Victor Bettendorf (LUX) and the 9-year-old mare Foxy de la Roque (Armitages Boy x Kannan) won Friday's CSI5*-W 1.60m Longines Grand Prix – counting for Longines Rankings Group B – in spectacular style at the 2024-edition of Longines Equita Lyon. 

Eight pairs from the 47 horse-and-rider combinations at start at the traditional French venue – that this year celecrates its 30th anniversary – cleared the first-round track set by France's very own Gregory Bodo and joined the deciding jump-off, where Bettendorf and Foxy de la Roque clocked an unbeatable time of 36.06 as the second pair out. 

"Foxy de la Roque is truly amazing and showed that again tonight," Bettendorf said in a press release from Longines Equita Lyon. "Only last year, in Deauville, she took part in her first event counting towards the world rankings, and since then she has gone from strength to strength. Every time a few centimetres were added, she gave the impression that she was used to jumping that height every weekend. This evening, the course designer gave us a good jump-off in which we could easily take strides off, which is very easy with Foxy, since she has a lot of amplitude in her stride. She is so obedient and gives so much, and has so much talent that I'm never worried. I wouldn't say that the courses are easy, but when you have a mare like her, who is really confident, it's almost as if I go into the arena just to have fun; I know that if I ride well, I'll finish with a clear round. Especially, as I don't have to think about the time. She has so much energy that she almost needs slowing down. To sum everything up, I really enjoyed myself tonight." 

Harrie Smolders (NED) and the wonderful Monaco N.O.P. (Cassini II x Contender) had to settle for the second place with a time of 37.46, while Simon Delestre (FRA) and Dexter Fontenis Z (Diarado x Voltaire Pref) took the third spot in 37.58 ahead of Gregory Wathelet (BEL) and Double Jeu d'Honvault (Kannan x Cook du Midour) in fourth in 38.23 and Alexa Ferrer (FRA) aboard Vitalhorse Naiade d'Elsendam Z (Nabab de Reve x Quattro B) in fifth in 40.62.