Edited press release from Turnier der Sieger

Hardly any story in sport is older than that of the man who falls and gets back up again, and at the traditional Turnier der Sieger in Münster, Germany, Dutch rider Marc Houtzager proved that willpower can really be worth it: After a fall on Saturday, he won Sunday's CSI4* 1.55m Grand Prix with Sterrehof’s Dante (Canturano x Phin Phin).

Houtzager and his 16-year-old mare Sterrehof's Dante were the first pair in the jump-off and produced a lightning-fast, fault-free round in 39.73 seconds. Markus Renzel (GER) and Pikeur Lemar (Los Angeles x Baloubet du Rouet) secured second place with a clear round in 43.35 seconds, while Eiken Sato (JPN) and Chadellano Jra (Chacco-Blue x Centadel) placed third with four faults in 42.70. Hans Thorben Rüder (GER) and Courage 138 (Captain Fire x Feuerglanz B&h Cottanic) finished fourth, followed by Antonio Maria Garofalo (ITA) aboard Carem Sandy (London x Sandro Boy) in fifth. 

"Now she has a six-week break,” Houtzager said afterwards. “I had to decide whether I wanted to ride with her in Münster or Calgary, because both would have been too much. But Münster is one of those shows that are made with so much love – these shows are becoming increasingly rare. That’s why we come here year after year, and that’s why my best horse should start here too.”