Under the floodlights of Port Hercule, the Global Champions League delivered the kind of script only it knows how to write. Four clear rounds from Riesenbeck International, a breathless duel with Madrid in Motion and a victory snatched by… six hundredths of a second. At mid-season, the German team is no longer simply winning legs. It is laying down the law on the championship.
Monaco luxury, stopwatch cruelty
In Monaco, the yachts shine, the stands are packed and horses are not allowed to make mistakes.
This pocket-sized arena, squeezed between the harbour and the buildings of the Principality, forgives nothing. One hesitant stride, one slightly wide turn, one second lost… and everything can change.
This year, it did not even take a second.
After two rounds of wild intensity, Riesenbeck Internationall and Madrid in Motion both finished on a perfect score.
The judge and jury then became the clock. 139.61 seconds for the Germans.
139.67 for the Dutch riders of the Spanish team. Six hundredths.
The distance between a trophy and second place.
Four perfect rounds, zero trembling
Pressure? Not in their vocabulary.
Already winners in Saint-Tropez and then Paris, the Riesenbeck riders came back into the arena with only one idea in mind: do it again.
Maximilian Weishaupt opened the hostilities with Zuccero HV , producing another clear round of surgical precision. Behind him, Marco Kutscher followed exactly the same script with Pikeur Lemar NRW..
The second round looked like a carbon copy. Two more immaculate performances.
Four starts. Four clears. The end.
« “Winning three legs in a row is something very special. We had already managed two consecutive victories, but never three. ” savoured Marco Kutscher, whose horse was nevertheless discovering Monaco’s night-time atmosphere.
There was the same satisfaction from Maximilian Weishaupt, who underlined the versatility of Zuccero HV, capable of following up a win in Paris with another in Monaco, on two arenas that could hardly be more different.
Madrid pushes the champions to the very edge
They almost needed to invent another tie-break.
Kim Emmen, imperial with Hellix du Seigneur, and Maikel van der Vleuten with Beauville Z N.O.P. matched the Germans blow for blow.
No faults. No cracks. The Dutch duo did everything right.
Except go six hundredths faster. A huge frustration, but also a message sent to the rest of the field: Madrid is back in the race.
The favourites fall one after another
While the two leaders played a game of who would blink first, Monaco kept claiming victims.
The Scandinavian Vikings, also on zero after the first round, saw their podium hopes collapse. One rail for Susan Fitzpatrick, then a difficult round from Jur VrielingJur Vrieling, penalised with eight faults over the fences and one time fault. Goodbye.
The Prague Lions still had a match point when they entered the arena.
It did not even survive the first fence.
Niels Bruynseels lowered a rail in the opening efforts with Chacco's Lando OLpractically handing success to Riesenbeck before the final rider had even jumped. Behind him, Pieter Devos also endured a complicated evening, finishing with fifteen faults on the board.
End of suspense.
Shanghai Swans climb, Basel rue their first round
On a night when the leaderboard never stopped moving, Shanghai Swans pulled off the smart move.
Starting with four penalties, Christian Ahlmann and Max Kühner both produced clear rounds to climb all the way to third place overall.
By contrast, the Basel Cosmopolitans may have a few regrets. Marlon Modolo Zanotelli and Nicola Philippaerts and Nicola Philippaerts also delivered two superb rounds in the second round, but the eight faults picked up earlier definitively closed the door to the podium.
Les Riyadh Knights limitent également les dégâts pour accrocher la cinquième place, tandis que Valkenswaard United, Istanbul Warriors et Mexico Amigos quittent Monaco avec davantage de questions que de certitudes.
Transfer window time: the GCL changes shape
The Monaco show marks a turning point every year.
Not only because it hands out big points.
But because it opens the famous Global Champions League transfer window.
Team managers now have one single opportunity to reshape their squads before the final sprint. Change a rider, bet on another horse, reshuffle the deck… decisions that could weigh heavily in the title race.
One thing, however, already seems clear.
Right now, the whole GCL is chasing Riesenbeck.
Three legs won in a row. And a sense of control that is beginning to look seriously like that of a future champion.
Find the full results of the Global Champions League of Monaco here.
(Photos ©LGCT/ S.Grasso)
