Longines Global Champions Tour of Doha Kicks Off

Doha, March 06 (QNA) - In the presence of HE President of Qatar Olympic Committee (QOC) Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al-Thani, the Longines Global Champions Tour of Doha, which is hosted by Al Shaqab, member of Qatar Foundation, kicked off in style today, with the participation of 50 riders from 15 countries. St Tropez Pirates kicked off their 2020 GCL campaign in determined style combining speed and pinpoint accuracy to take the lead going into Saturday's showdown. 8 teams finished on a zero score after this nail-biting first round, with some blisteringly fast rounds from St Tropez Pirates, Scandinavian Vikings and London Knights. New signing Daniel Deusser joined St Tropez Pirates team stalwart Pieter Devos for the first time at this opening leg in Qatar, and the team's strategy paid off. The first clear round went to Roger Yves Bost (FRA) and Castleforbes Talitha who posted a characteristically fast round, taking an early lead in a time of 40.94 seconds. Qatari rider Rashid Towaim Ali Al Marri also secured great results after achieving a time of 51.60 seconds. Gilles Thomas (BEL) took all the inside lines around the course with Konak, but an unlucky pole had them finish just outside the top 20. Super speedy Pius Schwizer (SUI) took on the course at a bold pace but wasn't able to catch the leading time, finishing with 0 faults in 44.49 seconds. Cindy van der Straten (BEL) posted the third clear of the class with her 9 year old mare Diarca PS, putting the pair just outside the money in 13th place. Then Daniel Deusser (GER) had his foot to the pedal throughout his round, but couldn't quite match the pace, and finished in 6th. Young gun Jos Verlooy (BEL) stormed into the lead on his massive striding bay gelding Varoune. The pair flew through the finish timers in 39.91 seconds shaving over a second off long time leader Roger-Yves Bost (FRA) time and putting the pressure on the rest of the field. (QNA)