The inaugural “Longines Hong Kong Equestrian Masters,” held over three days in Hong Kong, concluded successfully on the evening of the 2nd. Although the two riders representing the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, Kenneth Cheng Man-kit and Leung Ho-ling, did not win any awards, their team leader and the Executive Director of the Hong Kong Equestrian Federation, Clara Kong Ka-fung, told China News Service that she was very pleased with their performance. Simply competing at an international 5-star event was already a success. Both riders could gain valuable experience by observing the techniques of the 25 world-class competitors and train further to improve their skills in the future.
Over the three-day competition, the Hong Kong SAR equestrian team did not exceed expectations at this 5-star Masters event and missed out on a podium finish. Kong Ka-fung stated that the two representatives from Hong Kong had given their all, and given the significant gap in skill compared to European riders, their results were entirely within expectations.
“Especially Kenneth Cheng, his competition horse ‘Jockey Club’s Precious Treasure’ was only recently purchased from Belgium during the Lunar New Year period and had undergone real training for only about a week. As a result, the horse lacked competitive experience and was prone to nervousness. So, the fact that it behaved well during the flight to Hong Kong and successfully completed the competition under the rider’s control means Kenneth has already met the goals,” said Kong.
Kong emphasized that the Hong Kong Equestrian Federation co-hosted this event with the goal of ensuring representation by Hong Kong SAR riders, making the competition more representative in Hong Kong. Therefore, that goal has now been achieved.
During this event, Kong directed the two Hong Kong SAR representatives on-site. Whenever a Hong Kong rider competed, they received loud applause and cheers from many local fans in the stands. She said, “The home crowd atmosphere in Hong Kong was top-notch. It reminded me of the 2008 Beijing Olympics equestrian events held in Hong Kong. I believe Hong Kong’s equestrian sport has the potential to grow even further.”
Leung Ho-ling also mentioned that competing in such a high-level event on home soil in Hong Kong brought her some pressure. However, seeing local Hong Kong spectators cheering her on made her very happy.
On the evening of the 2nd, during the three-day event, the highest-prized “Longines Equestrian Grand Prix” was won by French rider Pénélope Leprevost, who triumphed over the competition. Leprevost had earlier claimed victory in another event, the “Prix Poggenpohl,” as well as the “Gucci Gold Cup” on the evening of the 1st, making her the “triple crown” winner of this year’s competition.
Leprevost said, “I really love Hong Kong. It makes me feel right at home, and I hope to come back and compete here again and again in the future.”
This international show jumping competition was organized by EEM Asia, with the Hong Kong Equestrian Federation as the co-organizer. Event CEO Christophe Ameeuw stated that the 2014 “Hong Kong Longines Equestrian Masters” will be held from February 21 to 23, 2014.
The Hong Kong leg is the first stop of this year’s “Equestrian Masters Indoor Grand Slam.” The other two legs will take place in October and December in New York, USA, and Paris, France, respectively.