Jos Verlooy Takes Home The Top Prize In The 5* Longines Grand Prix At The First-Ever Longines Los Angeles Masters

LOS ANGELES, Sept. 28, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- The inaugural Longines Los Angeles Masters came to a close Sunday afternoon with eighteen-year-old Belgian rider, Jos Verlooy, taking the top prize in the Longines Grand Prix, the most prestigious class of the four-day competition. Verlooy emerged the winner with a timing of 38.11 seconds stating calmly, "It's a great feeling." 41 world-class riders participated in the Grand Prix with a prize of $475,000.

Touches of Hollywood glamour shown through in the jump designs, creating a spectacular first Masters Grand Slam atmosphere at the LA Convention Center. The first thirteen riders were unable to clear the thirteenth obstacle without a penalty, but the rising Belgian star gave an adrenaline packed performance, jumping a perfect flawless course riding Domino.

"My horse jumped super. I had already a good feeling in the first round," Verlooy stated during a press conference following the prize giving ceremony. "The jump-off worked out exactly as I wanted. The idea was actually to put the pressure on the rest of the field. But when Steve [Guerdat] came in, I was very nervous. He's one of the best riders in the world and it's super for me that I could be first and he second… Sorry Steve!"

Steve Guerdat then chimed in with, "Albfuehren's Paille, my mare, is very new and it was very difficult to go faster. We only did three jump-offs together so far. It's only our fourth big class. Today, it was still too soon to beat Jos. He did a great job and he absolutely deserved the win. I am satisfied with my second place and I am not thinking about what I could have done different today but just about how to work and make it different next time."

Georgina Bloomberg's strategy ensured a clear round. "My plan with Juvina was a little bit different because she's not the quickest and I usually go for a double-clear. So my plan was to be efficient and go clear," Bloomberg said before father, former Mayor Michael Bloomberg came over to give his daughter a congratulatory kiss on the cheek.

A sold out crowd included notable attendees like Angelica and Danny Huston, James Caan, Malin Akerman, Robert L. Johnson, Bruce Springsteen and Patti Scialfa, Alex Newell, Alison Sweeney, Arielle Kebbel, Dave Caruso, and many more.  

With the culmination of Sunday's Grand Prix, the Masters Grand Slam will now head to Paris. The City of Light will again host the best riders in the world with the Gucci Paris Masters on December 4-7, 2014 giving fans and spectators alike four more days of top-class equestrian sport and entertaining show.

The Longines Los Angeles Masters will be broadcast to over 300 million households across 100 countries, and live streamed to 800 million viewers. Broadcast partners include FOX Sports and HRTV, the Network for Horse Sports, EUROSPORT, EQUIDIA, Horse and Country, GLOBO, TVB (Hong Kong), FOX Sports Asia, and EUROSPORT Asia. A full broadcast schedule can be found at: http://www.mastersgrandslam.com/en/los_angeles_masters/program/tv_schedule

ABOUT THE LONGINES LOS ANGELES MASTERS
EEM World, the creator and organizer of the Masters Grand Slam Indoor – the world's most prestigious indoor Show Jumping events that include the annual Gucci Paris Masters and the Longines Hong Kong Masters - will replicate the unique event concept with the debut of the Longines Los Angeles Masters. Recognized by the FEI (Federation Equestre Internationale) and the USEF (United States Equestrian Federation) as a CSI 5* competition, the event will attract the best riders and horses from across the globe to compete for $1 million in prize winnings at the Los Angeles Convention Center September 25 - 28, 2014. The prestigious equestrian event is expected to welcome up to 30,000 visitors to watch spectacular sporting action and entertainment over four days of world-class competitions and shows.

ABOUT LONGINES
Longines has been based at Saint-Imier in Switzerland since 1832. Its watchmaking expertise reflects a strong devotion to tradition, elegance and performance. Longines has generations of experience as official timekeeper of world championships and as partner of international sports federation. Known for the elegance of its timepieces, Longines is a member of the Swatch Group Ltd, the World's leading manufacturer of horological products. With the winged hourglass as its emblem, the brand has outlets in over 140 countries.
www.longines.com

About the Masters Grand Slam Indoor
Created and organized by EEM World, the Masters Grand Slam Indoor is a unique global event concept, inspired by tennis, and designed to bring equestrian Show Jumping to the forefront of the international sporting and social scenes.

Hosted in capital cities across three continents (Europe, Asia and America) the Masters Grand Slam are the most prestigious equestrian events of the indoor Show Jumping season and welcome up to 50,000 spectators to witness spectacular sporting action and entertainment over four days of world-class competitions and show.

Each Masters brings together more than 25 of the best horse-rider combinations on the global Longines ranking list to compete for $1 million in prize money. With an unprecedented broadcast reach to more than 550 million households worldwide, the Masters are the most televised Show Jumping events in the world and offer unparalleled networking and social opportunities for worldwide elites, global institutions, luxury brands, celebrities and industry VIPs.

THE MASTERS GRAND SLAM INDOOR CALENDAR:
Gucci Paris Masters December 4-7, 2014
Longines Hong Kong Masters February 13-15, 2015

For more information please visit: www.mastersgrandslam.com

SOURCE EEM World USA