Christian Ahlmann brilliant at the foot of the Eiffel Tower

Last weekend, Paris was hosting the eleventh leg of the Longines Global Champions Tour. The tension was intense for the spectators as it was only halfway through the field of thirty-four that the first clear round was on the board. It was signed by Netherlands ‘Marc Houtzager on Sterrehof’s Calimero. By the end of the first round, only seven couples managed to qualify themselves for the jump-off. But Belgium’s Pieter Devos, currently Longines Global Champions Tour ranking leader, was not one of them. On his star horse Claire Z, the final part of the Longines triple combination fell putting him at the nineteenth position.

As for Great Britain’s riders, none of them were clear on the first round. With four points, Scott Brash on Hello Mr President and Ben Maher on F One USA ended respectively at the seventeenth and twenty-first place. With a total of nine points, Michael Whitaker took the thirty-fourth position.  

After an amazing first round and a great jump-off, Belgium’s Celine Schoonbroodt-de Azevedo on Cheppetta did a wonderful performance and ended at the second place. “This my first Longines Global Champions Tour jump-off and it is amazing to be on podium between two amazing riders. I felt my mare jumped very nice. She was really fighting for me and I could feel that she helped me a little bit”, explained the amazed athletes.

Last to go Frenchman Kevin Staut, a previous Longines Global Champions Tour Grand Prix of Paris winner, had a mission on his hands and pushed hard to make up time with Calevo 2 but it was not to be his night on home soil and he had to settle for third. “This is a new horse, I have only been riding for the last four months. He is very scopey and we do a good job together. I have big hopes, this is his first time on the podium in a 5* Grand Prix”, explain the rider.

Unbeatable this weekend, Germany’s Christian Ahlmann could not be happier. “It has been an amazing week I already had my daughter Ella born on Monday. My concentration was not what it should be. Judy wasn’t happy when I went (to the show). She said I better do well this weekend. I think she is happy now!” He added : “Take A Chance On Me is a family horse, he is 10 and by my former Grand Prix horse, Taloubet, and he is also a breeding stallion. Take A Chance was a late horse at growing into the sport and now he ready for it, really working for it. He is a quality horse who feels well and today I had an unbelievable feeling between the fences, it was a lot of fun and really gave me confidence.

All results: here