Edwina on the podium at Antwerp Longines Global Champions Tour

After the opening leg on the sands of Miami Beach earlier this month, the second leg of the 2015 Longines Global Champions Tour series took place in the famous port of Antwerp (BE), from 22nd to 25th April.

Once again, our Australian star, Edwina Tops-Alexander proved her talent in the fashionable Belgian city, finishing third on the podium on Lintea Tequila, her bay mare she described as one of her “best ever horses”.

It was a night of sporting drama on the banks of the vast River Scheldt as thousands of fans and guests watched the battle for a chance to put valuable points on the ranking board early in the championship season. Eight out of the world’s Top 10 riders in the world, World, Olympic and European champions,  were in action in Antwerp with a mission to topple the seemingly invincible Brit Scott Brash, reigning Tour champion, off the top of the early season ranking. The event was staged at an impressive new venue, the Cockerillkaai (Cockerill Quay), along the grand River Scheldt with boats gliding past the arena and spectators filled every available space for the big 1.60m Longines Global Champions Tour Grand Prix.

After the second round only 6 riders demonstrated double clear rounds and proceeded to the jump-off, designed by the Belgium course designer Luc Musette. They were Ali Bin Khalid Al Thani (QAT), Karim Elzoghby (EGY), Christian Ahlmann (GER), Edwina Tops-Alexander (AUS), Hans-Dieter Dreher (GER) and Simon Delestre (FRA). Tops-Alexander completed a powerful round on Tequila making the big and daunting BMW fence look easy and putting in a tight turn to the Merit Capital vertical which saw her complete the course in a tome of 40.30 and the first clear round of the jump-off.  On the finish line, French rider Simon Delestre beat the German rider Hans-Dieter Dreher by 78 hundredths of a second. 

Next leg : Madrid from 1-3 May.

FULL RESULTS