The much anticipated 2016 Longines Masters of Hong Kong is underway!
After three successful editions the Longines Masters of Hong Kong, staged at AsiaWorld-Expo from February 19-21, is now a popular fixture of the Longines Masters series which is also includes legs in Los Angeles and Paris.
The Longines Masters now challenges riders to battle it out for the Masters Grand Slam Super Bonus. If a rider takes out all three consecutive Longines Grand Prix events he or she is eligible to win a 1 Million Euro bonus or a Super Bonus of 500,000 Euros for two consecutive wins or 250,000 Euros for two nonconsecutive wins.
With such high stakes it is no surprise that the Longines Masters of Hong Kong is attracting more and more of the world’s top riders.
An exciting line-up of the best horse men and women in the world have been confirmed including French heroes Patrice Delaveau, Kevin Staut and Roger Yves-Bost as well as British legend John Whitaker who stole the show last year on his amazing stallion Argento winning the Longines Grand Prix. German champion Ludger Beerbaum will also be returning in 2016 as well as local rider Jacqueline Lai.
The complete list of riders: Patrice Delaveau, Simon Delestre, Kevin Staut, Roger-Yves Bost, Bertram Allen, Marco Kutscher, Ludger Beerbaum, Daniel Deusser, Hans-Dieter Dreher, Gerco Schroder, Pieter Devos, Henrik Von Eckermann, Maikel Van Der Vleuten, Pius Schwizer, Jane Richard Philips, Jessica Mendoza, John Whitaker, Laura Renwick, Emanuele Gaudiano, Joe Clee, Piergiogio Bucci, Ana Julia Kontio, Pilar Cordon, Denis Lynch, Jacqueline Laï, Olivier Philippaerts ,Billy Twomey and Philippe Rozier.
The opening night of competition on Friday, February 19 will feature The Hong Kong Jockey Club Trophy followed by the unique and entertaining “Race of the Riders” where Hong Kong’s best jockeys will challenge the world’s best Show Jumpers. This fun competition will take place again in 2016 with top local jockeys set to pair up with some of the best visiting show jumping riders. The Hong Kong Jockey Club Race of the Riders final starters are; Joao Moreira/Marco Kutscher (Team The Magic), Neil Callan/Bertram Allen (The Irish Horsemen), Vincent Ho/Simon Delestre (The Speed Masters) and Derek Leung/Jacqueline Lai (The Hong Kong Duo).
On day 2, Saturday February 20, the evening will be dedicated to the spectacular Longines Speed Challenge, known as the fastest show jumping competition in the world and the only speed class of its kind in the world — “the” definitive speed challenge. It could be called a world championship, crowning the fastest rider competing in the events that span the three
continents that host the Longines Masters Series. Faults are penalized less than in other competitions, which in turn pushes the riders to give it their all and creates a never-before-seen atmosphere in this sport.
On the final day, Sunday February 21, the Massimo Dutti Trophy will lead in to the most important event of the three days:the Longines Grand Prix. The Massimo Dutti Trophy is a Table A against the clock. The rider that completes the course in the fastest time with the least amount of penalties will be declared the winner. In this one round competition, horse and riders give it all they’ve got much to the delight of the public.
Longines Masters of Hong Kong will end on a high note with the Longines Grand Prix on Sunday afternoon.The weekend’s star event, part of the Masters Grand Slam Super bonus, is held on an Olympic-standard 1.60m technical track.
Keep it locked on Jumper Nation throughout the weekend for all the latest news and results!