On the road to Rio

Press Release – In just over five weeks, the two rings of the Chantilly Racecourse will welcome the international world’s best showjumping riders for the first French leg of the Longines Global Champions Tour.

Chantilly, Capital of the Horse, often described as of one the greatest home land of the summer circuit, the Longines Global Champions Tour, thanks to its breathtakingly beautiful historic setting, will once again be the scene of one of the major sporting event of the year. If, each year, the best riders meet up at the end of July, this time the organization team have decided, because of the Olympic Games, to move forward the competition to the end of May, on the weekend of the 27th to 29th. “The Olympics are indeed one of the reasons that made us advance our date, the other one being the Tour de France whose last stage will leave from Chantilly on July 24th, so full during the dates of the event. But soon as 2017, we will have our traditional July appointment back again”, explains Gérard Manzinali, creator and President of the event. Despite these news dates, nothing changes in the formula offered by the Chantilly Jumping teams.

Especially since, this year again, Chantilly continues its partnership with the Winter Equestrian Festival (winter circuit of Wellington, Florida), for a sporting twinning between two prestigious events honoring the passion of horse and the showjumping between France and the United-States. Thus, a large number of American riders is assured to make the trip in order to trample the grass of the Arène Meautry and the Amphithéâtre de Verdure, the two iconic rings of the Jumping of Chantilly. They will not be the only one as for the last seven years, and since the beginning of the partnership with the Longines Global Champions Tour, the Jumping of Chantilly assures the presence of the stars of the discipline, the international showjumping circuit Top 30: “With this small damper that a French team will participate at the same time in the CSIO of Rome, which will take five French riders away from us, but not necessarily the ones of the leader team. We have received the first participation request and we can already enjoy the presence of the German leader team, favorite for the Olympics, and other great names of this sport just like Portugal’s Luciana Diniz, winner of the Global tour 2015”.

Second in 2011, the Brazilian-born rider hopes to strike a blow this year: “I’ve never indeed never won in Chantilly, but I really intend to do so one day, and why not this year, warns Luciana Diniz. It’s really an exceptional competition that deserves to be entitled best leg of the LGCT. I mostly like the overall atmosphere of the competition, its environment: it’s unique, precious and inspiring. To me, Chantilly is, this year, a major step on the road to the Olympics of Rio”. If the Porto-Brazilian rider has not yet won the LGCT Grand Prix of Chantilly, former winners of this prestigious leg will be present to make a double win, like Edmina Tops-Alexander (AUS), winner of the first leg in Miami, Rolf-Göran Bengtsson (SWE), and last year’s, Grégory Wathelet (BEL). Former world number one will also be in Chantilly: Scott Brash (GBR), Christian Ahlmann, Ludger and Meredith Beerbaum, Daniel Deusser and Marcus Ehning (GER), and, last but not least, the recent World Cup winner who will defend his Olympic title in Rio, Switzerland Steve Guerdat. An extraordinary list and a incredibly opportunity for the public to watch (for free) these great legendary champions. And it’s not even the final list!

Furthermore, thanks to this change of dates, Chantilly then becomes the first French leg of this summer circuit to host the new team competition launched this year by Jan Tops, the Global Champions League. “The partnership with Longines Global Champions Tour, and beyond, the friendship that binds me to Jan Tops, make Chantilly a pillar leg of this incredible circuit that crosses four continents. It was clear that the Jumping will also make a great emphasis on this innovative class that seems to have succeeded in Florida and Mexico during the first two legs of the 2016 season”.

Breathtaking competitions then, but also a sumptuous setting, the Arène Meautry and the Amphithéâtre de Verdure, harmoniously surrounded by the majestic Grand Stables, built in the XVIIIth century and the Castle of the Duc D’Aumale. An unmissable event, especially as the entrance to this exceptional competition is free to allow as many people as possible to access and discover this fascinating sport by attending competitions and wandering through the village of exhibitors and artists.

More Information :
Dates : May 27th to 29th 2016
Location : Chantilly Racecourse
Access and parking are free

More information at : http://www.jumping-chantilly.com

Source: Press Release Jumping Chantilly