Bettendorf Invites Himself to the German Banquet and Leaves with the Silverware

In Riesenbeck, everything seemed set for a Teutonic triumph. The setting, the crowd, the favourites… All that was missing was the win. Except Victor Bettendorf clearly had no intention of playing the extra. With a supersonic jump-off at the controls of Gibbs Un Prince, the Luxembourger stole the 5* Grand Prix of the Longines Global Champions Tour from under the noses of Daniel Deusser and Olympic champion Christian KukukMore broadly, the performances in this Grand Prix confirmed that, as the major appointment of the season approaches, some combinations are clearly shifting up a gear.

On the vast grass arena of Ludger Beerbaum’s facilities, Victor Bettendorf did far more than claim a prestigious victory. The Luxembourger reminded everyone that when it comes to big Grands Prix.

The course had no intention of handing out gifts

Before talking about the clock, you first had to stay in the game.

Peter Schumacher had designed a course of thirteen fences and seventeen efforts where every detail mattered. Very quickly, the selection made itself naturally. Ioli Mytilineou, , Lara Tryba, , Jennifer Hochstaedter and Oliver Lazarus chose to put their hands up before the end of the course. As for those who made it all the way round, many left a few feathers behind on a track that forgave nothing.

The vertical out of the double quickly became the afternoon’s judge and jury. Marcus Ehning and Coolio 42, freshly named in the German squad, notably left four precious faults there.

Antoine Ermann, with Floyd des Prés, could not find the solution. One fault on that famous vertical, another at the entrance to the triple, and the Frenchman left the arena with eight faults.

Meanwhile, one man seemed to be operating in another dimension.

The favourites show up

For almost half the class, Henrik von Eckermann had the luxury of watching the rest of the field break their teeth on the course. With Minute Man, the Swede gave the impression of playing a different score to secure his clear round. Behind him, the rails piled up and the jump-off contenders disappeared one after another.

Then the big names began to come out of the woods.

Daniel Deusser led the way with Pepita van T Meulenhof BR. Denis Lynch followed suit on Cordia.

Christian Kukuk, carried by his public and almost at home in these facilities where he grew up sportingly after joining Ludger Beerbaum’s stables in 2012, also found the key with Checker 47.

Gilles Thomas then confirmed Ermitage Kalone’s immense consistency before Victor Bettendorf completed the list of qualifiers with Gibbs Un Prince.

Six clears. Not one more.

When the level rises, mistakes become expensive.

It came down to this

First of the four-faulters, Laura Kraut may have a few regrets given Baloutinue’s form.

No regrets, or very few, for Jérôme Guéry, who with every outing alongside Quito de Mariposa is seeing the stallion continue his express apprenticeship at the very top level. And with style. Final eighth place for the pair.

The French delegation also came within a few centimetres of happiness.

Julien Épaillard and Fringan de Vesquerie seemed to be heading for the jump-off before faulting on the penultimate oxer. A frustrating tenth place. After their demonstration at the CSIO of La Baule, the pair nevertheless continues to convince.

Jeanne Sadran and Cepano Baloubet also came very close to being able to tease the clock. Four faults. Ninth place. Meanwhile, Nina Mallevaey and Dynastie de Beaufour were also denied the jump-off after a fault coming out of the triple.

In the jump-off, it was no longer about rails

Once the selection had been made, the script changed completely.

Gilles Thomas chose to preserve Ermitage Kalone and decided not to return. So only five remained.

And all five would produce another clear.

Henrik von Eckermann opened hostilities with a cautious time of 41.83 seconds. Enough to apply pressure, not enough to frighten anyone.

Daniel Deusser immediately decided to change register. His round with Pepita van T Meulenhof BR smelled of victory. 36.34 seconds.

The Riesenbeck crowd rose to its feet.

A few minutes later, Christian Kukuk tried to push the cursor a little further with Checker 47. The German gave everything, but ultimately fell almost half a second short of his compatriot.

Denis Lynch, with 38.79 seconds, just edged ahead of von Eckermann.

Everything would therefore be decided on one final round.

Bettendorf strikes at the perfect moment

Last into the arena, Victor Bettendorf knew exactly what the mission was.

No more calculating. Just attack.

With Gibbs Un Prince, the Luxembourger delivered a display of speed without ever sacrificing the quality of his lines. The more the seconds ticked by, the bigger the gap became.

When the timers stopped at 35.37 seconds, the verdict was emphatic.

Almost a full second ahead of Daniel Deusser.

At this level, that is huge.

The German crowd had hoped to celebrate one of its own. In the end, it applauded, slightly against its will, the performance of the best rider of the day.

Victor Bettendorf thus claimed his second CSI5* Grand Prix of the season after Windsor — the seventh of his career — and continues a 2026 campaign that is taking a particularly interesting turn.

Gibbs Un Prince has moved up a level

A few months ago, Gibbs Un Prince was still one of those horses praised for his potential.

Today, the ten-year-old Selle Français is gradually establishing himself as a reference on the five-star circuit.

Son of Number One d’Iso Un Prince out of a dam line by Panama Tame, the gelding bred at Haras des Princes combines power, carefulness and incredible reactivity in the turns. A cocktail perfectly suited to Victor Bettendorf. A rider who always chooses the offensive formula.

Already brilliant at Windsor in the spring, the pair confirmed that victory was no flash in the pan.

And as the major deadlines approach, one thing is becoming clear: the main contenders are starting to show their ambitions. Von Eckermann, Deusser, Kukuk, Thomas… they were all present in Riesenbeck.

But on Sunday, the rider who sent the strongest message was the one who said “vilmools merci” when receiving the trophy. Big smile. The gap-toothed grin has never been so aptly named. Before popping the champagne, Victor Bettendorf proved that he possesses that rare quality: knowing how to accelerate again when the others are already flat out.