A breathtaking jump-off brought the ninth stage of the Longines Global Champions Tour in Riesenbeck to a thrilling conclusion on Sunday afternoon. Luxembourg's Victor Bettendorf produced the fastest round of the day aboard Gibbs un Prince to claim victory in front of 6,300 spectators, edging Germany's Daniel Deusser into second place, while Olympic champion Christian Kukuk completed an all-star podium in third.
A total of 39 combinations tackled Peter Schumacher's demanding Grand Prix course which proved a stern test from the outset. It took until the 16th starter before the first clear round was recorded. Henrik von Eckermann (SWE) guided the 12-year-old Minute Man faultlessly around the course to finally break the ice. Daniel Deusser and Pepita van T Meulenhof BR followed suit after the break before Denis Lynch (IRL) with Cordial, Christian Kukuk aboard Checker and Belgium's Gilles Thomas with Ermitage Kalone all booked their places in the jump-off. Victor Bettendorf completed the six-rider line-up with a polished clear aboard Gibbs un Prince.
Von Eckermann set the benchmark in the jump-off with another faultless performance in 41.83 seconds, a time that would ultimately secure fifth place.
Daniel Deusser immediately raised the bar. Riding the in-form Pepita van T Meulenhof BR (by El Torreo de Muze), the German shaved more than five seconds off the leading time to stop the clock in a blistering 36.34 seconds and suddenly looked every inch the winner.
Olympic champion Christian Kukuk and Checker came desperately close but crossed the finish line just four-tenths of a second slower to move into second place. Ireland's Denis Lynch and Cordial also produced a second clear round but could not match the pace of the leading trio and eventually finished fourth.
That left Luxembourg’s Victor Bettendorf as the final rider to enter the arena. Aboard the ten-year-old Selle Français gelding Gibbs un Prince he produced the round of the afternoon, stopping the clock in an astonishing 35.37 seconds - almost a full second quicker than Deusser - to seal a memorable victory.
Even Bettendorf admitted he surprised himself. "I have no idea where I made up the time because I saw Henrik, he was quick. Christian was quick. Daniel was quick. I thought maybe I could be faster than Denis, but I never believed I would be quick enough to win. The horse is a superstar. I had such a good feeling, so I said I'd give it a go. Worst case, I'd finish fifth and still be happy, but winning is even better."
The victory represented another major milestone in Bettendorf's partnership with the Number One d'Iso*un Prince gelding, a horse he believes simply needed time. "We bought him at the beginning of last year. The first time I rode him I had an amazing feeling and always believed in him. Last year I probably asked a little too much, too soon. That wasn't fair on the horse, so we took a step back, competed in some smaller classes and slowly built him up again. Now we're starting to see the rewards."
Competing at Riesenbeck International for the first time, Bettendorf was full of praise for both the venue and the atmosphere. "It really is a special arena and a special venue. The crowd was fantastic because they supported every rider. Ludger has done an incredible job creating facilities like these."
Belgium's Gilles Thomas elected not to contest the jump-off with Ermitage Kalone, leaving the horse fresh for future targets.
The home crowd had every reason to celebrate as Daniel Deusser and Christian Kukuk secured two podium places for Germany.
"If you're still leading when the final rider goes into the jump-off, of course you'd like to win," said Daniel Deusser. "But Victor was incredibly fast today. Honestly, I'm very happy with my own round as well. Pepita jumped brilliantly. She's in fantastic form and today was almost the perfect round for her. I'm absolutely delighted with my horse."
Christian Kukuk was equally pleased with third place: "Of course I would have preferred to stay in the middle of the three of us, but honestly I'm super happy with third place. More importantly, I'm delighted with how Checker jumped yesterday, today and again in the jump-off. There was a little bit of pressure on us this week, but I think we answered that in the ring. It's also the first time I've come back to Riesenbeck without it being my home base anymore. Even so, every time I come through the gates it still feels like home. Seeing Ludger and the whole team again brought back a lot of emotions, and tonight we've certainly got a good reason to celebrate."
There was zero movement within the top five of the Longines Global Champions Tour championship standings with Belgium's Abdel Saïd still at the top of the leaderboard.Gilles Thomas climbs to sixth place overall, Cian O'Connor moves into seventh, while Christian Ahlmann is now eighth. The championship now heads to London for the tenth stage of the 2026 season from 7–9 August.
More than 15,000 spectators enjoyed four outstanding days of top-class international show jumping. Riesenbeck International can already look ahead to welcoming the world's best back to Germany's only Longines Global Champions Tour and Global Champions League event from 22–25 July 2027.
Photos: Equitaris
