Longines Global Champions Tour arrives on the French Riviera at the Athina Onassis Horse Show

From May 31–June 2, the Longines Athina Onassis Horse Show is welcoming 64 riders and 127 horses from 21 nations at Pampelonne Beach, famous for its fine white sand and jet-setting ambiance. The highlight of the competition, which will offer a total of €617,000 in prize money at two different levels, is the €300,000 Grand Prix on Saturday, whose winner will qualify for the Tour’s Super Grand Prix at the end of the year in Prague, Czech Republic.

Among those in the south of France who have already secured a place in the year-end competition are Great Britain’s Scott Brish, winner of the Grand Prix in Mexico City. He is accompanied by compatriots Ben Maher, Emily Moffitt, Alexandra Thornton, John Whitaker and Michael Whitaker.

From Ireland, Bertram Allen, Shane Breen, Cameron Hanley, Darragh Kenny and Cian O’Connor will also be competing at the 5* level at the Onassis show. Australia’s Edwina Tops-Alexander, who has already won a Grand Prix this year like Brash, is also at the competition, with her horses California and Veronese Teamjoy.

Another of the Grand Prix winners so far this season (at the recent competition in Hamburg), World No.1 and last year’s LGCT Champion Harrie Smolders, from the Netherlands, is also entered, alongside such riders as Peder Fredricson (SWE), Kevin Staut (FRA), Henrik von Eckermann (SWE), Simon Delestre (FRA) and Daniel Deusser (GER). They will be doing battle with the woman the show is named after, Greece’s Athina Onassis, with her two mounts, Cinsey and MHS Going Global.  

St.-Tropez also marks the sixth stage of the Global Champions League season, which brings together top riders from different countries on 19 teams for competitions around the world. Currently, the leaders in the league standings are the London Knights (Ben Maher, Martin Fuchs, Olivier Philippaerts, Nicola Philippaerts and Emily Moffitt), followed by Valkenswaard United and local favourites St.-Tropez Pirates. 

Historically speaking, the name Saint-Tropez comes from Torpes, a Roman officer whose body was put in a boat which made landfall at the site of the current village. The red and white colours of the the village’s flag are said to derive from the former Republic of Genoa. Local inhabitants are called Tropéziens and the nickname for the town is St-Trop.