GCT Press Release (Edited)
The Longines Global Champions Tour has come to the beautiful city of Hamburg and the first CSI5* competition of the week here in Hamburg has just concluded with the title going to France's Roger-Yves Bost aboard his fine-boned dark bay mare Castle Forbes Coleen.
Hamburg marks the second leg of the 2013 Longines Global Champions season and we have the world’s best in attendance as they get set to chase the second title of the season. The first class of the week was an Accumulator class with a joker fence and some of the top combinations used this morning's class to warm up their top mounts for the big task ahead.
Germany's Marcus Ehning and Plot Blue looked to be in good form as well as last week's winner of the Longines GCT Grand Prix title of Madrid, Michael Whitaker, who was riding his big-bodied dark bay Belgian-bred gelding GIG Amai. Whitaker currently leads the rankings for the 2013 season after his outstanding win in Madrid last week aboard Viking.
Ireland's Denis Lynch also jumped his 10 year old stallion All Star, who is certainly an exciting up-and-coming talent for the season. This young stallion is full of scope and ability and he will certainly be one to watch throughout the year ahead.
This afternoon's class will be the first class set closer to the height that we will see on Saturday for the Longines Global Champions Tour Grand Prix of Hamburg; many of the riders will take the opportunity to feel out the large grass Derby ring, stretching out their horses strides and preparing their horses for the condition they will need to jump clean and within the time on Saturday afternoon.
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