Great excitement in Doha for the 2017 LGCT final

The countdown to the 15th and final event of the 2017 Longines Global Champions Tour and Global Champions League is on, with less than two weeks before the world’s top horses and riders compete in the thrilling showdown at AL SHAQAB, Qatar.  New LGCT Champion Harrie Smolders has already made history by taking the crown at the penultimate event in Rome, after a season which has seen a lot of twists and turns, including the wonderful victories of Italy’s De Luca and Zorzi. From 9th to 11th November in Doha, the scene is set for a five-way battle for podium places in the LGCT finale and a fascinating head-to-head between the two leading GCL teams.  This year’s event will be particularly special for AL SHAQAB, marking the 25th anniversary of the prestigious questrian facility. To celebrate the anniversary, there will be a special program on 10 November. National riders will be given the opportunity to compete alongside their country’s heroes such as Olympians Sheikh Ali Bin Khalid Al Thani and Bassem Hassan Mohammed, as well as the majority of the top international show jumpers from around the world. Behind Netherland’s Smolders, a mere 15 points separate the following top five riders, and a knife-edge points battle continues with Italy’s Lorenzo de Luca and Alberto Zorzi, Netherlands’ Maikel van der Vleuten, Germany’s Christian Ahlmann and Britain’s Scott Brash. Doha will also see The Global Champions League race to the finish, with Hamburg Diamonds and Valkenswaard United duelling in the final battle – just 17 points between them. The final GCL competition of the season will kick off at 14 local time on Saturday 11th November. All the action can be followed live on the official streaming platforms of the Global Champions Tour.  www.globalchampionstour.com photo: LGCT / Stefano Grasso