This weekeend, what could be called the Ultra of the equestrian world, the Global Champions Tour Mami, is taking place. The show is arguably every show jumper’s wet dream with an amazing venue and impressive competitors.
The Global Champions Tour (GCT) is a prestigious show jumping series held at 15 different locations around the globe (the other venues include Cannes and Shanghai…enough said!). The event features the top 30 show jumping riders in the world! Charlotte Casiraghi, a member of the Monaco Royal Family, is the Honorary President of the Jumping Internal de Monte-Carlo leg of the tour. The event itself was founded in 2006 by Olympic gold medalist Jan Tops. The Longines Global Champions tour is arguably the richest equestrian sporting series in the world. Just a year after it was founded, all classes are now run under FEI rules as a CSI 5* event, which means that they are championship-level events.
This is the second year the GCT will be held in Miami after a roaring début last year. Competitors this week include Olympic gold medalist McLain Ward, as well as show jumping icon and all-time great, John Whitaker.
The show will take place starting Thursday, April 7 until Saturday, April 9. The show grounds are located on the beach below the Setai Hotel in South Beach, and admission is free to the public on a first come, first serve basis.
On the off chance that the show jumping itself isn’t enough to tempt you: there will be a shopping village as well as an entertainment and refreshment area. If that still isnt enough, did you know that Bruce Springsteen as well as former New York mayor Michel Bloomberg often attend these events? Who knows, you might even be able to catch a glimpse of Republican candidate Donald Trump, who has ties to the Florida equestrian community.
Whether you go to watch some world class show jumping, or just to do some serious people watching, you’re guaranteed to have a blast; it’s a can’t miss! The show starts Thursday morning with some less advanced classes and the grand finale, with $500,000 worth of prize money (!!), is on Saturday afternoon.
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