Olympic champion and two superstar Brits top the podium for Britain’s richest ever showjumping prize: ‘I saw Scott Brash’s round and knew I had to go all-in'

Christian Kukuk and Checker 57 have already made a mark on history as the reigning Olympic champions and they added to their legacy when they became the first combination to take back-to-back victories in the Longines Global Champions Tour (LGCT) grand prix of London on Sunday 9 August.

“It’s always a special thing to win back-to-back,” Christian Kukuk said. “These are the moments where this horse is just outstanding and special because he can kind of smell it and feel it, and then he just does things that are outstanding.”

Longines Global Champions Tour London: Britain's richest ever showjumping prize

This year’s edition of the Longines Global Champions Tour London was the richest grand prix ever staged in Britain, with the prize fund doubled to €1million, €250k of which was reserved for the winner.

Uliano Vezzani’s track was skilfully crafted — most of those that faulted had just the one or two poles, which fell all round – but perhaps didn’t quite match the billing, jumping softer than it walked, with 14 combinations surviving the first round.

Just two of these were for Britain — Scott Brash with his European silver medallist Hello Folie and Harry Charles with Ballypatrick Tiberius, who was jumping his first five-star grand prix.

Flying in the face of the odds, Harry established a benchmark lead from early doors on the phenomenally scopey 10-year-old. It was his regular GB teammate Scott who overturned his target, finding just shy of a whole second as he braved some shearing turns with the sassy 11-year-old mare.

But Christian can ask questions of the great, 16-year-old grey that others can’t. Their unfettered charge down to the tricky double at fence 8, resting against the boards on the Chelsea Hospital side of the arena, was a gamble no one else could have matched, and they found 0.18sec to rob Scott of victory.

“It was a bit of the same situation as last year. That time I saw Ben Maher and knew I really had to go all-in, and this time I saw Scott and knew I had to go all-in,” Christian said.

“The way that [Checker] went to the double — it was unreal that he was still able to jump that. That is why he’s an Olympic champion, that is why he’s one of the best horses in the world. That’s where he is weird! I am proud of him for winning that today.

“All year I’ve been saying that he feels like he did two or three years ago,” he added. “He doesn’t feel his age, he’s still excited and he wants to win the class.”

“Maybe I could have shaved a fraction here or there"

Scott is the only other rider to have scored consecutive wins in this grand prix, but on different horses, winning in 2017 with Hello Forever and 2018 with Hello Mr President – and this was the closest he has come to victory since.

“When you have the likes of Christian still coming behind you, you know it’s never over because they’re so fast,” Scott said. “I was delighted with my mare’s performance, I knew I was going to be tough to beat but Checker and Christian are a very experienced combination. Everything had to go right for them and it did.

“You always look back and think maybe I could have shaved a fraction here or there, but from where we were in the draw, what we went in to do, we delivered. When you get beat you get beat and you’ve got to take it on the chin.”

Harry’s third place defied his expectations and flagged a very promising future for the Caligula gelding, who began his career eventing with Gaspard Maksud, who transitioned him to showjumping.

“I wasn’t nervous putting him in this today because, although it’s his first five-star grand prix, what I’ve seen from him at home, I knew he would jump it. I said that two down would have been what I would expect right now, one down, I’d be very happy, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he jumped clear, because he’s been showing enough promise," said Harry, who bought him last September.

“The jump off was a bit of a hit and hope but he stayed with me and he’s so fast, he’s such a freak in terms of scope. He can be a bit difficult but the thing that makes him difficult is the same thing, I think, that a lot of great horses have.”

You can read the full report from the Longines Global Champions Tour of London in next week’s Horse & Hound magazine, in the shops Thursday 13 August. To stay up to date with all the breaking news from major shows throughout the year, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website