Stand up for the champions! The second round of the LGCT Super Grand Prix in Prague proved once again that excitement lasts until the last rider and horse have passed the finish line... Julien Epaillard and Dubai du Cedre (Baloubet du Rouet) excelled over the two rounds and are the new LGCT Champions after a thrilling season.
Seven out of the sixteen finalists in the Longines Global Champions Tour Super Grand Prix managed to stay clear in the first round aboard their four-legged companions. Andreas Schou (DEN), Maikel van der Vleuten (NED), Julien Epaillard (FRA), Jessica Springsteen (USA), Peder Fredricson (SWE), Katrin Eckermann (GER), and Sanne Thijssen (NED).
Sanne Thijssen kicked off the round of clear performances. Currently, Henrik von Eckermann (SWE) led the standings after a flawless ride on King Edward (Edward) with a total of four penalty points and a time of 58.76 seconds. Thijssen couldn't maintain her good form on Cum Laude (Cooper van de Heffinck) in the second round, finishing with twelve penalty points. Matching the zero score from the first round seemed like a challenging task for the combinations, as Katrin Eckermann (GER), Peder Fredricson (SWE), and Jessica Springsteen (USA) also incurred faults.
Julien Epaillard (FRA) and the ten-year-old Dubai du Cedre (Baloubet du Rouet) had a rail down in the sand, but their quick time of 57.49 seconds was enough to dethrone von Eckermann.