The 2024 Championship Race Heats Up!

The 2024 Longines Global Champions Tour championship race is in full swing. With the first quarter of the season behind us, all eyes are fixed on Europe as the tour heads to Madrid next week.

The competition for points is tighter than ever in the LGCT and GCL championships. Following an epic showdown in Shanghai, Eduardo Alvarez Aznar leads the LGCT Championship going into his home event of Madrid on 97 points and Austria’s Max Kuhner stays close behind in second place on 92 points.

Julien Anquetin posted the fastest round in four faults in the first round of the LGCT Grand Prix in Shanghai. This sees the French rider climb to third on 81 points. LGCT  Grand Prix of Miami Beach winner Michael Duffy sits in fourth with 77.14 points and Andreas Schou round’s out the top five with 68 points.

The GCL championship race saw a shake-up of the standings in Shanghai. Sitting in first place in the GCL championship race is the Cannes Stars powered by Iron Dames. The team finished fifth in Shanghai, earning enough points to reclaim the top spot with 75 points. All eyes will be on the Stars to see if they can maintain their lead as we head into the European stops of the tour and their home competition at the Longines Global Champions Tour of Cannes. Close behind are the Stockholm Hearts, tied in second place on 72 points. The team will be eager to hold on to their spot as they look forward to competing in front of their home crowd in Stockholm next month. A third place finish from the Doha Falcons in Shanghai was enough to tie for second place with the Stockholm Hearts and head into Madrid tied for second with 72 points.  

As the season progresses, we draw nearer to the GCL Mid-Season Transfer Window. During this time, and only this time unless there is a medical exception, teams can transfer a maximum of three riders. This period is where we see the ultimate shake-up of the GCL teams. Team managers have to be strategic in their choices of who to transfer, if at all. A strategic choice can see a struggling team revived, while a well-oiled team could lose their footing if the choice of transfer backfires. This year, the window will occur between the eighth and the ninth stages of the tour. Follow all of the action live and on demand on GCTV to see how it all plays out.

The stage is set for a thrilling showdown of the world’s top showjumping talent at the next stop of the tour in Madrid. Join us as the tour heads to Europe in what is sure to be an epic summer of showjumping.