itself, she commented: “It’s an amazing venue with a great atmosphere and I feel a bit like I’m on vacation. There are kites and parachutes and waves and people in bikinis everywhere — there’s lots happening. It’s fresh and different; unique and original. We’ve never had show like this in the world before, and every year it gets better and better.”

In second place in Saturday’s Grand Prix was Qatar’s Bassem Mohammed with Gunder, while Ireland’s Darragh Kenney was third on Cassini Z. For his part, Scotland native Brash, leading the standings, was full of praise for his partner: “Ursula jumped amazingly. Just that last fence was one fence too many today. If I was to ride it again, I’d maybe have held her off the front bar a bit more, but I was delighted with her.” The next stop of the Tour and parallel Global Champions League – currently led by the Valkenswaard United team – is in Shanghai, China from April 20-22.