Íñigo López de la Osa Franco, the first Monegasque rider ever to qualify for the Show Jumping World Championships, finished eighth in the Grand Prix at the second leg of the Longines Global Champions Tour in Mexico City.

Competing against 38 pairs in the flagship event, the 23-year-old rode Nascar Van’t Siamshof to a second-round score of four penalty points — one fault on the final fence — in a time of 45.01 seconds. Victory went to Italy’s Piergiorgio Bucci aboard Pallieter vd N.Ranch.

The result leaves López de la Osa Franco 15th in the overall Global Champions Tour standings among 47 of the sport’s leading names, and the youngest rider in the top 10.

The Mexico City leg carries particular significance in his preparation for the World Championships. “The ground here — vast and grass-based — has similar characteristics to Aachen,” he said. “Getting an excellent result here means consolidating my path towards the Worlds. I want to arrive there with horses that are physically and mentally ready. Nascar has shown he is capable of facing stages at this level.”

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Photo credit: Lando Lucio