Doha, September 25 (QNA) – Qatari equestrians Sheikh Ali bin Khalid Al-Thani and Bassem Mohammed are set to compete in the 13th round of the Longines Global Champions Tour (LGCT) and Global Champions League (GCL), which kicks off Friday and runs through Sunday in the Austrian capital, Vienna.

The prestigious international show jumping series features top riders from around the world. After 12 rounds, Belgian rider Gilles Thomas currently leads the LGCT standings with 261 points.

German rider Christian Kukuk holds second place with 187 points, followed by Denmark’s Andreas Schou with 173 points. Frenchman Simon Delestre ranks fourth with 164 points, while Dutch rider Maikel van der Vleuten stands fifth with 158 points.

This round will see the participation of several world-renowned riders, including British equestrian Scott Brash, a two-time LGCT Grand Prix winner this season in Shanghai and St. Tropez.

Dutchman Harrie Smolders, also a two-time Grand Prix winner this year, will compete alongside German veteran Marcus Ehning and Austrian rider Max Kuhner.

The Longines Global Champions Tour and Global Champions League span 17 rounds across major cities worldwide. The season began in Doha and continued through Mexico City (Mexico), Shanghai (China), Madrid (Spain), Cannes and Saint-Tropez (France), Paris, Monaco, London (UK), Valkenswaard (Netherlands), and New York (USA).

Following the Vienna round, the tour will proceed to Rome (Italy), Rabat (Morocco), and Riyadh (Saudi Arabia), before concluding with the Super Grand Prix at the GC Prague Playoffs in the Czech capital. (QNA)