Longines Masters of Paris: an action-packed 10th anniversary

Indeed, over the course of four days at the city’s Parc des Expositions venue, the Longines Masters featured classes at the CSI1*, 2* and 5* levels – the latter group’s Grand Prix part of the 2018–19 season for the Grand Slam of indoor show jumping, with following stages in Hong Kong (February 15–17) and New York (April 25–28). In Hong Kong, Australia’s Edwina Tops-Alexander, winner of the €300,000 (£267,000) Grand Prix in Paris, will be able to pursue the €2.25 million Super Grand Slam bonus for three consecutive Grand Prix victories in Paris–Hong Kong–New York.

After her triumph with the 11-year-old bay mare California on Sunday, Tops-Alexander posted the comment “#nowordsneeded” with a heart on social media. For his part, Ireland’s Denis Lynch, third in this weekend’s marquee Grand Prix with The Sinner behind Italy’s Alberto Zorzi and Contanga 3, was full of praise for his 10-year-old bay gelding after their rewarding weekend just outside the French capital.

Tops-Alexander is the first non-European to win the Longines Grand Prix in Paris, although she is based in Europe, but otherwise European riders were successful throughout the weekend – from Frenchman Kevin Staut’s win in Friday’s Longines Speed Challenge to Lynch and Staut’s compatriot Simon Delestre’s shared victory in the Masters Power six bars showdown Saturday.

And of course there was Saturday night’s Riders Masters Cup, a strategy-rich team competition based on one-on-one duels between American and European riders. In the end, it was the Riders Europe squad led by chef d’équipe Philippe Guerdat which won its third straight Cup, and now has a perfect record since the competition was launched in 2017.

At the end of the weekend, EEM’s Christophe Ameeuw, founder of the Longines Masters Series, reflected on the milestone and past decade. “This is a moment of deep emotion for us,” he said. “The past week has brought us lots of great moments which will leave us with fond memories. It hasn’t always been easy but the emotion, the beauty of the sport and the passion drive us. The most amazing things about the Longines Masters of Paris are the crowd, the partners and the fabulous line-up of riders. We strive to improve each year. What you have witnessed today is the [culmination] of ten editions and it’s a success. It has been a great challenge and we have risen to it throughout some highs and lows. The passion is incredible and creates an atmosphere that nothing can disrupt.”