Britain’s Maher back to defend LGCT title as CSI5* show jumping series kicks off this weekend

Doha, Mexico City, Miami Beach, Shanghai, Madrid, Hamburg, Cannes, Stockholm, Cascais/Estoril, Monaco, Paris, Chantilly, Berlin, London, Valkenswaard, Rome, Ramatuelle/Saint Tropez, Montreal, New York – and possibly Prague if qualified. That is the itinerary this year for the horses and riders on the elite Longines Global Champions Tour (LGCT; the GCL will be previewed later this week). And 36-year-old Enfield Town native Maher, who won both the Individual Tour and team-based League titles in 2018, is part of a strong field set to face off in the Persian Gulf country from February 28–March 2 as the Tour’s 14th edition begins. 

In fact, in previous years the LGCT stop in Doha was pencilled in at the end of the competition calendar, in November. But with a new format for the series, including a year-end Super Grand Prix in Prague, this Middle Eastern stage is now the opening date of the circuit. And during a press conference at the ultramodern AL SHAQAB equestrian venue, LGCT President and Founder and GCL Co-Founder Jan Tops spoke about getting things started: “I am very happy to be in Doha – we call this our second home. We have been here for many years and have a great relationship with [AL SHAQAB and the Qatar Foundation]. Everyone is watching the start of the season to see which horse and rider combinations are on form. The focus [from around the world] is on Doha and this amazing facility.” 

More than 50 riders from 17 countries are entered in the competition in Qatar, which culminates Saturday with the €375,000 CSI5* Longines Global Champions Tour Grand Prix of Doha. Aside from Maher – who was carried to the overall titles in 2018 by stellar horses like Explosion W – four other British athletes are in town: Scott Brash, Harry Charles and Emily Moffitt, as well as five strong Irish riders: Bertram Allen, Shane Breen, Michael Duffy, Michael G Duffy and Denis Lynch.

Others in the field of competitors include Australia’s Edwina Tops-Alexander, Belgium’s Gregory Wathelet, France’s Roger-Yves Bost, Germany’s Daniel Deusser, Greece’s Athina Onassis, the Netherlands’ Maikel van der Vleuten, Qatar’s Sheikh Ali Bin Khalid Al Thani, Sweden’s Henrik von Eckermann and Switzerland’s Jane Richard Philips. The full CSI5* entries list is here. 

As event organisers explain, “Each Longines Global Champions Tour and GCL event can be separated into two categories – CSI5* and CSI2* classes. The CSI5* is the top level competition, where the top-ranked riders in the world will compete for the highest prize money, over the biggest fences – up to 1.60m which is the highest in the sport. The CSI2* classes are slightly smaller in height, and offer opportunities for many local athletes as well as international rising stars.”

And as in previous years, all the CSI5* rounds will be streamed live via the LGCT web site, including exclusive studio interviews and expert commentary. The livestream broadcast schedule will be made available here, with viewers able to select different time zones.