Edited press release from Longines Global Champions Tour

The long-awaited Longines Global Champions Tour of Riesenbeck kicked off in the scenic beauty of Riesenbeck International in Germany on Friday, with a fiercely competitive CSI5* 1.45m FUNDIS Reitsport Prize.

It was Great Britain's Olympic champion Ben Maher and Ginger Blue (Plot Blue x Royal Bravour) claiming the win, denying the German riders a complete sweep as an on-form David Will (GER) had to settle for second on Accoton PS (A Pikachu de Muze x Chacco-Blue) by less than a quarter of a second, while Richard Vogel (GER) rounded off the top three with Codex (Contendros 2 x Espri), followed by Kendra Claricia Brinkop (GER) aboard Ma Belle (Ugano Sitte x Bayard d'Elle) in fourth, then Hans-Dieter Dreher (GER) and Vestmalle des Cotis (Baloubet du Rouet x Landor S) in fifth.

“Ginger was great today and it is her first time on grass in a while," a smiling Ben Maher explained after his victory. "She jumped last week in A Courna for both team classes and the Grand Prix and I used today to get her ready for tomorrow. She is naturally fast, so I didn’t push her too hard to the last fence to keep some energy for tomorrow but I had two very fast riders behind me."