Release date: 04/06/2011 |    

German rider Ludger Beerbaum sits last to go in the start list with Chaman 4 (pictured above) and commented on his preparation:

We jumped really, really well here on Thursday with just one down but very confident.  The horse was good to ride and is very ready for today.  He jumped at Hagen as his last show with a 2^nd in the Grand Prix there.

Ludger talks about his horse selection for the next Global Champions Tour events.

I have chosen to ride Gotha in Cannes and she leaves on Tuesday in the lorrie to arrive and have a day or so to freshen up.  For Monaco I am 90% certain that I will ride Chaman but will decide after today’s GCT Grand Prix.

Ludger commented on the Hamburg show:

Everything is really nice at this show. As a German I believe this and Aachen are the best shows we have.  Here there are a lot of spectators, the weather is perfect and it is just a lovely show.

Australia Edwina Alexander has Cevo Itot du Chateau in line for the Grand Prix drawing 4^th last to go:

This is Itot’s 2^nd Global Champions Tour event this year. We jumped in the warm-up class on the Wednesday for familiarization.  My plan is to keep him fresh for today.  I don’t want to do too much with him as he has also to go to Cannes and Monaco Global Champions Tour.  The first day he felt really good and happy to be out jumping in the big green arena. (pictured here riding Ciske van Overis)

Irish rider Shane Breen, (above left on Carmena) who has been based at Hickstead for the past 4 years, had a success in the Derby Riders Tour, Derby qualification event on Thursday with Kec Alicante.  He has a lucky feel for Hamburg having finished 3^rd in the Youngsters Cup 4 years ago with Carmena Z 7, the horse he will ride in the Global Champions Tour of Germany:

He jumped very well here as a 7 year old and on Thursday was confident in the arena and enjoyed the jumping with just one fence down. I had this horse here in 2009 and placed well in the Accumulator class and here we are again and we are ready.  He had a good preparation leading to this event with a win in the Grand Prix in Windsor, UK a fortnight ago. He is fresh and ready to go.

Director of En Garde Marketing GmbH and the Hamburg Derby Volker Wulff comments on the immense spectator attendances:

We are very pleased with the turnout of people here in Hamburg with Friday 3rd June seeing the very best numbers that we have ever had on a Friday. We saw approximately 14,000 come through the gates.  Overall we expect more than 70,000 spectators over the weekend which is outstanding.  The superb weather and the fact that Thursday was a public holiday and people taking Friday as a holiday presented the perfect opportunity to come to this very good horse show.