Global Champions Grand Prix of Monaco: Christian Ahlmann Finishes Third, Philipp Weishaupt Ninth, and Marco Kutscher Twelfth

In the end, two-tenths of a second decided the Global Champions Grand Prix of Monaco. That was how much faster Stephan de Freitas Barcha and Dinozo Imperio Egipcio were than the Italian Piergiorgio Bucci, who has been performing very well this season and is currently ranked 15th in the world.

First GCT Victory for de Freitas Barcha in Monaco

The jump-off covered 310 meters and featured eight obstacles. The Brazilian rider’s Diamant de Semilly son sealed the deal. Piergiorgio Bucci, riding Pallieter vd N.Ranch by Cornet Obolenksy as the first starter, got off to a strong start: 35.6 seconds, no knockdowns—it looked for a long time like a possible victory. But in the end, the winning pair from the Rome Grand Prix had to settle for second place and 120,000 euros in prize money. Bucci also knew exactly where he’d lost those tenths of a second: “On the approach to the last vertical jump—that’s where Stephan got me.” For the Brazilian, it was his first victory in a Grand Prix on the Global Champions Tour.

Untouched S: Getting Better and Better

Untouched LB, ridden by Christian Ahlmann, continues on his path to the world’s elite. The ten-year-old son of Richard Vogels’ United Touch S posted the third-fastest clear round. Ahlmann was more than satisfied. “He jumped very well in Paris, and now he’s even better. By nature, he’s not the fastest horse in the jump-off. I might have been able to take a few more canter strides up to the last jump—my mistake—but I’m more than satisfied.” The Zangersheide pair finished ahead of Belgian rider Nicola Philippaerts, who had saddled the Darco daughter Moya vd Bisschop.

Philipp Weishaupt and Chaquitos PS opted out of the jump-off and finished ninth. Also in the money: Marco Kutscher with Lemar. He had posted the third-fastest four-fault ride in the first round.

Results of the 2026 GCT Grand Prix Monaco