Ines Joly (FRA) and the 10-year-old gelding Ambassador Z (Aganix du Seigneur x Illustro) clinched their first ever five-star Grand Prix-win in the CSI5* 1.60m €1.5 million Longines Global Champions Tour Grand Prix du Prince de Monaco as the only double clear pair. Max Kühner (AUT) and EIC Up Too Jacco Blue (Chacco-Blue x Ard VDL Douglas) was pushed into second place when the last fence in the jump-off fell in the high-stakes competition which took place against the picturesque backdrop of Monaco.
With only two riders in the jump-off, Nina Mallevaey (FRA) stood on the podium in third place picking up a single time fault in round one with Dynastie de Beaufour (Diamant de Semilly x Cassini I) with an agonising 0.04 seconds over the time allowed.
A speechless Ines Joly tried to put into words what this win meant for her to GCTV. She said: “I never imagined this, it’s amazing and incredible. I knew I had one chance so I thought I would give it a go, it was the chance of my life and I took it.”
She went on to add: “If you’d told me two years ago that I would be winning my first 5* Grand Prix at the Longines Global Champions Tour I would have still been there with my mask during Covid and saying you’re dreaming. It truly is a dream.”
A second place in Monaco was bittersweet for Max Kühner with the final rail falling in the jump-off, with a time that would have seen him take a comfortable first place. Looking back at his round, Kühner said: “He felt really good in the jump-off – I thought, just ‘stay cool’ and ride it home. Maybe I should have fought a little more.”
Nina Mallevaey combined her first ever five-star Grand Prix podium with her first ever LGCT Grand Prix podium, and couldn’t hide her delight. Following a single time penalty in round one keeping her out of the jump-off, she said: “My mare was amazing, she gave everything. I was so proud of her and a bit mad at me. I am still so proud of her, it is only her third big 5* class and she did it so easily… I was really between happy and frustrated. I am also so pleased for my owners, Mark and Cassidy Rein, they do so much for me, and my trainers, so I am also so happy for them to give them a podium.”
Max Kühner has now extended his 2024 LGCT ranking lead to 208 points, with Andreas Schou (DEN) in second with 192 points. Former multi-stage leader Eduardo Alvarez Aznar (ESP) hangs on to third by a single point ahead of Maikel van der Vleuten (NED) on 161 points in fourth.