Longines Global Champions Tour of New York: Show Jumping A-List, GCL Final Star Strikers, An Unmissable Showdown, and More!

An A-List of the world’s show jumping stars is heading for the LGCT Finals in New York on September 27-29 on Governors Island in New York City.

With anticipation mounting, it was revealed that some of the top U.S. riders competing at the spectacular venue of Governors Island will be McLain Ward, Kent Farrington, Georgina Bloomberg, Margie Goldstein-Engle, Jessica Springsteen, and Jennifer Gates.

They will be up against a star-studded international field including Pieter Devos (BEL), Marcus Ehning (GER), Ben Maher (GBR), Daniel Deusser (GER), Peder Fredericson (SWE), Martin Fuchs (SUI), Edwina Tops-Alexander (AUS), Darragh Kenny (IRL), Scott Brash (GBR), Harrie Smolders (NED), Simon Delestre (FRA), Malin Baryard-Johnsson (SWE), and Olivier Philippaerts (BEL).

Georgina Bloomberg, who was born and raised in New York and is the owner of the home city GCL team New York Empire, said: "This is the first time in years that we will have the best show jumping riders in the world - not just in the country, in the world - come and jump in the highest level of competition."

“This is really the best of the best in the world and I think that anybody who comes will really see the excitement of the sport. I think that it’s going to be the one that all the top riders really want to aim for.”

Another top American rider who will compete next weekend is Margie Goldstein-Engle: “It’s very exciting for us, being from America, to have another Global Tour show here. We love the one in Miami, and that’ll make it twice as nice to have a second one in New York.”

Every afternoon from Friday, September 27, to Sunday, September 29, the top athletes in show jumping will face off in the purpose-built sand arena and there is FREE ADMISSION for spectators who will be able to watch the competition.

U.S. rider Jessica Springsteen, who won last weekend’s LGCT Grand Prix in St. Tropez, spoke of the excitement surrounding the event in New York, near where she grew up with her dad Bruce and mom Patti in New Jersey. She said: "It's my home town; my whole family are coming. I think it is going to be unbelievable - I’m so looking forward to it!”

The popular New York retreat of Governors Island has an average of 24,000 visitors during average September weekends and spectators will be able to access the public grandstand to get up close to the high-caliber sporting action on a first-come, first-served, basis. And in the lively Exhibitors Village next to the main arena, visitors will also be able to enjoy great views of the competitions or watch on the big screen while soaking up the atmosphere.

The show ground is only around 800 yards from the tip of Lower Manhattan with an eight-minute ferry ride across the harbor with boats leaving from either Battery Maritime Building in Lower Manhattan to Soissons Landing. Ferries will also bring visitors to Governors Island from Brooklyn’s Pier 6 on Saturdays and Sundays. The ferry over to the Island is $3 and return ferries are not ticketed back to the city. During the three-day event visitors can simply walk in and enjoy what will be world class equestrian sporting action every afternoon. Ferries are free for children under 12 years of age and senior citizens, as well as IDNYC holders and current and former military service members.

For a full schedule, please click here.

For the full rider list, please click here.

Star Strikers Revealed for Final GCL Face Off in New York

High stakes, enormous pressure, and big expectations… the GCL team competition is set to reach fever pitch as the battle for supremacy rockets to its conclusion in New York.

Throughout the year the GCL team competition has seen more drama, tactics, and excitement than ever before, with all 16 teams experiencing a rollercoaster of emotions this season.

Currently leading are the St. Tropez Pirates with a score of 304 points, closely followed by the Shanghai Swans on 302 so far. Just six points behind at 296 are the former leaders and 2018 Champions London Knights, while Madrid in Motion are a further six points away with 290 overall.

As well as the Championship title, teams are fighting for a place in the GC Prague Playoffs GCL Super Cup, with the top four ranked teams fast-tracking to the semi-finals - a huge advantage in the fight for the 3 million euro prize pot and chance to etch their names into the history books.

This season the London Knights have taken the most wins, with four first places to their name - Madrid, Stockholm, Cascais/Estoril, and London. While the St. Tropez Pirates have only secured one win this year (Hamburg), their consistently high placings have meant they now lead the Championship race by just two points.

The Shanghai Swans started the season off strongly with two back-to-back wins in Doha and Mexico City, however the team will be looking for a resurgence of form at the final event, with the hope of just stealing back the overall lead. Quietly chipping away are Madrid in Motion, the team securing two wins so far this season - both by father and son duo Eric and Maikel van der Vleuten - in Cannes and most recently Ramatuelle/Saint-Tropez. While that dream combination won’t be together next week, the team has selected three formidable riders from their squad and will be hoping to keep the momentum of their recent form to secure their third win of the season.

And all eyes will be on the home city team New York Empire, led by team owner and rider Georgina Bloomberg who was born and raised in the city. After a spectacular win in Valkenswaard earlier this season, the black, white, and red team will be looking for plenty of local support as they seek to take a podium on home turf.

With tactics and strategy at the forefront of each team manager’s mind, we can exclusively reveal the team selection for the final season fight in New York.

Top Four Teams Rider Selection

St. Tropez Pirates
Pieter Devos
Edwina Tops-Alexander
Dani G. Waldman

Shanghai Swans
Daniel Deusser
Peder Fredricson
Shane Sweetnam

London Knights
Martin Fuchs
Ben Maher
Olivier Philippaerts

Madrid in Motion
Eduardo Alvarez Aznar
Michael G Duffy
Maikel van der Vleuten

With a win worth 30 points, and every point counting in the final season score, there has never been more pressure on the team riders.

The first round of action will kick off on Friday, September 27, at 3:45 p.m. local time. All scores carry through to Saturday, September 28, where the conclusion of the 2019 GCL season will take place at 12:45 p.m. local time. Tune in LIVE via the Global Champions website and watch all the action free.

For the full rider list, including all team riders for New York, please click here.

An Unmissable LGCT Showdown in New York

The Longines Global Champions Tour Finals in New York are set to be an unmissable showdown with only one point separating the season's top two riders, Pieter Devos (BEL) and Ben Maher (GBR), in the Championship.

The fight for the LGCT crown is on a knife edge in one of the closest duels in the history of the LGCT. In a dramatic shake-up last weekend, Devos took over the ranking lead after finishing second in the LGCT Grand Prix of Ramatuelle/Saint-Tropez, putting him on 278 points, just one point ahead of Maher on 277.

Both riders have been volleying for the lead, leapfrogging each other to take over the top spot in the ranking at different points throughout the season.

However, with only nine scores counting in each rider’s tally, Maher is in a slightly stronger position heading into the Finals in New York despite being second currently in the ranking. Here is how the scoring could work out...

• If Maher secures fifth position or higher, he will secure back-to-back title wins.
• If Devos achieves fifth or higher, then Maher must finish in 14th or higher or the title will go to the Belgian rider.

And statistically, if both riders qualify for the LGCT Grand Prix of New York, judged on previous performances we can see that Devos has scored consistently higher at more events in the competition, whereas Maher has two LGCT Grand Prix wins to his name.

Daniel Deusser (GER) is sitting third in the ranking on 259 points and there is still an outside chance if he finishes first or secnd, with Maher and Devos not qualifying for the LGCT Grand Prix. If that scenario happens, there is a chance the German could be crowned Champion.

At the previous legs, Maher and Devos both strongly hinted that they would bring their top horses Explosion W and Claire Z to New York, so the stage is set for an epic sporting showdown.

For more information on the Longines Global Champions Tour and GCL, please visit www.globalchampionstour.com.