The Longines Global Champions Tour got underway in Monaco with a thrilling CSI5* 1.60m speed class. Martin Fuchs raced to victory aboard Fortjump du Beaumenil, while Philipp Weishaupt, Kristen Vanderveen, Julien Epaillard and Stephan de Freitas Barcha completed the top five.
Martin Fuchs produced the fastest faultless round of the class aboard Fortjump du Beaumenil (Cornet Obolensky), crossing the finish line in 63.32 seconds to secure victory. Germany's Philipp Weishaupt followed in second with Oreo D.R. (Kannan), also leaving all the fences up in a time of 64.32 seconds. American rider Kristen Vanderveen completed the podium with Bull Run's Jireh (Uriko), stopping the clock in 65.07 seconds.
Julien Epaillard narrowly missed out on a podium finish, guiding Le Coultre de Muze (Presley Boy) to fourth place in 65.85 seconds. Brazil's Stephan de Freitas Barcha rounded out the top five with Dinozo Imperio Egipcio (Diamant de Semilly), delivering another clear round in 67.49 seconds. Only seven combinations managed to finish the class without penalties, underlining the competitive nature of the opening CSI5* class.
