Edited press release from Longines Global Champions Tour

Taking the win in Sunday's CSI5* 1.60m €500,000 Longines Global Champions Tour Grand Prix of London on the 11-year-old Sherlock (Bisquet Balou C x Malito de Reve), home hero Harry Charles (GBR) pipped golden boy Christian Kukuk (GER) and Just Be Gentle (Tyson x Ticallux Verte) to the post by less than three tenths of a second, while the 2022 LGCT Grand Prix of London winning combination Pieter Devos (BEL) and Toupie de La Roque (Kannan x Nabab de Reve) stood proudly on the podium in third. 

With home heroes littered throughout the hall of fame for the Longines Global Champions Tour Grand Prix of London, Charles adds his name amongst the likes of Ben Maher and Scott Brash. "There is no better Global Tour Grand Prix I could've won than this one - to get it checked off as my first one is pretty cool! To get my name on this Grand Prix is pretty special," he explained. 

As for his equine partner, Charles exclaimed: "For Sherlock it is a really big milestone in his career, he’s a horse I've had since he was five years old and I always believed the world in him, and to come out here today and do what he did… I never knew he could go that fast!"

"I was very focused today, my mare was also very concentrated - I had a very good feeling," second placed Kukuk said. "She jumped super yesterday after coming off a little break which is why maybe she had one down, but today she was back in action. She is naturally quite quick and we had a quick enough time… honestly Harry deserved the win today - he tried his heart out!"

As for the 2022 Longines Global Champions Tour Grand Prix of London winners - Pieter Devos and Toupie de La Roque, it’s all coming together again. "I’m so happy today with my horse - she didn't have the best season up until this point but now she’s back up there and jumped unbelievable," Devos explained. "I’m so happy with her and that is the most important part for me. Today she gave me wings again so that is very nice for her - she loves to go to the shows, she loves to jump… she’s so happy and you can feel it in the ring."

In the LGCT Championship race, Christian Kukuk has closed the gap on 209 points but Max Kühner (AUT) still leads on 234 points even after not making it into the jump-off today. Andreas Schou (DEN) drops to third on 192 points while young gun Gilles Thomas (BEL) catapults into fourth on 185 points after Maikel van der Vleuten (NED) failed to qualify for today’s LGCT Grand Prix.