Ben Maher denies German top three on opening day of Longines Global Champions Tour of Riesenbeck
Friday 21 July 2023
.jpeg "Ben Maher denies German top three on opening day of Longines Global Champions Tour of Riesenbeck")
Ben Maher scored a win as the opening day at the Longines Global Champions Tour of Riesenbeck saw an intense battle in an electric atmosphere for the top spots in the 1.45m FUNDIS Reitsport Prize.
Ben and Ginger Blue left a lasting impression by claiming the win, denying the German riders a complete sweep. An on-form David Will had to settle for second on Accoton PS by less than a quarter of a second. Feeling comfortable on home soil Richard Vogel rounded off the top three with Codex while Kendra Claricia Brinkop and Hans-Dieter Dreher made sure Ben was the only non-German in the top five.
A smiling Ben explained: “Ginger was great today and it is her first time on grass in a while. She jumped last week in A Coruna for both team classes and the Grand Prix and I used today to get her ready for tomorrow. She is naturally fast so I didn’t push her too hard to the last fence to keep some energy for tomorrow but I had two very fast riders behind me.”
In regards to the GCL team strategy for tomorrow’s competition, Ben said: “I need to speak to the Paris Panthers team boss, Rob Hoekstra but I think the plan at the moment is for me to jump Ginger in the first round then swap to Dallas for the second round.”
As the sun bathed the venue in a warm glow, the audience gathered in eager anticipation to witness the world's finest equestrian athletes vie for glory. The 1.45m FUNDIS Reitsport Prize posed a formidable challenge, with a demanding course designed to test the skill and mettle of each competitor.
The time allowed was tight and the horses had plenty to look at in the expansive grass arena but hungry for the win it was all guns blazing for the 47 combinations. Opting for a steady round ahead of a big weekend of competition Daniel Deusser, Michael Duffy, and Christian Ahlmann all collected a single-time fault. Proving too tough for some, there were retirements from some of the biggest names in the sport like Olivier Philippaerts, Jur Vrieling, and Beth Underhill.
A total of 17 clear rounds saw a range of tactics but it was David Will who took all the risks with Accoton PS. The combination set off at a flat-out gallop from before the first fence and shaved seconds off the time to beat. But he wasn’t in the lead for long as Ben and Ginger Blue were on a whole new level today. With tidy inside turns and a check to the last to make sure it stayed up they were the only pair to finish sub 65 sec in today's dramatic speed class, winning by 0.31 sec.
Image: LGCT Media
