World's top showjumpers eye big prize in Hong Kong
Olympic gold medallist Ben Maher is among eight of the top 10 vying for glory and US$1m in cash per leg of the grand-prix series
London Olympic gold medallist Ben Maher will be among the top riders and their horses vying for the "biggest purse" in world show jumping at the Longines Hong Kong Masters which gets under way this evening at the AsiaWorld-Expo.
The three-day event, the biggest equestrian show in town since the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games equestrian competition, is the first step of an ambitious plan to create a grand prix series offering big bucks - a minimum of US$1 million in prize money for each leg.
"While the Olympics and the world championships are all about the prestige of winning a medal, this event offers the biggest purse in equestrian sport and that is why we have a world-class field who, with their horses, have turned up in Hong Kong," said Matthieu Gheysen, vice-president of EEM Asia (Equestrian Event Management).
This event offers the biggest purse in equestrian sport and that is why we have a world-class field
A total of 64 horses - the biggest plane-load of horses to arrive in Hong Kong - touched down last Sunday after a 13-hour flight from Liege, Belgium. Among the valuable cargo was Triple X III, the mount Maher was on board as he won the team gold medal at the London Games.
Eight of the world's top 10-ranked riders are in the fray for the near-sold-out event - only a handful of tickets are available for today's opening day - led by world No1 Christian Ahlmann of Germany, champion French rider Kevin Staut and the top-ranked women's rider, Edwina Tops-Alexander of Australia.