Francisco Jose Mesquita Musa aboard Carte de Blue PS Marathon stormed to CSI5* 1.45m speed class victory as the season-opening Longines Global Champions Tour kicked off at Al Shaqab’s incredible Longines Arena
Competition was fierce and spectators were treated to a thrilling display of sport and horsemanship throughout the day. The day’s feature class saw a collection of blistering times as riders fought it out for top podium position.
Ultimately taking the win was Musa with 11-year-old gelding Carte de Blue PS Marathon after posting a time of 55.62 seconds, 2.41 seconds ahead of Emanuele Gaudiano and Crack Balou.
Rounding out the podium in third place was young talent Lily Attwood with her Karibou Horta, just 0.08 seconds behind Gaudiano in second. Speaking of his win, Brazilian Musa commented on his impressive partner in Carte de Blue PS Marathon: “I am really happy, he jumped amazing today. My horse is natural at faster... Emmanuel he was fast, and usually my horse makes the same strides in the lines as him, but today my horse was a little bit faster.”
Kicking off the season in style, Britain’s Attwood commented on her first LGCT 5* podium finish this year: “It’s so exciting to be here in Doha, Al Shaqab is an incredible venue with brilliant facilities – it is a spectacular show to be part of. My horses are jumping fantastically, and I can’t for the GCL competition tomorrow”.
With 17 horse and rider combinations leaving all rails standing around the flowing Ulliano Vezzani built track, the pressure was on. Just over 10 seconds separated the top 10 riders, providing a masterclass on tactics and sportsmanship for spectators from many unique dining experiences and hospitality locations around the arena.
A host of classes were held throughout the day where the best of 3* and 5* riders, coupled with some of the most impressive young talent from Qatar in the Children’s National Class, where 15 young riders posted clear rounds.
The first round of the GCL team competition will begin at 3pm today, with all teams looking to secure a coveted podium position to grant themselves a head start for the 2023 season. Tomorrow the highly-anticipated Longines Global Champions Tour Grand Prix of Doha will kick off at 6pm, with riders vying for the win as well as the first golden ticket to the LGCT Super Grand Prix at the GC Prague Playoffs.
With the new weekend format introduced in Doha, the 16-team strong starting grid will take the field. Following his win in the CSI 3* 2 Phase 1.45m earlier yesterday, Riyadh Blue’s Ramsy al-Dulhami spoke of his team’s debut season: “It is great to be back at the Longines Global Champions Tour, the best shows in the world. We are off to a good start with today’s win. For the GCL teams league, Riyadh Blue is a new team this year, and we are going to start slow and build as the season progresses.”