PIETER DEVOS SNATCHES AN ELECTRIC €1 MILLION LONGINES GLOBAL CHAMPIONS TOUR GRAND PRIX OF CAIRO
Against the breathtaking backdrop of the Pyramids of Giza, the inaugural Longines Global Champions Tour Grand Prix of Cairo presented by TATWEER delivered an unforgettable afternoon of showjumping, championship glory and sporting history, as Belgium's Pieter Devos snatched the €1 million LGCT Grand Prix while compatriot Abdel Saïd was officially crowned the 2026 Longines Global Champions Tour Champion with one stage still remaining.
For the first time in history, the world's leading showjumping riders competed for one of the sport's most prestigious titles in front of one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. With the magnificent Pyramids rising above the arena, an electric crowd and an extraordinary atmosphere, Cairo provided a spectacular stage for a landmark moment in the Tour's 20th anniversary season.
Founded by Qatar's Years of Culture initiative, the historic Cairo debut brought together international sport, cultural exchange and Egyptian heritage in a celebration unlike anything previously seen on the Longines Global Champions Tour.
With €1 million in prize money on offer and the 2026 championship title hanging in the balance, the opening round delivered all the drama expected of such a historic occasion.
For the home crowd, Egyptian rider Nayel Nassar produced a strong performance with ESI Ali, finishing on just four faults in 72.68 seconds. Although narrowly missing out on the jump-off, his appearance in the inaugural Cairo Grand Prix was a proud moment for Egyptian equestrian sport, with passionate support from spectators throughout the arena.
But while some riders celebrated, others saw their hopes disappear by the smallest of margins. Ireland's Denis Lynch saw his Grand Prix hopes end in retirement with Vistogrand. Great Britain's Jack Whitaker finished on eight faults with Jack JL, while Germany's Marcus Ehning and Coolio 42 collected four faults.
Championship leader Abdel Saïd entered the arena riding Wathnan Bonne Amie, knowing the significance of the afternoon. He finished the Grand Prix on four faults in 72.28 seconds, ruling him out of the jump-off. However, his 13th-place finish added another 24 valuable championship points to his tally, taking him to an unassailable 245 points. With his closest rival Christian Ahlmann sitting on 224 points, Saïd's championship advantage became mathematically impossible to overturn at the final stage in Rabat, mathematically securing the 2026 title before the season finale.
Having arrived in Cairo prepared for the Championship battle to go down to the final stage in Rabat, Saïd admitted that securing the title with one Grand Prix still remaining had yet to sink in: “I still can’t believe it, to be honest. In my mind, I knew it would go to the last leg in Rabat next week, so I was ready for that. Then they told me I could potentially win it today, even having one down, and of course you get excited and you get nervous. I’m very, very proud of my horses and my team. It’s been a long season.”
Reflecting on the significance of joining the sport’s most celebrated names as an LGCT Champion, Saïd spoke of a title he once considered almost impossible to achieve: “It’s a big moment. I used to look up to this and think it was nearly impossible to do. At the times when Scott Brash was riding Sanctos and Rolf Göran Bengtsson was riding Casall, I was just drooling from the sidelines. And now to stand here and do it, I’m very proud and really happy for my horses and my team.”
The championship battle behind him remains fiercely competitive, with Christian Ahlmann, Max Kühner, Olivier Philippaerts and Simon Delestre all fighting for their final positions ahead of Rabat.
2026 Longines Global Champions Tour Championship Standings – Top five after Cairo:
Abdel Saïd (BEL) – 245 points – 2026 Champion
Christian Ahlmann (GER) – 224 points
Max Kühner (AUT) – 208 points
Olivier Philippaerts (BEL) – 200 points
Simon Delestre (FRA) – 199.67 points
With the sun setting over the Pyramids and the atmosphere building around the arena, 12 of the world's finest combinations returned to battle in the thrilling jump-off. The shortened course demanded absolute precision and speed, with the pressure intensifying as riders fought to write their names into the history books.
Christian Kukuk was among those to launch an aggressive challenge with Checker 47. The German rider produced the fastest time of the entire jump-off, stopping the clock in 45.36 seconds, but eight faults proved costly, eventually leaving him in tenth place.
Simon Delestre, winner of the Longines Global Champions Tour Grand Prix of Madrid earlier this season, also pushed hard riding Gatsby du Tillard. The French rider crossed the finish in 47.19 seconds but eight faults ended his hopes of another Grand Prix win, placing him 11th.
Emanuele Gaudiano and Chabrello PS similarly saw their chances disappear after eight faults in 51.40 seconds, finishing 12th overall. Max Kühner finished ninth with three time penalties in the jump-off; on a horse jumping its first ever LGCT Grand Prix, he opted to play it safe.
