(CNN)Julien Epaillard edged out defending champion Ben Maher by a whisker to win the first leg of the Longines Global Champions Tour in Doha.
Epaillard, of France, and his horse Usual Suspect d’Auge raced to victory by producing a clear round in the jump-off in a time of 40.11 seconds, just 0.44 seconds faster than Britain’s Maher and Explosion W, the overall circuit winners in 2018.
“It’s crazy for me, today,” Epaillard said in a televised interview, after riding away with prize money of €123,750 ($140,733).
