Global Champions League Stage from Paris to Riesenbeck International Ahead of the Iron Dames

So much for “ladies first.” Marco Kutscher and Maximilian Weishaupt prevailed over the Iron Dames at the Global Champions League stop in Paris.

Maximilian Weishaupt and Rolf-Göran Bengtsson’s Olympic partner, Zuccero, demonstrated with two flawless rounds that they have now found their rhythm together, as did Marco Kutscher riding Lemar NRW. While Kutscher’s former star in the stable, Catelly, helped Great Britain secure the League of Nations victory in Rotterdam, the 11-year-old son of Los Angeles, bred by Wolfgang Brinkmann, proved to be a worthy successor. He, too, did not make a single jumping error. This left the Riesenbeck International riders standing alone today, making victory in Paris a foregone conclusion.

The Dames in second place

Unlike in Nations Cups, there are no discarded scores in the Global Champions League. As a result, the Cannes Stars—represented by the Iron Dames riders (who now have to compete without Janne Friederike Meyer-Zimmermann )—had to accept the jumping fault by the Mannheim winners, Jörne Sprehe on Calvino II de Nyze Z (-/0), Jörne Sprehe on Toys (4/-) and Hickstead White (-/0), and Sophie Hinners on Combella (0/-). However, it was enough for second place.

Because even though the Riyadh Knights had also knocked down only one pole, they also incurred a time penalty. That brought the total to five penalty points for Cian O’Connor on Gospel Tame (-/0) and Kentucky TN (1/-), as well as for Olivier Perreau riding Himalaya du Temple (-/4) and Dorai d’Aiguilly (0/-).

Individual ranking

In the first qualifying round, a 1.60-meter race against the clock, the individual victory went to Belgium’s Nicola Philuppaerts riding Gadget Mouche. Victor Bettendorf and Qwando van de Rispen finished second, about two and a half seconds slower, ahead of France’s Riayadh Knight Perreau and his home-bred Olympic partner.

Sophie Hinners and Combella were the top German pair, finishing fourth. Kutscher came in ninth, and Weishaupt eleventh.

In the second class, Sweden’s Peder Fredericson on Alcapone des Carmille celebrated the victory, followed by Daniel Deußer on Pepita van’t Meulenhof BR and, once again, Marco Kutscher on Lemar. Weishaupt finished fifth, and Sprehe sixth. And Kendra Claricia Brinkop, riding Gatsby le Magnific, also finished in the money in eleventh place despite a knockdown.

Riesenbeck surges to the top of the rankings

After a somewhat mixed start to the season, Riesenbeck International has catapulted itself to the top of the GCL overall standings with these two consecutive victories—Christian Kukuk and Ciaran Nallon celebrated their first win of the year last week in St. Tropez. With 131 points, they are ahead of the Prague Lions (119) and the Cannes Stars and Iron Dames (117).

You can find all the results here.