Great Britain’s Ben Maher is in line to complete show jumping’s Global Champions double this weekend in Doha.
The world’s top riders and horses have flown to Qatar for the glittering finals of the Longines Global Champions Tour and Global Champions League which are held at the vast state-of-the-art AL SHAQAB arena in Doha.
After 15 legs, over the last 8 months, Maher has built an unassailable lead over his rivals in the individual Longines Global Champions Tour, and will be officially crowned the season’s winner on Saturday.
Surprise Season
”It’s been a long year and it’s kind of surreal being the champion,” Maher told CNN EQ in Doha.
“It’s not something I expected starting out the year and it definitely wasn’t the initial goal but things started to unfold over the summer.
“I won in Madrid and then again in St Tropez on my second horse. After that, we realized that a championship bid would be possible.”
The 35-year-old sealed the overall title by racing to victory at the tour’s previous event in Rome.
It was his third win of a 2018 season which has seen events take place across the world; from Mexico City to Miami, to Shanghai and throughout Europe. Riders have competed for a record $40 million in prize money.
“Winning the LGCT title would definitely be one of the biggest achievements in my career so far,” says the 2012 Olympic team champion.
“Taking gold at your home Olympics was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity but to become LGCT champion you have to be consistent at so many events, over the whole year, at different destinations and in different countries. It’s been about managing my horses and my team over the long season.
“A lot of work goes into that, not just from myself but also everyone around me. It’s hard to make people realize just what goes in behind the scenes and how many hours and lives have been taken over to achieve the championship.”
”Competing in Doha will be amazing. Having already won the championship, obviously the pressure is off a little but I also expect to end the season on a high and do well in the final grand prix class.”
Knights Can Win The Battle
The pressure might be off Maher in the individual final but he is also the manager and a key member of the London Knights squad who are in line to take the team competition, the Global Champions League.
Flying the red, white and blue colours this season, Maher has been joined by Swiss star Martin Fuchs, leading Belgian brothers Nicola Philippaerts and Olivier Philippaerts and young superstar Emily Moffitt. With victories in Shanghai, Madrid, Chantilly and London they have amassed $386,608 this season and can scoop a further $2.3 million if they seal the championship in Doha.
“It’s almost all about the team competition for me this weekend.” Says Maher. “We have the youngest team in the league and they’ve been amazing to work with. We’ve grafted hard all season to get to this point. League victory is within our grasp but it’s not done yet and it’s important to finish the job this weekend.”
The Knights hold a 23-point advantage heading into the final event but it’s Valkenswaard United, the 2016 Champions and last year’s runners-up, who could be the ones to prevent them from victory.
“Valkenswaard have very good and experienced riders on their team but sometimes it’s better to be young and hungry,” said Maher. “It’s worked well for us all of this year. We’ve used all five riders and many different horses. Being able to rotate through our squad has really helped.”
If Maher can add the team championship to his LGCT Championship it would be a bumper pay-day for him.
“I haven’t thought about winning the double. When I sealed the championship in Rome, it was incredible but I’m here to do my job again and complete our season for the team.”
Fight For Prague Places
Doha might signal the end of the traditional season but new to 2018 is the addition of the Global Champions Playoffs in Prague in December. The winner of the LGCT Grand Prix of Doha will take the last qualifying spot for the LGCT Super Grand Prix at the Playoffs. And the top 16 teams in the final overall ranking after Doha will go through to the GCL Super Cup Playoffs.
With the top four teams being fast-tracked to the semi-finals of the GC Playoffs, another great contest will unfold between the teams currently in third, fourth and fifth places on the ranking. Miami Celtics on 244 points are only nine points ahead of Rome Gladiators and they are only one point in front of Shanghai Swans. These highly-competitive teams are fielding their star performers to ensure they finish in the top four to go into the GC Playoffs.
