THE newly opened Tops International arena provided the perfect back-drop for last Saturday evening’s star-studded Longines Global Champions Tour Grand Prix.

Global Tour founder and former Olympic team gold medalist Jan Tops, has developed the exceptional facilities at his home in Valkenswaard which now rivals any venue in the world. He was joined ringside by a host of the world’s rich and famous, as Germany’s Marco Kutscher seized victory in the 1.60m contest with the 13-year-old stallion Van Gogh.

A top-class field included 18 of the world’s top 20, with six riders managing to go clear over the first two rounds to make it into the jump-off.

Despite heavy rain for most of the competition, they produced a thrilling contest, with Dutch hopes resting on Henk Van De Pol who was first to go against the clock with Willink. They set the early target when clear in 36.80 seconds. Their lead was short-lived however, as Bassem Hassan Mohammed of Qatar posted an impressive 35.82 on Eurocommerce California, watched by a delighted Sheikha Mayassa Al Thani (sister of the Emir of Qatar), from the royal box.

Frenchman Simon Delestre and Qlassic Bois Margot then knocked almost a second off the target (34.97) to take the lead, before series leader and world no 1 Scott Brash took centre-stage with Hello Sanctos.

Brash however knocked the planks to finish on four faults in sixth place, while Belgian rider Gregory Wathelet finished on the same score with Algorhythem, in a slightly faster time to take fifth.

Marco Kutscher and Van Gogh were last to go and delivered a super slick clear, stopping the clock at 34.86, just over a tenth of a second faster than Delestre who had to settle for second, with Hassan Mohammed in third.

Kutscher, who collected a winner’s cheque for €100,000 said: “I still can’t really believe it, Van Gogh has not really been competing on this level much, as my other two horses are injured. I have won three or four Global Tour Grands Prix, but I am especially happy today because I didn’t expect it at all. Some shows you come to knowing that your horse is in good shape, then you are almost disappointed when your horse doesn’t work, but this way was absolutely the other way round and it makes it very special. I don’t think I have won any class with him so far and so to win a five-star Grand Prix is amazing.”

Both Irish representatives in the Grand Prix retired during the opening round. Denis Lynch with Abbervail Van Het Dingeshof and Bertram Allen riding Belmonde,

Britain’s Scott Brash still leads the Global Tour rankings, with Luciana Diniz in second and Rolf Goran Bengtsson in third.

Ireland’s Bertram Allen lies in ninth place as the championship battle now moves to Rome.