Edited press release from Longines Global Champions Tour

The opening day of the Longines Global Champions Tour of Riyadh (KSA) – the final and 15th venue of the LGCT this season before the Prague Playoffs in November – kicked off in style with a lightning-fast CSI5* 1.45m speed class presented by Invest Saudi, counting for the Longines Ranking Group D. 

With some of the world’s top horse-and-rider-combinations gathered in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, it was Rodrigo Giesteira Almeida (POR) and Pegasus Cekanane (Kannan x Quaprice Bois Margot) who denied Saudi Arabia a home win as they stopped the clock on 61.26 in Thursday's opening class. Three seconds behind him, Abdullah Alsharbatly (KSA) and Atome des Etisses (Mylord Carthago x Quidam de Revel) claimed second place, while Maikel van der Vleuten (NED) and Luigi d'Eclipse (Catoki x Calato) took the last podium spot as third. 

Making all the inside turns with Luigi d'Eclipse look easy, van der Vleuten took an early lead. However, he didn’t stay in the lead for long as Rodrigo Giesteira Almeida took to the arena all guns blazing on Pegasus Cekanane. At a gallop from the get-go and losing no time in the air, the pair cut over three seconds off the time to beat and stormed into the lead. Alsharbatly couldn’t match Almeida and slotted into second place.