The golden couple is heading to Prague. The Prague Playoffs will be decorated with Olympic champions
In the middle of the star starting field, this pair shines brightest. The decoration of the Prague Playoffs, which will culminate the season of the prestigious show jumping series Global Champions in Prague’s O2 arena from November 18 to 21, will be British Olympic champion Ben Maher with his horse Explosion W. “I believe I have the best horse in the world,” says him Maher himself.
For Ben Maher, this was the summer of his life. At the Olympics in Tokyo with the horse Explosion W, he won the qualification and in the final showed a flawless and also the fastest performance. And with a gold medal around my neck, an individual park for Great Britain only the second since 1912, I had a wedding prepared for my girlfriend Sophia Gracida.
The triumph in the basic part of the Global Champions then escaped him in the dramatic race in Šamorín, but he will have another opportunity to show himself. He will be the key driver of the strong London Knights team at the Prague Playoffs and at the same time will strive for a triumph in the elite individual race of the Super Grand Prix, which he won in Prague two years ago. And he plans to bring with him his stable number one Explosion W, which is his horse of life.
“I’ve ridden a lot of good horses in my career, but none will be like him anymore,” says Maher. “It’s a pretty big statement. But he’s just so smart, he’s fun. And he is a real athlete. It’s not a normal horse. “
Olympic champion Ben Maher is heading to Prague
This unique animal was picked up by the famous Dutch breeder Willy Wijnen and he wondered for a long time who he would let him stand out.
“When he was born and the first time I looked him in the eye, I thought, ‘You will be something!’ ‘Wijnen told worldofshowjuping.com. “I didn’t want to sell it to someone who would have it for commercial purposes and resell it. When he started racing, maybe a hundred people called me. But I was looking for a rider to take him to the top. “
This was a task for Mahera, who created a successful partnership with an exceptional horse. Only health problems slowed him down.
“After several falls in 2018 and 2019, I suffered for a long time with back pain. I couldn’t walk properly and I actually felt more comfortable riding. I had the operation scheduled for January 2020 six months in advance. I’m like a new person now, “said Maher.
Maher won the Super Grand Prix at the Global Champions Prague Playoffs galashow in the saddle of Explosion two years ago, when the second year of this exclusive racing meeting took place.
This year, the pair triumphed at the Tokyo Olympics and Maher hoped to win the third title of the Longines Global Champions Tour in a row. This wish did not come true, because he finished fourth after an unsuccessful last start in Šamorín. However, he will be even more eager to win at least a trophy from the top competition of the world show jumping tour.
“This year I am satisfied with my results in the Global Champions. It is a difficult year associated with the Olympics and thus the lack of horses for the LGCT, “he noted during the races in Rome.
In Prague, he will have a chance to follow up on the triumph in the elite Super Grand Prix of 2019, when he won under relatively dramatic circumstances.
“I remember it very well, I was quite lucky in the second round. I hit one pole, it popped out. It was an amazing evening and for me definitely one of the most memorable moments, “Maher recalls. “I always try to start with the best horse and Explosion enjoyed Prague last time. The Super Grand Prix is an amazing competition, I was lucky enough to win with Explosion two years ago. I am glad that they will be a part of it again this year and hopefully I will have a chance to win it again. “
PRAGUE PLAYOFF
The final of the prestigious Global Champions series, called the Prague Playoffs, will be produced from November 18 to 21 at the O2 Arena in Prague, with the Super Grand Prix racing as the individual highlight.