Set against the Atlantic shoreline, Miami Beach once again set the tone for the Global Champions League (GCL) and Longines Global Champions Tour (LGCT) season – and, potentially, for Edwina’s year ahead.
In round one of the GCL (CSI5* 1.60m), Edwina Tops-Alexander and her rising 16-year-old KWPN gelding Fellow Castlefield (Je T’aime Flamenco x Twister) jumped clear to finish in the third-fastest time of 75.03 seconds, just behind Nayel Nassar and Orphea HQ (73.47) and Jack Whitaker with Izara des Dames (74.55).
Fellow Castlefield was Edwina’s partner at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, and looks to be in fine form again this year.
The Australian also produced a clear round in the second GCL class (CSI5* 1.55m) with her other top horse, rising 12-year-old Hanoverian gelding Cydello (Cascadello x Forsyth FRH), finishing inside the top ten.
With Edwina delivering a faultless scorecard across both rounds – and just a single rail from Belgian teammate Gilles Thomas aboard Qiara de Kalvarie – Valkenswaard United secured second place overall behind Madrid in Motion (Victor Bettendorf/Atchoum de la Roque Z, Maikel van der Vleuten/Quastor vd Heffinck, and Jack Whitaker/Izara des Dames).
Valkenswaard United are the defending GCL champions, having claimed the overall 2025 title, and their strong start in Miami signals a clear intent to chase back-to-back championships in 2026.
Global Champions Tour success
No stranger to success in Miami, Edwina has previously won the LGCT Grand Prix twice – with California in 2018 and with Lintea Tequila in 2026.
This year, Edwina rode Cydello to a clear round in the LGCT Grand Prix (CSI5* 1.60m), with two time faults unfortunately keeping the pair out of the jump-off.
The LGCT Grand Prix was ultimately won by Germany’s Katrin Eckermann and Iron Dames Dialou Blue PS.
