Best of British as Harry Charles secures gold in Longines Global Champions Tour Grand Prix of London
Sunday 18 August 2024
 (1).jpg "Best of British as Harry Charles secures gold in Longines Global Champions Tour Grand Prix of London")
Everything Harry Charles touches at the moment turns to gold as he declares "no better place to come this weekend" than the Longines Global Champions Tour of London. Taking the win of the €500,000 Longines Global Champions Tour Grand Prix of London on 11 year old Sherlock, home hero Harry Charles pipped golden boy Christian Kukuk and Just Be Gentle to the post by less than three tenths of a second. The 2022 LGCT London Grand Prix winning combination Pieter Devos and Toupie de la Roque stood proudly on the podium again in third.
Set against the historic and elegant Royal Hospital Chelsea, VIP hospitality offered guests opulent luxury as they watched the world’s top riders in action. Enthusiastic crowds filled the grandstands, creating a vibrant atmosphere where both sporting and equestrian fans enjoyed a captivating day for the whole family.
With home heroes littered throughout the hall of fame for the Longines Global Champions Tour Grand Prix of London, Charles adds his name amongst the likes of Ben Maher and Scott Brash. He explained, "There is no better Global Tour Grand Prix I could've won than this one - to get it checked off as my first one is pretty cool! To get my name on this Grand Prix is pretty special."
As for his equine partner, Charles exclaimed, "For Sherlock it is a really big milestone in his career, he’s a horse I've had since he was five years old and I always believed the world in him, and to come out here today and do what he did… I never knew he could go that fast!"
Now sitting in just second place in the 2024 Championship race, an on-form Christian Kukuk detailed Just Be Gentle’s preparation heading into today’s win. He said, "I was very focused today, my mare was also very concentrated - I had a very good feeling. She jumped super yesterday after coming off a little break which is why maybe she had one down, but today she was back in action. She is naturally quite quick and we had a quick enough time… honestly Harry deserved the win today - he tried his heart out!"
As for the 2022 Longines Global Champions Tour Grand Prix of London winners - Pieter Devos and Toupie de la Roque? It’s all coming together again. Devos explained, "I’m so happy today with my horse - she didn't have the best season up until this point but now she’s back up there and jumped unbelievable… I’m so happy with her and that is the most important part for me. Today she gave me wings again so that is very nice for her - she loves to go to the shows, she loves to jump… she’s so happy and you can feel it in the ring."
With the Longines Global Champions Tour Super Grand Prix now on the horizon, a twelfth qualified rider is now set to join the line up. With plans to make, Charles explained to GCTV: "I didn’t plan it at the beginning of the year, so now we are going to have to take a look and see what horses we can do it with… it’s very exciting so we are definitely going to make a plan for it!"
At a quintessentially British location, the iconic Chelsea Pensioners, dressed in their scarlet uniforms, escorted the placegetters to the prizegiving beneath the shadow of the Royal Chelsea Hospital, home to over 300 British Army veterans as Mr Ben Callegari, Brand Manager of Longines UK presented Harry with an elegant Longines watch.
In the thrilling Championship race, Christian Kukuk has closed the gap on 209 points but Max Kühner still leads on 234 points even after not making it into the jump-off today. Andreas Schou drops to third on 192 points while young gun Gilles Thomas catapults into fourth on 185 points after Maikel van der Vleuten failed to qualify for today’s LGCT Grand Prix.
Uliano Vezzani’s 1.60m track was big, impressive and technical with riders walking the course multiple times to work out the best route. The sold out and energetic crowd was treated to a very early clear round as first to go Canadian Kyle Timm and Casino Calvin rode a foot perfect clear inside the time allowed. However, it was a while before anyone else made it look as easy with the likes of both the Stockholm LGCT Grand Prix winner Olivier Philippaerts and Andreas Schou both opting to retire despite chasing the overall season ranking points.
After this stellar performance in yesterday’s GCL team class the living legend John Whitaker and Equine America Unick du Francport had everyone on the edge of the seats. Giving it their all it just wasn’t to be today coming home on 8 faults. A gut wrenching single pole down for three female German riders kept them out of the jump off but Sophie Hinners, Jana Wargers and Janne Friederike Meyer-Zimmermann were lightning fast to be able to all finish within the top 10 overall.
In his first ever LGCT Grand Prix jump-off Kyle Timm did himself proud. Keeping Casino Calvin well balanced they cruised around making light work of the track they stopped the clock in 39.78 seconds putting pressure on the rest of the field.
Wilm Vermeir stepped up to the plate with Iq van het Steentje proving the time was beatable coming home in 37.23 seconds but a fence down mid-course kept him off the podium this time.
Despite an impressive clear in round one, all that knew the combination thought Malin Baryard-Johnsson and her faithful partner of H&M Indiana would be taking a step on today’s podium. An uncharacteristic 8 faults left hearts broken and the duo in sixth place.
As former winners of the Longines Global Champions Tour Grand Prix of London, Pieter Devos and Toupie de la Roque had the question on everyone’s lips could they replicate their 2022 performance? It was touch and go for Toupie and Devos at the beginning getting too deep to an upright but Toupie still cleared it to come home on double clear which left the pair hoping for the top spot as three of the fastest qualified riders were left to tackle the jump off.
Riding high off his success in Paris, Christian Kukuk and Just Be Gentle took the challenge on head on. With the taste of gold egging him on Kukuk did a handbrake turn to the penultimate fence saving him vital fractions of a second to go into the lead in 36.92 seconds.
Known for his speed, Kukuk wasn’t safe yet. Richard Howley entered the arena on Zodiak du Buisson Z, choosing to risk it all the strategy didn’t pay off finishing with 12 faults in 39.14 seconds.
The pressure was on… last to go and the only hope for British fans, young talent Harry Charles took it to another level on Sherlock. Risking it all he set off at a flat-out gallop, turning tight back to the double. He had a light touch on the back rail but it stayed put and he was up on the time at the halfway stage. With nothing to loose he rose to the occasion and didn’t take a check to the last. As he flew over the Longines oxer the crowd erupted as he punched the air to win his first-ever LGCT Grand Prix and take the title on home turf.
So it was a fairytale British win as the sun sets on London and the Championship race now heads to its home in The Netherlands, Valkenswaard 23 - 25 August.
