Qatar’s Bassem Mohammed guides Gunder over an obstacle during the event in Miami, USA.
MIAMI: Qatar’s popular riding star Bassem Mohammed produced a flawless routine with 12-year-old Gunder to finish second at the Longines Global Champions Tour of Grand Prix of Miami Beach on Saturday.
Australia’s Edwina Tops-Alexander (California) topped the event while Ireland’s Darragh Kenny (Cassini Z) sealed the third spot.
Belgium’s Pieter Devos (Claire Z) and Spain’s Eduardo Alvarez Aznar (Fidux) completed the top five.
Showing a near-perfect routine, Bassem and Gunder cleared the first jump-off without any hiccups.
The carefully undertaken ride put the Qatari rider ahead of his rivals.
However, the formidable Edwina, who had the advantage of complete intel about the course, sealed the win with a slight advantage over the second-placed Qatari.
The Australian picked up the top prize by managing a three-second pace better than Bassem’s effort. Last year in November, Bassem regaled Doha fans with a sublime performance to win the LGCT leg held at Al Shaqab Arena.
Bassem has also featured at Olympic Games when he made his showjumping debut in Rio De Janeiro in 2016.
The overall LGCT Ranking battle is already an intense affair, with Brash of Great Britain leading the charge for the 2018 season. Edwina is the second rider — after Mexico City Grand Prix winner Brash — to qualify for the Longines Global Champions Super Grand Prix which will take place at the GC Prague Play Offs this December.
At the Miami Beach, Edwina once again stepped up to the top of the podium in the balmy evening - repeating her feat from 2016, when she won on Lintea Tequila. Competing on her gutsy 11-year-old Dutch mare, California, she snatched glory as the final combination to jump in today’s LGCT Grand Prix of Miami Beach, edging out Bassem, the only other rider who pulled off a double clear.
The ever-consistent Bassem and 12-year-old Gunder put in the first clear of the jump-off, making absolutely sure every rail stayed up. It was a cautious, tactically ridden round that did the job and put him at the head of affairs with only one rider left to jump. But it wasn’t pedal to the metal — and that one rider was the formidable Edwina.
Her round on the 11-year-old Esprit mare California shaved more than three seconds off Bassem’s time, handing her victory and the lion’s share of the class’s €300,000 prize-fund.
“I watched some of Bassem’s round on the screen (in the warm-up) and I knew he could have gone faster,” added Edwina, who has partnered California since taking over the ride from Egypt’s Abdel Said in 2016. “Still, I didn’t think I’d won or that I was going that fast and I kept having to look at the screen to check.”
This class concluded action at the Miami Beach leg of the Longines Global Champions Tour. The next edition takes place in Shanghai from April 28 to 30 as the world’s best head to Asia’s Tour destination.
