'The pressure was immense'

The 2023 LGCT season draws to a glittering conclusion where the stakes soar sky high and a flying Frenchman is crowned

- JENNIFER DONALD

Global Champions Playoffs, 02 Arena, Prague, Czechia

AMID pyrotechnics, lights and big stadium atmosphere, the Global Champions Playoffs always produce high-intensity sport. The riders admitted to feeling the pressure, given the €11m (£9,640,660) prize money at stake, but some tremendous victors emerged.

Two technical rounds of jumping set by Uliano Vezzani for Saturday night's €1.26m Longines Global Champions Tour (LGCT) Super Grand Prix, which riders qualified for at each of the season's grands prix, resulted in an absence of double clears.

Flying Frenchman Julien Epaillard produced one of seven first-round clears but, with round two run in reverse order of merit, the pressure told and remarkably all seven then faulted, bringing time into sharp contrast. The world number seven Julien was drawn 14th of the 16 riders and had Henrik von Eckermann with King Edward's high-speed four-fault target to chase. So when the third fence tumbled, he and 10-year-old chestnut mare Dubai Du Cedre were playing catch-up.