An edge-of-the-seat GCL cliffhanger saw series leaders London Knights clinging on to pole position in the overall championship with Miami Celtics propelled into third place after a spectacular victory in Rome.

The electrifying competition came down to the wire as the front-runners Prague Lions suffered a major setback when Swedish champion Peder Fredricson’s star horse Hansson WL dramatically refused a fence pushing them back into third place. St Tropez Pirates’ duo Edwina Tops-Alexander and Athina Onassis kept it consistent and made it into second place on the podium.

London Knights are now 23 points ahead of their season long rivals Valkenswaard United - their lead was once a  dominating 38 points - but now they face an epic battle to stay on top at the finals in Doha.

Miami Celtics’ Jessica Springsteen and Denis Lynch both jumped double clear in both GCL rounds in Rome. A delighted Jessica said: “This was a really important win for us today and we did well to sneak back into the Top 4. It is great.”

“The focus is on. The rounds are not for the day, but for the overall [Championship] and for Doha, and looking ahead to the Playoffs. The plan was always to change horses. We came to do a job, keep the focus, and do the best we could do,” Denis Lynch added.