Stage Set for World Class Competition at Second Grand Prix of 2012 - Global Champions Tour

Thirty of the world’s top show jumping riders will be on their way to Spain next week for the hotly-anticipated first European leg of the Global Champions Tour 2012.

Another outstanding season of equestrian sport is already underway following the opening event in Doha, Qatar, where current GCT champion Edwina Tops-Alexander (pictured) beat off the competition by setting the fastest time in the top-level jump off.

The new venue of Oliva Nova Equestrian Centre, on the Mediterranean coast south of Valencia, will play host to the top-ranked riders and their horses for a fantastic weekend of high quality sport from May 4 - 6. The Grand Prix will be broadcast live on Eurosport and GCT livestreaming will follow all the action of the major classes accompanied by expert commentary.

GCT President Jan Tops said: “We are very much looking forward to the first European leg of the 2012 GCT in the new venue of Oliva Nova next week. I have no doubt all the top riders will deliver a fantastic weekend of world class sport for spectators and for our TV and livestreaming audiences.”

Riders will be competing for one of the richest prizes on offer in the sport with € 285.000 to be divided among the winner and runners up in the Grand Prix on Saturday evening.

The Oliva Nova Equestrian Centre is situated beside the resort’s golf course, which was designed by the late Seve Ballesteros and the facility recently hosted the Mediterranean Equestrian Tour.

Top rider Billy Twomey of Ireland, who won last year’s Grand Prix of Spain, described the Oliva facilities as “wonderful” and praised the ground and the stabling accommodation.

In Olympic year many of the leading riders are making the GCT circuit their top priority and will be competing hard for both the high prize money and coveted ranking points.

This year’s GCT calendar is the biggest since it was founded by Jan Tops in 2006 and includes four new events in Wiesbaden, Lausanne, Vienna and Shanghai.

Here is the starting list for the Global Champions Tour in Spain next week:

AUS	Edwina Tops-Alexander	ARG	José Larocca
BEL	Ciny v.d. Straten – Marie	BRA	Alvaro de Miranda
BRA	Cassio Rivetti	CAN	Eric lamaze
DEN	Emilie Martinsen	ESP	Sergio Alvarez – Moya
FRA	Kevin Staut	FRA	Pénélope Leprevost
FRA	Roger-Yves Bost	FRA	Michel Robert
FRA	Simon Delestre	GBR	Nick Skelton
GBR	Ben Maher	GBR	Michael Whitaker
GBR	Alexandra Thornton	GER	Christian Ahlmann
GER	Marco Kutscher	GER	Marcus Ehning
GER	Philipp Weishaupt	GER	Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum
GRE	Athina Onassis de Miranda	IRL	Denis Lynch
IRL	Billy Twomey	IRL	Mark McAuley
JAP	Taizo Sugatini	KSA	Kamal Bahamdan
NED	Jeroen Dubbeldam	NED	Maikel v.d. Vleuten
NED	Gerco Schröder	POR	Luciana Diniz
RUS	Vladimir Beletskiy	SUI	Steve Guerdat
SUI	Pius Schwizer	SUI	Malin Baryard-Johnsson
UKR	Katharina Offel	USA	Richard Spooner
USA	Laura Kraut