Press release from LGCT, edited by World of Showjumping

It was a statement win in the Spanish capital as Simon Delestre (FRA) delivered a flawless performance to take victory in the CSI5* 1.60m €500,000 Longines Global Champions Tour Grand Prix of Madrid with Gatsby du Tillard (President x Diamant de Semilly). The two produced the only double clear of the class, mastering a high-pressure jump-off to secure a golden ticket to the Longines Global Champions Tour Super Grand Prix.

Stephan de Freitas Barcha (BRA) came closest to challenging the lead with Chevaux Primavera Imperio Egipcio (Calvaro F.C. x Paroli), setting a blistering pace in the jump-off of four, but a costly last fence down left them in second place. Finishing third, Antoine Ermann (FRA) took back to back podiums, this time aboard Floyd des Pres (Vigo Cece x Papillon Rouge), continuing his flying form from Shanghai.

“When you win a Grand Prix like this, it’s always an incredible feeling - and to do it here in Madrid, in one of the nicest arenas in Europe, with this crowd and this atmosphere, makes it even more special,” Delestre said. “It’s always a very tough Grand Prix here, you need a truly special horse, so I’m really proud of what my horse did today. He’s still quite young, it’s his first season at five-star Grand Prix level, but he was already clear in Shanghai two weeks ago. I would say he’s one of the nicest horses I’ve ever ridden in my career.”

With just four riders in the jump-off, tactics proved crucial. “I think I can say, I have a few more years experience than Antoine, but it’s always difficult with only four in the jump-off,” Delestre detailed. “I was quite lucky to go third because I could watch the first two. I saw that Stephan was very fast with one down, so I knew it would be risky to try and beat that time with a rail. I also knew that if I jumped clear, I would be at least second, so I really focused on keeping it clear - and in the end, that decision paid off.”

The win sees Delestre take hold of the overall ranking lead, but the Frenchman remains grounded about the challenge ahead:  “It’s a good start, but it’s a long season and you have to be consistent all the way through. I’m fully focused on the Longines Global Champions Tour this year. I have an amazing group of horses, so hopefully I can fight to be in the top three - that would be fantastic. You never know, but I’ll give everything for a strong result.”

Securing his place at the end-of-season showdown was another major takeaway from the weekend, with Delestre pleased to have already booked his ticket: “It’s fantastic to qualify for the Super Grand Prix so early in the season. I finished second there last year, so let’s see what we can do this time.”