Prague Playoffs Crowns GC/GCL Champions

Daniel Deusser Crowned Super Grand Prix Champion

In a thrilling display of horsemanship and elite sport, Daniel Deusser aboard Scuderia 1918 Tobago Z has been crowned winners of the coveted 2022 €1.25 million Longines Global Champions Tour Super Grand Prix Champion in front of a sell-out crowd at the GC Prague Playoffs.

Daniel Deusser is the only rider to have qualified for every single LGCT Super Grand Prix since 2018, yet has never been on the podium before. On his fourth attempt, he finally turned his luck around to climb to the top of the podium.

The German champion declared the evening of top sport ‘unbelievable’ explaining: “I am speechless. What Jan Tops created here in the last couple of years is what I call an unique event and to jump here in an arena like that and a crowd like that is unreal.”

Scroll to continue with content

Take thirteen of the world’s top horse and rider combinations, set them against each other and watch the exhilarating display of world-class show jumping unfold. With Prague’s O2 arena providing the ultimate venue for the fourth edition of the GC Prague Playoffs, a full house resulted in the electric atmosphere with tension that could be cut with a knife.

Showing her pure class Katrin Eckermann secured silver with 9-year-old Cala Mandina as the only other double clear, and Olympic Champion Mclain Ward for USA rounded off the podium onboard HH Azur after an excruciating single-time fault in round 1.

An emotional Mclain Ward commented on his equine partner and the expectation he had for the standard of sport at the GC Prague Playoffs: “Out of respect for the level that was going to be at this competition I chose to bring the best horses I have, and HH Azur is really something now later in her career – I am really blessed that she is still competing at this level and she is a spectacular partner for me.”

He added on his impression of the event: “The environment is spectacular, the crowd is spectacular, I noticed them on the podium. The horses feel it, the riders feel them and it is just spectacular sport.”

Founder and President of Longines Global Champions Tour Jan Tops smiled: “I’m very proud of what has happened in the last few years, especially the formula in the Super Grand Prix, that really works. You see that this is an amazing, popular class. The highest level of show jumping you can see at night, is a full house. Our social media and TV is at full speed around the world and it’s for me an honour to work with a comity like Jan Anderlik and all his team around to make this really special effort and what has been delivered the last week. We started the journey together four years ago, it was unheard of. I have been to every show around in the last 35 years, a show like that you don’t see. From A to Z it’s perfect, and the greatest sport it is. And I’m really proud.”

Event director Jan Anderlik added: “We are extremely happy to see such a crowd in this arena. As you can see we were very close to being completely sold out. It’s amazing, we had almost 11,000 people in the house tonight. So it is just showing how attractive and popular the sport is and it’s all thanks to the Global Champions.”

FULL RESULTS here.

Top three teams (l-r): Valkenswaard United (2nd), Miami Celtics (1st) and Shanghai Swans (3rd). (GCL photo)

Miami Celtics Victorious in Super Cup Final

Guts and raw talent. It was a battle right up to the last fence as Miami Celtics held under immense pressure to be crowned the 2022 GCL Super Cup Champions. Taking the lions share of the €4.5million prize purse after an evening full of thrilling drama and elite sport coupled with a sell-out crowd at Prague’s O2 arena for the 2022 GC Prague Playoffs.

In the high-adrenaline Final, young talent Miami Celtics team of Bertram Allen, Michael G Duffy and U25 rider Edouard Schmitz beat Valkenswaard United’s years of experience from Marcus Ehning, John Whitaker and Andre Thieme by being the faster team on 12 faults overall.

Owners, riders, trainers, team managers and grooms all praised the GCL Super Cup throughout the week of unparalleled sporting action. Commenting on his team’s victory, Edouard Schmitz explained: “You wish for days like this… every rider dreams of this.”

He then added: “It was like nothing I have experienced before in my show jumping career, there was a lot at stake, we put a lot of good rounds towards the super cup final. I was very relieved to bring it through the finish line and the crowd’s reaction was unbelievable.”

Founder and president of GCL Jan Tops: “It is fantastic to see, even when you haven’t had such a good season you can still recuperate one weekend and make it a fantastic year. That is really special in our sport. That is what is all about.”

Smiling Michael G Duffy said: “Amazing feeling, and to do it with the two guys we have a great team spirit between us, we all get on so well. The week has flown, and it has been great fun… to finish with a win is not something I think any of us expected. We really fought hard all week and like Bertram said, we have three amazing championship horses we certainly wouldn’t be sitting here without them.”

The legend John Whitaker smiled: “The show is brilliant. The audience is brilliant. It is a fantastic atmosphere, that class was tense to the last minute, it was really good to be part of it.”

Taking third place for the Shanghai Swans, Max Kuhner, “We sat together and thought about the strategy for the team because we also had 4 riders who were qualified for the super cup and we decided all together to bring the first choice horse for the team because it is a very important competition. We put everything into it.”

An incredible four days of electric sport, captivating entertainment and unmatched camaraderie draws to a close at the conclusion of the intense GCL Super Cup Final powered by Air Bank, as the curtain falls on the fourth edition of the GC Prague Playoffs. With preparations well underway for a unparalleled 2023 season all eyes now look ahead to a new year with the Longines Global Champions Tour planned to again bring phenomenal sport to the world’s most spectacular locations.

FULL RESULTS here.