DOHA: World, Olympic and European champions arrived yesterday for the last big battle of the 2013 season – the Longines Global Champions Tour Final on Saturday.
Nine of the eleven top-ranked riders could still take the overall championship title this weekend in what promises to be an incredibly closely fought contest in the three-day event that begins today.
The top riders in contention for the 2013 championship season win have brought their elite horses to the event.
A number of horses have made the journey to Qatar and are expected to compete in Saturday’s Longines Global Champions Tour Final Grand Prix.
Laura Kraut of the US and Cedric have had a very consistent Longines Global Champions Tour season topped by a Grand Prix win in Wiesbaden.
Kraut leads the championship ranking by just two points, closely followed by Germany’s Christian Ahlmann in second and Australia’s Edwina Tops Alexander in third.
Hotly tipped as one-to-watch is Britain’s Scott Brash, with his Olympic Gold medal-winning ride Hello Sanctos, currently lying in eighth overall in the points standings.
Brash has been on fantastic form recently, winning the FEI Oslo World Cup Qualifier and placing in the top eight of an impressive five Longines Global Champions Tour Grand Prix this season.
With horses such as London (Gerco Schroder), Cornet d’Armour (Daniel Deusser) and Plot Blue (Marcus Ehning) also in attendance, the top riders will have to be at their very best to ensure a great result in the final Longines Global Champions Tour Grand Prix of 2013 in order to take the overall championship win.
There is an extra €1m prize money for the top 18 riders of the 2013 championship - in addition to a total prize purse of €750,000 for the 5 star competition, the Doha event will be a thrilling and intense contest.
The horses arrived by aeroplane over the weekend and have been acclimatising to the mild Middle Eastern weather conditions in Qatar.
The final preparations for today’s opening class of the show are close to completion and the riders have been taking the opportunity to exercise their horses in the pristine arena or on the beautiful canter tracks of Al Shaqab.
Al Shaqab Arena offers a stunning backdrop for what promises to be an electrifying three-days of action. AGENCIES
