Edwina elevated to third in overall fight for GCT series after podium finish in Monaco

Edwina Tops-Alexander 3rd in the GCT of Monaco 
Photograph:Steffano Grasso/GCT

The result has seen her shoot up the leader board to occupy third position in the overall ranking. She is now trailing second placed Christian Ahlmann by just a point and is only six points behind current leader Laura Kraut.

It was the current series champion’s first GCT Grand Prix with the 11 year old stallion Guccio and together they produced one of only three double clear rounds of the night.

First to go in the three-way jump off, Edwina’s hopes of victory were dashed when Guccio refused a green coloured vertical towards the end of the course.  A surprising refusal from the black stallion added a 4 fault score as well as three additional time faults.

“In the jump off I didn’t feel very fast and tried to make a bit more time, but he didn’t see the fence. But I am happy to be in this position. When there are only three in the ring you have to try to do the best you can. It has been an incredible show,” she said.

British rider William Funnell finished in second position after his mount Billy Congo incurred four penalties at the same fence.

There were no errors by US rider Richard Spooner and Cristallo who produced the only clear round in the jump off which handed Spooner the title at Monaco for a third time.

Australia's Amy Graham was also competnng in this event aboard her grey stallion Bella Baloubet. They were first in the ring and jumped clear and within the time but had three rails down in the second round and finished in 14^th position.

The second half of the GCT season begins next weekend at the Estoril GP. A full review of the Grand Prix as well as results, rider interviews and more is available at: http://www.globalchampionstour.com

  30 June 2013

Longines Global Champions Tour of Monaco

The Longines Global Champions Tour leaderboard is heading for a shake-up at Port Hercule arena in Monte-Carlo as the championship series heads towards the halfway mark.

The seventh round of the series will gather some of the fastest riders on the planet in Monaco for the three-day spectacular on the French Riviera. Heavyweight contenders Edwina Tops-Alexander, Rolf-Göran Bengtsson, Denis Lynch, William Funnell, Michael Whitaker, Jane Richard Philips and Scott Brash are in with a strong chance of climbing the ranking board.

Australia’s Julia Hargreaves and Amy Graham are also among the riders competing at Monaco this weekend.

The world’s richest show jumping series, with over €8 million in prize money over the 13 events in 2013, has already witnessed a fierce battle for dominance on the ranking board with Laura Kraut currently on top on 132 points ahead of Christian Ahlmann on 124 points. Edwina Tops-Alexander has managed one podium placing so far this season and another this weekend would improve her current standing of 8^th in the overall race for the title.

Dazzling Monte-Carlo, for nearly a century the playground of Royalty, billionaires and Hollywood stars, is set for a unique equestrian experience as the Longines Global Champions Tour gets underway on Thursday. World class VIP facilities will greet guests and sponsors as they enjoy ringside sporting entertainment overlooking the superyacht harbour.

So far there have been hugely impressive Grand Prix victories for Michael Whitaker on Viking in Madrid, Christian Ahlmann and Codex One in Hamburg, Laura Kraut and Cedric in Wiesbaden, Ben Maher on Cella in London and Marcus Ehning on Plot Blue in Cannes.

All the sporting action can be watched on the dedicated livestreaming service at www.globalchampionstour.com/gct-live You can check the broadcast schedule for Monaco at www.globalchampionstour.com/tv-schedule

Eurosport on Foxtel will also show replays of the Grand Prix, visit http://tv.au.eurosport.com/ and search equestrian for broadcast times.