Battle of the giants for GCT €1million bonus

With the final of the 2015 Longines Global Champions Tour (GCT) weeks away, three of the world’s top riders are with a chance of winning the €1 million bonus.

Dramatic final

Last year’s champion Scott Brash is at the top of the leaderboard, but Luciana Diniz is just two points behind him after winning the penultimate competition in Vienna.

As the Portuguese rider celebrated her win at the weekend (19 September) she told Scott: “I am going to be pushing you.”

Sweden’s Rolf-Göran Bengtsson is only eight points behind Luciana, which promises for a dramatic final in Doha (12-14 November).

A dream

“All three can still win, it will be very, very exciting,” said GCT president Jan Tops. “It can’t be closer. For every sport it is a dream to keep up the excitement until the last moment.”

Scott could have won the championship if he had jumped clear in Vienna and Luciana and Rolf had failed to score. However, Scott had an unlucky four faults at the last fence riding Hello M’Lady.

The world number one still made it through to the top 18 and the second round, where he jumped clear which put him in fifth place overall. Rolf-Göran, who also had one down in the first round with and Casall ASK, was just behind him to take sixth.

Pressure

Lucina was one of only three riders to jump a double clear and she produced the fastest time on board Winningmood to take the class and pile the pressure on Scott for the final.

Not that pressure seems to worry the world number one, who has already pocketed a €1 million bonus after winning the Rolex Grand Slam of Showjumping earlier this month.

“I thought that Luciana did a wonderful job today, congratulations – she rode really, really well and she’s catching me up,” said Scott . “It will all come down to Doha again but this is the best for the sport and it will be very exciting to the end.”