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Ahmad Saber Hamcho won the first five star class in Chantilly. Photo by Sportfot/GCT.Nineteen-year-old Syrian rider Ahmad Saber Hamcho kicked of GCT Chantilly with his first win in the world’s most prestigious show jumping series. The young rider looked determined from the start as he entered the huge grass arena on his 14-year-old mare Columbia. He took a very tight turn, tighter than all the other riders, to the replica Chateau fence, and after clearing the tricky double towards the end, Hamcho really accelerated over the last two fences to a winning time of 32.99.

Edwina Tops-Alexander - here in Cannes. Photo by Jenny Abrahamsson.After seven legs of the Global Champions Tour, Edwina Tops-Alexander is still on top of the overall standings. The Australian rider has collected 189 points in six of the seven GCT legs. Denis Lynch from Ireland follows in second with 121 points collected at four GCT events, while Michael Whitaker has climbed up to rank three with 120 points. Ben Maher is rank four with 115 points, and Christian Ahlmann rank five with 113 points.

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He's learned from the best! Philipp and Ludger. Photo by Sportfot/GCT.Philipp Weishaupt was saluted for his brave and daring jump off round as he clinched his first Global Champions Tour Grand Prix win in Estoril tonight. The 26-year-old German pulled off a brilliant clear on Leoville in an unbeatable time of 44.96 which his boss Ludger Beerbaum described as a triumph of “youth over age”. Weishaupt took a smart inside turn after the second fence, the Cascais wall, and was seriously lucky at the Massimo Dutti fence when the rail held and allowed him to go flat out over the final part of the course.Great Britain’s Michael Whitaker was second on Viking in 45.65 and Ludger on Chaman came in third in 47.46 in a vintage jump off on the eighth leg of the GCT 2012 series.

The one and only Bosty! Photo by Sportfot/GCT.Roger-Yves Bost produced a stunning encore by clocking up a double win at the GCT in Estoril. Bosty lived up to his speedy reputation setting a cracking pace on his star speed horse Castle Forbes Cosma to seize the Prix Mercedes Benz - the build up class to the all-important Grand Prix of Portugal tonight. The 1m45 course was designed to invite riders to go all out for speed and Bost and Belgian Gregory Wathelet, who finished in second place, certainly delivered.

Ahlmann and Aragon. Photo by Sportfot/GCTLeading German rider Christian Ahlmann leaped to victory in the Prix Massimo Dutti at tonight’s GCT in Estoril on his new star Aragon. The dramatic grey gelding flourished around the Cascais showground with huge leaps in the jump off to clinch the unbeatable winning time of 43.26.

Forty riders came to start in the first round that consisted of 13 fences designed by Frank Rothenberger. With the picturesque grass arena lined on one side by national flags and with the VIP areas full, spectators were treated to some stunning first rounds by Ahlmann, Whitaker, Lynch and Lauren Hough. The seventh GCT oxer and the triple combination caused problems for some of the top ranked riders and others went clear but failed to finish inside the time allowed.

Bosty secured another GCT win for the season - this time in Estoril. Photo by Sportfot/GCT.Speed demon Roger-Yves Bost clocked up another Global Champions Tour win taking first place in the opening Table A 5* class in Estoril, Portugal. The French rider hit the pedal in classic style on Castle Forbes Cosma, jumping clear in 58.68 and putting it all down to “experience”. There were moments of sporting drama as two of his key challengers had surprise problems on their rounds. Christian Ahlmann and Sergio Alvarez Moya were both at the end of the running order and in with a good chance of seizing victory from Roger-Yves.

But Ahlmann’s gelding Firth of Clyde had a sharp refusal at the very first fence and was almost unseated. And Sergio almost came off after his horse Sirius stumbled after the GCT upright. Sergio made a brilliant recovery but Sirius was clearly unsettled and put in a stop at the double combination.

Global Champions Tour is pleased to announce that its first-ever event in Asia will go ahead in April 2013 in the magnificent city of Shanghai, China, at the China Pavilion in Shanghai’s World Expo Park.  GCT and their Chinese partners decided this week to move GCT Shanghai to 2013 due to the formal finalisation of the quarantine procedures. The decision is also made to ensure riders to have advance notice to re-arrange their busy schedules.

Gregory Wathelet is on the riders list for Estoril. Photo by Jenny Abrahamsson.This weekend it is time for the seventh leg of Global Champions Tour in Estoril, Portugal. Several of the nominated riders for the Olympic Games will be at start - such as Edwina Tops-Alexander, Gregory Wathelet, Roger-Yves Bost, Christian Ahlmann, Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum, Philipp Weishaupt and Pius Schwizer.

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Edwina is still on top of the overall GCT ranking. Photo by Jenny Abrahamsson.After six legs of the Global Champions Tour, it’s still Edwina Tops-Alexander that heads the ranking. Edwina has 161 points, and has collected these at five of the six GCT events. Marcus Ehning follows in rank two with 112 points; the German rider has picked up points in four of the six Grand Prix classes this season. Ben Maher is rank three on 103 points, while Gerco Schröder – the winner from Cannes – is rank four on 101 points. In fifth is Rolf-Göran Bengtsson on 95 points.

Click here for the full ranking.