LONGINES GLOBAL CHAMPIONS TOUR OF NEW YORK REVEALS AMERICAN STARS AND MORE!

September 6, 2019 - New York, NY

A heavyweight line-up of American show jumping stars will be among a world-class international field of riders at the Finals of the Longines Global Champions Tour (LGCT) and Global Champions League (GCL) in New York on September 27-29, 2019.
 
At the event - which offers free admission to the general public - show jumping fans and those new to the sport will be able to witness Olympic hero and former World Number 1 McLain Ward (USA) in action, with the 2007 and 2014 LGCT Grand Prix winner hungry for a podium in New York. Spectators will also be thrilled by big names in the sport close to home, including Olympian and Former World Number 1 Kent Farrington (USA), Georgina Bloomberg (USA), Jessica Springsteen (USA) and Jennifer Gates (USA).

Bloomberg, who is the second highest ranked American rider in the 2019 LGCT Championship, is a born and bred New Yorker and owner of the home city team New York Empire. In a successful season so far, including a sensational win when she competed for her team at the GCL in Valkenswaard only a few weeks ago, the team will undoubtedly be the ones to watch on home turf.

Another familiar face on the international tour is Margie Engle (USA). The top American rider is a regular on the 2019 season so far and proving to be a crucial anchor for her Cannes Stars GCL team. Engle will be keen to take her first LGCT Grand Prix win of the season in the USA.

With this the last chance for riders to qualify for the Longines Global Champions Tour Super Grand Prix - a golden ticket only secured with a win in the prestigious LGCT Grand Prix class - the American dream will be to add a home-grown rider to the illustrious list of contenders.

Inaugural GCT Event in New York

In only three weeks’ time, international show jumping stars will showcase their talent on the picturesque Governors Island for a three-day spectacular that will also crown the LGCT and GCL season champions.

The LGCT and GCL finals in New York will be the climax of an exhilarating season crossing continents from the Middle East to the Americas, Europe, and Asia before landing in the U.S. once again for the finals. Competition has been intense in the GCL team series and all the squads will be pulling out their top guns for the New York finals to win a share of major prize money. And they will be battling to finish at the top of the grid for the GCL Super Cup Final at the GC Playoffs in Prague in November. Individual riders will be pulling out all the stops to win the last qualifying spot for the LGCT Super Grand Prix at the Playoffs.

In a tantalizing film released, all eyes are on the Finals in New York for the season showdown. To watch the film, click here.

Governors Island Is a Unique Venue

The show ground, with its top-quality sand competition arena, public grandstand, world-class Hospitality Lounge, and Shopping Village, enjoys unparalleled views to the New York City skyline and across to the Statue of Liberty.

The LGCT circuit, with 19 events this season, spans continents and the top-level show jumping events take place in unique destinations including on Miami Beach just feet from the Atlantic Ocean, in front of the Eiffel Tower, next to Monaco’s Yacht Harbour and now on Governors Island. Admission is free for spectators who can catch the regular ferry service from Battery Maritime Building in Lower Manhattan for a short eight-minute ride across New York Harbor to Soissons Landing and the venue on Governors Island.

The Island is visited by an average of 24,000 people on the weekends in September. The event - which is the first time show jumping will be held on the island - will be a family-friendly event, with a shopping village and a large variety of food and refreshments on offer throughout the three-day show.
 
The 172-acre Governors Island in New York Harbor is a venue for art, sport and culture and a favorite among New Yorkers escaping the city for the weekend.

During the three-day event visitors can simply walk in and enjoy what will be world-class sporting action. It is easy to get to Governors Island with ferries before noon on Saturdays and Sundays free for everyone. At other times, taking the ferry over to the Island is $3 and return ferries are not ticketed back to the city. The venue is an eight-minute ferry ride across the harbor from Battery Maritime Building in Lower Manhattan to Soissons Landing. Ferries will also bring visitors to Governors Island from Brooklyn’s Pier 6 on Saturdays and Sundays.

Ferries are always free for visitors 12 and under and senior citizens, as well as IDNYC holders and current and former military service members. For more information and an up-to-date ferry timetable, please click here.

For more information on the Longines Global Champions Tour of New York, please visit www.globalchampionstour.com.