(MENAFN- The Peninsula) Top riders Ludger Beerbaum of Germany, Scott Brash of Great Britain and Rolf-Goran Bengtsson of Sweden will be looking to finish the show jumping season with the world title when they hit the sands at Al Shaqab Arena today.
The state-of-the-art Al Shaqab Arena hosts the final stop on the Longine Global Champions Tour (GCT) with the first day's proceedings commencing today.
All eyes will be on the breathtaking Qatari venue as the top combinations fight for the last available points, over ‚¬1.7m in prize money and the ultimate title of 2014 Longines Global Champions Tour Champion.
Among the equine athletes flying Qatar Airways from Liege, Belgium to Doha are some of the most high-profile and prolific winners of the year.
Brash has already managed a record-breaking three Grand Prix gold medals this season and he looks set to pair with Hello Sanctos to defend the title they won convincingly last year.
"I will do my best to win the Championship again this year," Brash told the GCT website yesterday.
"I have had a fantastic season and Sanctos has been incredible, but Ludger is still in the lead at the moment and he will be a tough man to beat," the Briton added.
Brash's arch-rival for the 2014 crown, Beerbaum will be hoping his 11-year-old grey mare Chiara runs in Doha in fine style.
Beerbaum finished second behind Brash and Sanctos in the Doha Grand Prix last year.
With more top horses to choose from than many other riders, there was some speculation over who Beerbaum might bring, but Chiara seems to enjoy the giant arena and big occasion of Doha.
"I didn't ride well in the first round of the Grand Prix in Vienna or I would be in a safer position on the Ranking than I am now," Beerbaum said.
"Scott needs to finish 5th or higher to beat me, but if I can finish above him I win. It will be close."
Fresh from a 5* win in Lyon last weekend, fan-favourite Bengtsson will be taking his star 15-year-old stallion Casall ASK to the final showdown.
Bengtsson is the only other rider who could steal victory from Beerbaum should Brash fail to, but he must win the Grand Prix to achieve this. Having led the Championship for a good portion of the season it would be a poetic twist if the 2012 runner-up were to win both the Grand Prix and the Championship in ten day's time. "It's not impossible, but both Scott and Ludger will be super-motivated," said Bengtsson.
"Casall feels good and fresh. He's had a rest since the World Championships and I did not push him in Barcelona (FEI Nation's Cup Final). Al Shaqab is a great place to compete with lots of space, so I will do my best."
The Longines Global Champions Tour consists of a selection of stunning venues in some of the most glittering and cultural cities in the world, such as Monte-Carlo, Chantilly, Doha, Madrid, Cascais-Estoril and London.The LGCT Championship series has grown from six events in 2006 to 14 events in 2014, including three fabulous debut shows in Antwerp, Shanghai and Paris.
Every year, the Longines Global Champions Tour continues to raise the bar, offering outstanding sporting spectacle in an elegant selection of iconic global settings.
With the 2014 season about to reach it's climax and the history books poised to add another star show jumping name to the Tour's Hall OF Fame, Longines Global Champions Tour President Jan Tops hinted at potential for a new US event next year and further new destinations planned for the Tour in 2016.
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