Los Angeles, October 2016 – The CSI5* Longines Masters of Los Angeles concluded with the signature event, the Longines Grand Prix, where riders have competed for the chance to make history by taking home the new Super Grand Slam Bonus of 2.25 million Euros.
It was a thrilling Sunday afternoon with the best riders of the world delivering a passionate sporting fight, from which Daniel Deusser and Equita van’t Zorgvliet (v. Cassini I) came out as great winners. Now it is all on the German’s shoulder and he will definitely be the man to beat at the next two legs of the Longines Masters, in Paris and Hong-Kong.
Ten couples realized the perfect first round, accessing to the thrilling jump-off with back turns and long gallops. Egyptian colleague Nayel Nassar quickly found himself in the leading’s chair but Deusser was better competing indoor for the first time with his 12y-old mare Equita van’t Zorgvliert: “I had to do adjustments really quickly with her as she had never competing indoor before. The first two days were not amazing, she had one down, we took the last fence yesterday, but today she tried really hard. I saw that on the West Coast they were really fast so I knew I had to try everything to beat this young guy, to took all the risks. I was a little bit lucky on the plank, but at the end, she played the game today, and she was amazing!”. At the end Nassar had to be satisfied with the second place and Dutchman Harrie Smolders took the third position.
Attention is now focused on the Parisian leg, the Longines Masters of Paris, that will be hold next Dec. 1-4, at the Parc des Expositions de Villepinte-Paris Nord. Daniel Deusser is expected to be the favorite, as he is the candidate to the new Super Grand Slam Bonus of 2 250 000 euros.
Established in three of the world’s most iconic cities — Los Angeles, Paris and Hong Kong — the Longines Masters Series, “Grand Slam Indoor of Show Jumping” is renowned as one of the most prestigious equestrian events in the world.
Created by EEM and inspired by the Grand Slam tennis tournaments, the Series rapidly developed abroad, with the Longines Masters of Hong Kong in 2013 and the Longines Masters of Los Angeles in 2014. In 2015, the intercontinental trilogy became the Longines Masters.
Presented by EEM and recognized by the FEI, the “Grand Slam of Indoor Show Jumping” is the ultimate challenge, with two levels of prizes:
The Super Grand Slam, a bonus of 2.25 million Euros for winning 3 consecutive Longines Grand Prix in the same season: Los Angeles, followed by Paris and then Hong Kong.
The Grand Slam: a bonus of 1 million Euros for three successive victories in the Longines Grand Prix from one season to the next.
Save the dates for the next two shows of season two:
Longines Masters of Paris: 1-4 December, 2016
Longines Masters of Hong Kong: 10-12 February, 2017
3th October 2016
