| Team Riesenbeck International qualifies for the semifinals of the GC Prague Playoffs
Valkenswaard United wins the GCL stage in Riyadh and also the overall standings
There is a lot of prize money at stake in the last two tournaments of the two show jumping series, the Longines Global Champions Tour (LGCT) and the Global Champions League (GCL): Over €22 million in prize money is up for grabs in Riyadh and Prague.
This weekend, the final stages will take place in Riyadh (Saudi Arabia), where €10.5 million will be distributed as part of the LGCT and the overall LGCT and GCL season championships.
Belgian Gilles Thomas has already been confirmed as the overall winner of the LGCT 2025. There will be a battle for second and third place between Harrie Solders (210 points) and Olympic champion Christian Kukuk (206 points) on Saturday.
In the final of the team competition on Friday afternoon, the overall ranking was to be decided in the very last jump. Valkenswaard United led the Cannes Stars (290) by 296 points going into the final stage. Riesenbeck International was in fifth place (241).
Riesenbeck International was the first pair to compete in the sand arena in round one with Emanuele Camilli on Chacareno PS and Christian Kukuk on Chageorge: Emanuele Camilli had a fault at the middle jump of the triple combination, while Christian Kukuk remained faultless. A total of four teams remained faultless. The two leaders, Valkenswaard United and the women's team Cannes Stars, were among them, maintaining a clean slate. The very last round of the season would decide the outcome.
Course designer Uliano Vezzani designed a very difficult course, and under the floodlights, the teams competed for victory in this competition, for the overall season standings, and for a large chunk of prize money for the top-ranked teams in the overall standings.
The reverse order in the final round meant that nerves were stretched to breaking point for the last five teams. The two riders from Riesenbeck International changed horses. Emanuele Camilli saddled Chacco's Girlstar. Unfortunately, the pair made a mistake. Christian Kukuk rode his long-time partner and Olympic champion Checker. And the Olympic champion pair once again delivered a masterful round: without mistakes and incredibly fast! Shanghai Swans were slower with the same number of faults. That meant a podium finish for Riesenbeck! The two leading teams battled it out for the win: both had one knockdown, but the riders from Valkenswaard United, who were narrowly ahead in the overall standings, were faster in the competition and took the stage win and the GCL championship.
Team boss Ludger Beerbaum was overjoyed after a difficult start to the GCL season: "An incredible performance, and with this podium finish we are pre-qualified for the semi-finals in Prague! Christian and Checker won the competition! Absolutely fantastic!
It hasn't been an easy season, even though we have four riders who have qualified for the Super GP in Prague, which no other team has managed, but luck hasn't always been on our side in the team competition!"
The season will culminate from November 20 to 23, 2025, at the GC Prague Playoffs, where the best teams and individual champions will compete in a showdown. Prize money of over €11.4 million will be awarded at the GCL Super Cup with €10 million, the Longines Global Champions Tour Super Grand Prix with €1.25 million, and CSI5* and CSI2* competitions.
The most important results of the day:
Overall standings and prize money for the 2025 GCL season
