{"id":50282,"date":"2026-07-03T10:51:42","date_gmt":"2026-07-03T08:51:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sohorse.eu\/?p=50282"},"modified":"2026-07-03T10:51:43","modified_gmt":"2026-07-03T08:51:43","slug":"global-champions-league-monaco-riesenbeck-troisieme-victoire","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sohorse.eu\/en\/news\/2026\/07\/03\/global-champions-league-monaco-riesenbeck-troisieme-victoire\/","title":{"rendered":"Monaco by a Hundredth: Riesenbeck Seals a Princely Hat-Trick and Turns the GCL Upside Down"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\u2026 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In Monaco, the yachts shine, the stands are packed and horses are not allowed to make mistakes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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\u2026 and everything can change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This year, it did not even take a second.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
After two rounds of wild intensity, Riesenbeck Internationall<\/strong>\u00a0and Madrid in Motion both finished on a perfect score.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The judge and jury then became the clock. 139.61 seconds for the Germans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
139.67 for the Dutch riders of the Spanish team. Six hundredths.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The distance between a trophy and second place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
Four perfect rounds, zero trembling<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Pressure? Not in their vocabulary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Maximilian Weishaupt<\/strong>\u00a0opened the hostilities with\u00a0Zuccero HV<\/strong>\u00a0, producing another clear round of surgical precision. Behind him,\u00a0Marco Kutscher<\/strong>\u00a0followed exactly the same script with\u00a0Pikeur Lemar NRW.<\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
The second round looked like a carbon copy. Two more immaculate performances.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Four starts. Four clears. The end.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n
\u00ab \u201cWinning three legs in a row is something very special. We had already managed two consecutive victories, but never three. <\/em>\u201d savoured Marco Kutscher, whose horse was nevertheless discovering Monaco\u2019s night-time atmosphere.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
There was the same satisfaction from Maximilian Weishaupt, who underlined the versatility of Zuccero HV<\/strong>, capable of following up a win in Paris with another in Monaco, on two arenas that could hardly be more different.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Madrid pushes the champions to the very edge<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
They almost needed to invent another tie-break.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kim Emmen<\/strong>, imperial with Hellix du Seigneur<\/strong>, and Maikel van der Vleuten<\/strong> with Beauville Z N.O.P.<\/strong> matched the Germans blow for blow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
No faults. No cracks. The Dutch duo did everything right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The favourites fall one after another<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
While the two leaders played a game of who would blink first, Monaco kept claiming victims.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Scandinavian Vikings, also on zero after the first round, saw their podium hopes collapse. One rail for\u00a0Susan Fitzpatrick<\/strong>, then a difficult round from\u00a0Jur Vrieling<\/strong>Jur Vrieling, penalised with eight faults over the fences and one time fault. Goodbye.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Prague Lions still had a match point when they entered the arena.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It did not even survive the first fence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Niels Bruynseels<\/strong> lowered a rail in the opening efforts with Chacco's Lando OL<\/strong>practically handing success to Riesenbeck before the final rider had even jumped. Behind him, Pieter Devos<\/strong> also endured a complicated evening, finishing with fifteen faults on the board.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
End of suspense.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Shanghai Swans climb, Basel rue their first round<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On a night when the leaderboard never stopped moving, Shanghai Swans pulled off the smart move.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Starting with four penalties, Christian Ahlmann<\/strong> and Max K\u00fchner<\/strong> both produced clear rounds to climb all the way to third place overall.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
By contrast, the Basel Cosmopolitans may have a few regrets.\u00a0Marlon Modolo Zanotelli<\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0Nicola Philippaerts<\/strong>\u00a0and 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Les\u00a0Riyadh Knights\u00a0limitent \u00e9galement les d\u00e9g\u00e2ts pour accrocher la cinqui\u00e8me place, tandis que\u00a0Valkenswaard United,\u00a0Istanbul Warriors\u00a0et\u00a0Mexico Amigos\u00a0quittent Monaco avec davantage de questions que de certitudes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Transfer window time: the GCL changes shape<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Monaco show marks a turning point every year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Not only because it hands out big points.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But because it opens the famous Global Champions League transfer window.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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\u2026 decisions that could weigh heavily in the title race.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
One thing, however, already seems clear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Right now, the whole GCL is chasing Riesenbeck.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Three legs won in a row. And a sense of control that is beginning to look seriously like that of a future champion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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