The Global Champions Tour Grand Prix of Brazil

Edwina Alexander and Cevo Itot du Chateau placed second in Brazil. (photo: Stefano Grasso/GCT  story: Annie Lever/GCT)

 

Gerco Schroder triumphed with Eurocommerce London being the only double clear round to win the Global Champions Tour Grand Prix of Brazil to take home  320,000 euros and a Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso timepiece. One million euro prize money was duly divided to the top 18 placings.

Most excting for Aussies is that Edwina Alexander placed second and remains on top of the Global Champions Tour ranking.  With the best of seven events to count in the ranking tally, Edwina dropped her lowest score of 27 earned at the Valencia leg of the tour. Go Edwina!

Ludger Beerbaum who placed 5^th with Chaman in the Grand Prix today took over second place on the GCT leader board as Luciana Diniz and Lennox were eliminated in the first round.  Both of these riders had a 0 score to drop. Diniz slipped to fourth as Brazilian Alvaro de Miranda Neto came into 3^rd position after placing 10th with AD Norson and dropping just 6 points as his lowest score posted in Monaco.

In front of a sold out crowd the Dutch rider Schroder produced two polished round performances over Luc Musettes very technical courses in the Grand Prix of Brazil presented by OI.  The first round was big, bold and colourful with only Schroder and Brazilian Rodrigo Pessoa with Let’s Fly producing clear rounds.

The second round presented a little softer technically yet proved that it would take some riding and some horsepower as10 of the eighteen jumped clear.

Schroder could not be edged out by Pessoa who was last to ride in the second round.  When the fence fell, time was important to Pessoa who ended up in 4th place in a jump-off time of 67.75 seconds.

Edwina Alexander and Cevo Itot d u Chateau came in on 64.87 with a clear round to add to her first round of 4 and they stood in second place.

German Philipp Weishaupt stood also with just the one rail in hand from the first round with Monte Bellini as their second round was clear in a time of 66.68 standing them in third place.

 

QUOTES

Global Champions Tour Grand Prix winner Gerco Schroder collected a €320,000 cheque and said his victory in Rio was a good sign for the Olympic Games in London next year.

The Dutch rider said of his stallion Eurocommerce London: “When we bought Eurocommerce London I had a great feeling for the horse and after this it looks like we have a good chance when we go to London. Maybe that is why we gave him the name!”

Gerco stormed to first place on the podium after a knife-edge round when one pole was rattled but stayed in place to leave him clear on 72.02.

His superb, well-balanced first round clear looked so effortless he made the mammoth course look easy.

World No1 female rider Edwina Alexander maintained her place at the top of the 2011 GCT rankings after coming second in Rio and winning €210,000.

She said at the press conference: “The second round was not quite as difficult as the first and there were only two clear.

The course builder Luc Mousset (please check!!!) did a fantastic job to build a course for a €1 million event.”

Speaking of her champion Grand Prix horse Itot du Chateau Edwina said: “I did not think it was so difficult for my horse. He is feeling so good and he is so fast.”

Her super fast second round time of 64.87, the fastest in the second round, delighted the packed spectator and VIP stands.

Edwina is still top of the GCT table as the riders prepare to go to Abu Dhabi for the thrilling final leg of the 2011 Global Champions Tour season.

She admitted she had calculated she will definitely be in the top 3 even if she does not win the Grand Prix in Abu Dhabi. But no-one doubts that will be her aim.

She said: “I have had an amazing season with my horse, he has been so consistent.

“There is a lot that can happen from now but Itot has a break now and he is in form.”

German rider Philipp Weishaupt came in third and said the course in Rio was exceptionally challenging and a perfect preparation for the 2012 Olympics.

Philipp said of his podium place in a time of 66.68: “I am really happy about it. Monte Bellini did a really super job today.

“He jumped really clear and quick. It is very special to be here.

“It has been an Olympic course already here. It won’t be much bigger, it was like the Olympics.”

Winner Gerco was up against local hero Rodrigo Pessoa on Let’s Fly, who had a stunning clear first round.

