Text © World of Showjumping

Victor Bettendorf (LUX) and the 11-year-old gelding Mr. Tac (Non Stop x Toulon) were outstanding in Saturday's CSI5*-W 1.55m Gothenburg Trophy presented by Volkswagen at Gothenburg Horse Show, taking their first ever five-star Grand Prix victory. 

“I’m really, really happy,” Bettendorf said after his win. “To win my first 5* Grand Prix in front of an audience like this is very special. Last week, our second child was born and this week I win a 5* Grand Prix – I couldn’t ask for more.” 

“I know Mr. Tac very well. He is from a breeder in Luxembourg, and I bought him when he was five, produced him and then sold him when he was seven. Three years later, the person who bought the horse gave him back to me with the idea of selling again. Then I found a great family – which I’m really, really happy about – to invest in the horse. It is just an amazing story,” Bettendorf told of Mr. Tac.

“I’m really competitive and I don’t like losing. Today I didn’t have so much to lose, since it was only six clear rounds. Today I just went. I thought that if I wanted to win, today might be the right day. I think I won at the end, because Marc was almost a second faster than me before the combination, but for the last part I just pushed it," Bettendorf told of his jump-off.

Out of the 33 horse-and-rider combinations at start in the class, it was only six that cleared the demanding first round to qualify for the jump-off. Bettendorf and Mr. Tac were the first ones back to jump the shortened course and went full speed from start to finish to stop the clock in 37.52 seconds. Home hero Rolf-Göran Bengtsson (SWE) and the well-jumping Zuccero (VDL Zirocco Blue x Caretino) challenged Bettendorf, but lost a bit of time in one of the turns to cross the finish line in 39.55 seconds – settling in behind as temporary runners-up. However, next out, Marc Dilasser (FRA) and E2k Abricot Ennemmelle (Quaprice Bois Margot x Lux Z) chased Bettendorf’s time but had to see themselves beaten by 0.78 seconds – pushing Bengtsson down to third. 

Thibeau Spits (BEL) did a nice and steady clear on his only 9-year-old Foncetti vd Heffinck (For Pleasure x Concetto) to take the fourth place, before it was time for yesterday’s winner Julien Anquetin (FRA) and Gravity of Greenhill (Nabab de Reve x Conterno-Grande). Anquetin ended up in a bit of trouble with the 17-year-old gelding and decided early on to retire from the jump-off. Last to go, Robert Whitaker (GBR) and Evert (Amadeus x Indoctro) shaved more than a second off Bettendorf’s time. However, four faults in the combination pushed the pair down to fifth place.