Monaco – synonymous with luxury, action, glamour and fun. Where the world’s rich and beautiful cavort exquisite equitation must not be missing. Monaco and the Monte Carlo quarter, renowned for its Casino and playground for the notables, have all your heart desires – except for one thing: space!

Lack of space is prevailing in the ministate, and yet the initiators of the Global Champions Tour with Jan Tops as their head found a delightful spot for showjumping of premium quality. At the foot of „Le Rocher“, the historical center of Monaco, a showjumping arena was erected out of thin air - right next to Monte Carlo harbour. VIP marquees, noble exhibition stands, the yachts in the mediterranean port within one’s grasp – the attraction of the outstanding makes Monte Carlo unique.



Where usually Formula 1 fills the air with the smell of gasoline and the noise of engines, visitors now heard horses snorting, poles falling and winners cheering. Albert II, Prince of Monaco, and Princess Caroline, too, indulged in the experience of showjumping and appeared in person to almost every competition.

The only 26 meters in breadth of the hippodrome posed the challenge of building courses to me, which cope with the demands of a leg of the Global Champions Tour, but which also enable fair and attractive sports.
Furthermore, we had to do justice to the flair of the city state at the Côte d’Azur – a task we performed with specially designed fences.

The atmosphere during the floodlight competition meant a highlight of my work, however, the greatest test was the Grand Prix on Sunday. In the Grand Prix, the most difficult passage of the first round was formed by the 270 degrees turn from fence 8 over 9 to 10, while in the second round the triple combination marked the crucial challenge. In the run-up to the competition, I had wished for 10 riders in the second round and 5 clear rounds for the jump-off – and it worked: Of 11 riders in the second round, 4 clear rounds were left over for the jump-off.

American Richard Spooner won the Grand Prix with the winning margin of two hundredths of a second and received the prize of 100.000 €. Marcus Ehning came second with 60.000 € - a couple of hundredths of seconds made a difference of 40.000 € for him… Heartbeat’s finals made to measure – just right to fit the equestrian event par excellence.

Apart from sport, Monte Carlo naturally offered luxury and glamour surrounding the show. A gala night on Friday featured acrobatics, artistry, mediterranean feeling and the special something and thus cast a spell over the audience. The party continued until the early morning…