A dramatic first round of GCL Valkenswaard saw thrills and spills at Tops International Arena as the home team - Valkenswaard United’s Marcus Ehning and Alberto Zorzi - claimed the top spot and pole position for Saturday’s showdown.

Second ranked team United have their strongest chance of the season to close the gap to overall leaders London Knights, after they delivered a flawless double clear while the Knights scored their lowest result of the season so far. With every point counting in the race to the finals in Doha, and the GC Playoffs, United are hungry to convert their pole into a win on Saturday and boost their campaign to take back the overall GCL-championship lead.

A total of five teams will kick off tomorrow with a score of zero, with the top three separated by just three tenths of a second on their combined scores - remarkable considering the large arena and very different types of horses used in today’s competition.

Speaking after their round, Marcus said: “So far we are in a good way, but we still have to take on tomorrow. I had a good round today and a super horse in Cornado.”

Teammate Alberto agreed, “we are in good shape, but we are only half way in the competition. We will do our best!"