The pressure continued to build as Italy's Emanuele Camilli returned riding Chacareno PS, producing another faultless jumping performance. However, one costly time penalty in 52.09 seconds denied him a completely clean score, leaving the pair in eighth place. Flying the flag for Qatar, Bassem Mohammed gave his supporters plenty to celebrate with a superb double clear on Wathnan Rocket Man, stopping the clock in 50.37 seconds to take seventh.
The double clears kept coming as Portugal's Duarte Seabra and Dourados 2 left every fence standing, crossing the finish line in 50.16 seconds to claim sixth place. Germany's Marco Kutscher then raised the stakes aboard Pikeur Lemar NRW, shaving precious fractions off the time to finish in 49.83 seconds, ultimately securing fifth place.
Belgium's challenge continued to gather momentum as Niels Bruynseels delivered a brilliant double clear aboard Oaky Flandria. Stopping the clock in 48.82 seconds, he set a new benchmark for those still to come, eventually finishing just outside the podium in fourth place.
Great Britain's Ben Maher completed the podium with Point Break, delivering another exceptional double clear in 46.57 seconds to finish third. Reflecting on his round, Maher said: "It's been a great week, the first time here in Cairo. The organisation has been second to none, I have to say, for both the horses and the riders. It's a big-money Grand Prix with a lot in the jump-off. I had pole position there in the end and just slightly misjudged it, unfortunately. He's picked up momentum this week after some time off. Happy with the third, but disappointed that I couldn't be the right side of the timers. Great event, huge crowd here, and the horse was amazing!"
Fellow Belgian Olivier Philippaerts came agonisingly close to victory with Hipster SV, producing a brilliant double clear in 46.31 seconds to secure second place. His outstanding performance also earned him the coveted golden ticket to the Longines Global Champions Tour Super Grand Prix at the GC Playoffs in Verona next month.
Turning his attention towards the season’s grand finale, Philippaerts noted: "Luckily, now we have the LGCT Super Grand Prix ticket, so we make our plan for Verona and aim to get it together there! Amazing for the first time here in Egypt. The crowd were incredible, cheering on every rider. It gives us great comfort as riders — it can be not so easy to come to a new country and a new show like this, but hopefully we keep coming back in the future because really it is a great show on the calendar! It's some show, and we have to do whatever it takes to keep it going!"
With just 0.72 seconds separating the top three, Belgium's Pieter Devos delivered a sensational performance with Casuall DV Z to claim the title, stopping the clock in an unbeatable 45.85 seconds and taking home an impressive €330,000 in prize money.
A visibly overwhelmed Pieter Devos spoke to GCTV after winning, paying an emotional tribute to Casual and the consistency that had brought them to this moment: "I am a bit overwhelmed to be honest, I am really so happy with my horse! She really deserves this, she has had six 5* Grand Prix podiums this year, and now we can put the cherry on the cake with an amazing win. She really is an amazing horse; she really deserves it and she fights so hard for me... now we can finish it off it is just amazing... and in this fantastic place! Goosebumps!"
For Devos and his family, the win marked a milestone in a journey that began long before Casual ever entered an international arena: "It is just a very special story with this horse, we bred her ourselves with our family, we did the whole journey with Casual from foal right through now to 5* Grand Prix winner, and fantastic that you can make that bond with the horse and bring her to the top level of the world - it really is special that you can make it happen and what she has given me back is just unbelievable."
The setting added another layer of emotion, as Devos drew a remarkable parallel with his first LGCT Grand Prix win in Shanghai: "I must say I just remembered, for me it is good to have a new show....my first LGCT Grand Prix win was in Shanghai, and that was the first time the Global went to Shanghai, and now here in Cairo I was a bit overwhelmed by the setting with the Pyramids here, it is just amazing to be here on the podium now. That podium stands there just in front of the Pyramids and I was thinking on the first day 'it will be nice to be on that podium in the Grand Prix, and then have a nice picture with the Pyramids on the side... very very happy today!"
After three unforgettable days of world-class sport and historic moments at the Pyramids of Giza, the Longines Global Champions Tour now turns its attention to Rabat, Morocco, for the final stage of the 2026 season from 30 October to 1 November.
The Longines Global Champions Tour of Rabat will bring the curtain down on the Tour's landmark 20th anniversary championship season, promising another spectacular celebration of elite equestrian sport as the 2026 season writes its final chapter.
--ENDS--
Edited by HT
Photo by Baroness Ludwiga von Korff
Full results here