Marc Houtzager and the 10-year-old KWPN gelding Sterrehof's Calimero (Quidam De Revel x Achill Libero H) gave the crowds a home win in Drachten on Sunday, when going to the top in the CSI3* Lodewijk Assurantiën Grand Prix. 

The 1.55m competition had 52 riders in it, and eight of them managed to produce clears over the first round track to move on to the jump-off. 

With almost a second down to runner-up Felix Hassmann (GER) on the 12-year-old stallion Cayenne WZ ( Claudio x Ramirado), Houtzager was pretty much in a league of his own after a jump-off that included a few spectacular turns – the audience was kept on the edge of their seats as the Dutch rider made a really tight approach on an angle to the vertical on the long side of the arena half-way in the jump-off course and then again on the penultimate upright – cheering him on as he went all in on the final stretch to the last fence to cross the finish line on 34.93 seconds. 

It was a good day for the Houtzager-family, as Marc's wife Julia Kayser (AUT) ended fourth on the 13-year-old stallion Sterrehof´s Cayetano Z (Caretano Z x Cor De La Bruyere) behind Adrian Schmid (SUI) in third riding the 11-year-old gelding Alcazar Sitte (Rexar Du Houssoit x Nabab De Reve). Harm Lahde (GER) held the final double clear of the day to finish fifth on Oak Grove´s Heartfelt.

Text © World of Showjumping // Picture © Madeleine Broek