“It really doesn’t feel real," Victor Bettendorf said after Foxy de La Roque won Friday's LGCT Super Grand Prix – here pictured with Adeline Hecart. Photo © LGCT.
Edited press release from Longines Global Champions Tour
Victor Bettendorf (LUX) and his remarkable 9-year-old mare Foxy de La Roque (Armitages Boy x Kannan) won Friday's CSI5* 1.65m €1.25 million Longines Global Champions Tour Super Grand Prix as the last pair to go under the floodlights in Riyadh (KSA).
The 34-year-old made history as the youngest-ever winner of the Longines Global Champions Tour Super Grand Prix, while Belgium’s 26-year-old Gilles Thomas and Ermitage Kalone (Catoki x Kannan) secured second place ahead of Ireland’s 30-year-old Michael Duffy and Quirex (Quirado x Concept) who completed the podium in third.
Reflecting on his win, an emotional Bettendorf said: “It really doesn’t feel real. The previous winners of this class have been my heroes for my whole career and I can’t believe I have joined them as a winner. The hospitality for my first ever international trip with the horses has been amazing and to win this class at a show like this in Riyadh is just incredible. I am very emotional and it will take a while for this to sink in."
Victor Bettendorf and the 9-year-old Foxy de La Roque. Photo © LGCT.
In one of the biggest podiums of his career, young talent Gilles Thomas told GCTV: “It was already an amazing achievement to just ride in this calibre class. Actually, I didn’t really expect it to win an LGCT Grand Prix this year and as soon as I won in Shanghai, I was fully focused on this class. The Playoffs is an amazing event and tonight was something special to be part of.”
“In the first round, the way Ermitage was jumping I felt I could take some risk," he added. "For the second round, my original plan was to ride a good clear round but he felt so good and it's not every year you can ride the Longines Global Champions Tour Super Grand Prix so I thought we had to give it a go. I must thank my Valkenswaard United teammate Marcus Ehning today because during the whole class he helped me a lot. He pushed me a bit to go beyond my limits. I think with my round I put some pressure on the others. But in the end, Victor was so fast, he was unbelievable today.”
A well-deserved tribute was given to the grooms of the LGCT Super Grand Prix podium finishers. Here Gilles Thomas' Ermitage Kalone with LGCT founder and president Jan Tops and Thomas' long-time groom Sanne Melsen. Photo © LGCT.
An emotional Michael Duffy said: “To do this today, on a horse that has had almost 6 years in a field and to do it in a class so huge as the LGCT Super Grand Prix – a comeback couldn’t have been sweeter. It’s just a testament to the horse’s character and his heart and ability to come back. It’s really an incredible story and I’m just happy to be a part of it and enjoy it. To be honest, tonight, I don’t think I could have caught Victor, and probably wouldn't have caught Gilles either if I was clear, so maybe it was a blessing in disguise. It’s still a hard pill to swallow in the first round, but ultimately I was too slow myself so there's no one to blame, only myself.”
A well-deserved tribute was given to the grooms of the LGCT Super Grand Prix podium finishers – Damien Lelievre, Sanne Melsen and Tristan Gautier – who were recognized with trophies during the awards ceremony alongside their impressive equine partners.
Then