Gerco said: “The ones with four faults were fast in the second round. I knew if I got a fault I would be down in the ranking, but when I went clear I was really happy.”

All three riders praised the local organisers for a highly successful show and said they did not have time for sightseeing between training.

Edwina said of the GCT Rio: “It is a great atmosphere here and the Brazilian people are very into their sport, so they respect what we do. The conditions were great, the ground was really good and we had some great competition. And a lot of money to go with it.”

The stakes were even higher than usual in the Rio Grand Prix with the €1 million prize pot and crucial ranking points with only one show left in GCT 2011.

The massive first round course was a struggle for many riders with extra high verticals and really wide oxers catching out some of the best in the world.

But the difficult course produced dramatic live sport for the spectators and TV viewers on Eurosport and national TV in Brazil and more than a few heart-stopping moments.

Speaking after the Grand Prix GCT Show Director Marco Danese said: “I would like to thank Alvaro de Miranda and the organisers for a very good event.

“Next we are off to Abu Dhabi where we are competing for the first time at Al Forsan resort.

“It is very important to go to the MIddle East where our sport is growing all the time.”

Bruno Charles Duchene of GCT sponsor Jaeger-LeCoultre said: “It was very good to be here with a competition at this level which was a great success.”

Andre Beck, of the Rio organising committee, said: “It was great to have these great riders in Brazil and to have Rio shown to more than 80 countries on television and we have the Olympics coming here and it is good to have this image all over the world.

For those who missed the GCT Live Streaming of the GCT Grand Prix of Brazil, Eurosport will broadcast on Monday 5^th September at 14h15.

 

Top 10 Placings

1.          Gerco Schroder, Netherlands, Eurosommerce London 0/0/72.02

2.          Edwina Alexander, Australia, Itot de Chateau, 4/0/64.87

3.          Philipp Weishaupt, Germany, Monte Bellini 4/0/66.68

4.          Rodrigo Pesssoa, Brazil, Let’s Fly 0/4/67.75

5.          Ludger Beerbaum, Germany, Chaman 4/0/69.48

6.          Judy-Ann Melchior, Belgium, Cha Cha Z 4/0/73.77

7.          Rolf-Goran Bengtsson, Sweden 5/0/69.50

8.          Daniel Deusser, Germany, Untouchable 5/0/74.02

9.          Michael Whitaker, Great Britain, Viking 4/4/66.08

10.    Alvaro de Miranda, Brazil, AD Norson 8/0/67.90

 

 

Global Champions Tour Rankings – top 18 riders after 8^th leg (Valkenswaard)

 

1	Edwina Alexander (Aus)	238	10	Pius Schwizer (Sui)	145
2	Ludger Beerbaum (Ger)	218.50	11	Kevin Staut (Fra)	143
3	Alvaro de Miranda (Bra)	194	=12	Rodrigo Pessoa (Bra)	136
4	Luciana Diniz (Por)	192	=12	Clarissa Crotta (Sui)	136
5	Denis Lynch (Irl)	178	14	Billy Twomey (Irl)	131
6	Rolf-Goran Bengtsson (Swe)	172	15	Gerco Schroder (Ned)	123
7	Philipp Weishaupt (Ger)	171	16	Judy-Ann Melchior (Bel)	118
8	Christian Ahlmann (Ger)	157	17	Marcus Ehning (Ger)	116
9	Marco Kutscher (Ger)	150	18	Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum (Ger)	115

 

The Global Champions Tour ranking is updated after each leg of the tour based on the scores derived from the rider’s performances in the Grand Prix. The best 7 results will count towards the final Ranking whereby the top 18 riders will share 1 million euros.

Global Champions Tour 2011 Events

Doha, Qatar (March 17-19) Valencia, Spain (May 6-8)  Hamburg, Germany (June 1-5)     Cannes, France (June 9-11) Monte Carlo, Monaco (June 23-25)  Estoril, Portugal  (July 1-2)    Chantilly, France (July 22-24) Valkenswaard, The Netherlands  (August 12-14)    Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (September 2-4) Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, (November 24-26)