NETJETS US VOLUME 9 2019

From far left: Nayel
Nassar and Jennifer
Gates in Hamburg,
where their Paris
Panthers team took
third place; teammate
Darragh Kenny at the
Chantilly event
Previous page: Harrie
Smolders in action at
Miami Beach
Longines FEI Jumping World Rankings as
of 31 August of the previous year. Teams are
encouraged to bring on board at least one
athlete who is 25 years of age or younger, a
position filled for the Panthers by 23-yearold
Gates.
Throughout the season, GCL competitions
consist of two jumping rounds set anywhere
from 1.5 to 1.6 metres in height, the same as
Olympic competition. The fastest time with
the fewest penalties (given as the result of
wood-core rails falling out of their supporting
cups due to a careless hoof ) is rewarded with
points on the leaderboard as well as additional
prize offerings for clear, or zero penalty,
rounds—which is to say, as much as €50,000
for avoiding mistakes. The scores of each
team’s designated athletes are combined, and
points relative to the team’s overall placing are
applied to the year-end leaderboard.
After ten months of thrilling, edge-ofyour-seat
riding, teams convene in Prague
for the series conclusion, where the quarterfinal,
semi-final and final determine the
overall winner. With each round, teams are
eliminated, and the tension builds to an
incredible race for the win, which requires
equal parts bravery and caution.
Rob Hoekstra is the team manager for the
Paris Panthers and encourages the riders to
work together more intently to achieve their
goals. The team finished third at Valkenswaard
in August, and four team members are ranked
in the top 30 on the LGCT. They were also
third in June at Cascais/Estoril and Hamburg.
A second-place team finish is their best of the
2019 series, earned in Shanghai in May. The
Panthers still have some ground to cover; at
the time of writing, they were placed tenth in
the League. In show jumping, however, it’s not
over until the final fence is jumped, and three
series competitions remain on the schedule.
“[Hoekstra] generally wants the best horse
and rider combinations [competing] at any
given time. That being said, we will analyse
our team’s performance and take a hard
look at which horses and riders are in the
best form come November,” Nassar says
of the Panthers’ strategy looking ahead to
the final. “Prague is the only indoor venue
on the tour, so we will have to factor in our
horses’ strengths, too, as some are more
suited to that type of venue. Accordingly,
we will decide who represents the Panthers
in Prague, but the strategy is always to jump
as many clear rounds as possible, and I don’t
see that strategy changing any time soon.”
While a top placing is ideal, the
relationships developed over a year of
chasing a common goal, in beautiful places
across the globe and with knowledgeable
onlookers watching intently, is, at the very
least, a reward. Mansur cites the entire year
as being a memorable experience. “The
way we are dealing with the team is very
good. We had some [losses], but … we are
still able to manage and to guarantee good
results during the season.”
For Nassar, the memories made are more
specific: “So far, my most memorable show
was certainly GCL Hamburg. Jenn and I
rode on the team together for the first time
this season, and we managed to squeeze
onto the podium with a third place. Later
on that afternoon, I was also second in the
five-star LGCT Grand Prix to cap off a
great week from an individual standpoint
as well.”
“The whole team is getting ready for
the Playoffs,” Mansur says of his plans for
the rest of the year. “We are making all the
adjustments necessary, so we have more
riders ready and good to go at the end of the
year. We divide all shows during the season,
so we can have the horses fresh and ready to
succeed!” The Global Champions Playoffs take
place in the O2 Arena, Prague, between 21 and
24 November; globalchampionsleague.com
Prague Airport to O2 Arena: 14miles/22km
35 NetJets