It was a night of dreams and the story of those who never give up, as Rolf-Göran Bengtsson of Sweden and the phenomenal 17-year-old stallion Casall ASK claimed both the Longines Global Champions Tour Grand Prix of Doha win and the prestigious 2016 Champion of Champions title in a magnificent showdown in Qatar.

Describing the title win as “a dream come true,” Bengtsson heralded his magnificent horse Casall as “just amazing”, with their 11-year partnership one of the most respected in the world.

His powerful season performance propelled him into pole position in the ranking for the final leg in Doha and Rolf’s victory saw him take the lion’s share of the €1 million bonus prize money as he takes his place on the list of LGCT Champions.

Bengtsson took wins at Valkenswaard (the Netherlands) and Paris during the 15-stop LGCT tour, as well as podium finishes at other stops on the circuit.

“It was an evening you can dream of, but for it to come true you never think it is possible,” Bengtsson said. “My horse Casall ASK is just amazing—still jumping at 17 years. He likes it and makes everything possible. What he has done for me is amazing.

“I am really, really happy. If he jumps like this it is hard to stop. We are going to have a discussion in the team but I feel with Casall right now it would be a shame to [retire him]. On the other hand you can’t make it better than today.”

Rolf-Göran Bengtsson of Sweden and the 17-year-old stallion Casall ASK. Photo by Stefano Grasso/LGCT

In a night of high drama, Edwina Tops-Alexander of Australia narrowly missed out on making history by becoming the first rider to win a hat trick of titles, after a shock exit in the first round with fiery mare Lintea Tequila saw their championship hopes dashed. The leading Australian rider settled for silver, and was delighted for Bengtsson, saying “he truly deserved it tonight.”

World No. 1 and former long-time leader of the LGCT ranking Christian Ahlmann of Germany was able to keep hold of his third place in the rankings after a strong performance from top stallion Taloubet Z, despite the threat from fellow Olympic athletes below.

In the press conference following the grand prix, it was revealed that the prestigious final event of the Longines Global Champions Tour will be staged at Al Shaqab for the next three years. His Highness The Father Emir Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al Thani and Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al Thani attended the final to witness the climax of the 2016 series, which was followed by the announcement of the new three-year agreement.

Course designer Uliano Vezzani set a challenging first round, throwing questions to the 41 starters to open the LGCT Grand Prix of Doha. Despite first rider to go Marco Kutscher of Germany jumping a clean clear with Clenur, thrills and spills came thick and fast, with John Whitaker of Great Britain almost unseated at the final liverpool fence by top mare Ornellaia. With a stop that would have dropped many of the best riders, Whitaker was able to sit tight, but the unfortunate fault knocked him out of the running.

Bassem Hassan Mohammed of Qatar also had a hairy moment at Fence 3, a gappy oxer, with Dejavu knocking the popular Qatari rider off balance and causing him to loose a stirrup. Despite this, Bassem continued to the complex double combination, jumping a further three fences with just one stirrup before regaining it for the Longines triple. Despite the drama, the pair jumped clear, much to the delight of the local spectators, however picked up a time fault.

But the story of Round 1 was title rival Tops-Alexander’s shock exit from the competition, after rolling two poles in an uncharacteristic round with Lintea Tequila. The 8 faults meant Bengtsson would keep his winning lead of 5 points, and be crowned 2016 Champion of Champions.

“I am disappointed with myself today—I decided to do one [stride] less down the line to the double, a little bit off plan, and I paid heavily for it,” said Tops-Alexander. “My horse is in great shape, and was maybe a little bit too fresh. I am here, second for a reason, and I didn’t deserve to win. Rolf absolutely deserved to win. He’s had an amazing year—he saved the horse up especially for this final, which has paid off.”

Further big names were caught out at various elements on the course. Scott Brash  and Hello M’Lady were unlucky to pick up four faults, U.S. rider Lauren Hough and the eye-catching Cornet 39 collect a total of 8 penalties, while home hero Sheikh Ali Bin Khalid Al Thani also rolled a pole with his Olympic horse First Devision, however was able to progress to Round 2 after making up time with skillful riding.

Despite the pressure now off the shoulders of Bengtsson, he and Casall delivered a stunning round, which left the rest of the field in no doubt of his intent to win the grand prix as well as the championship title.

Rolf-Göran Bengtsson and Casall ASK hacking. Photo by Stefano Grasso/LGCT

The top 18 riders would progress to Round 2, an impressive nine of whom were German riders, including the full Olympic team, as well as rising stars Philip Houston and Andreas Kreuzer. After his masterful first round, Bengtsson was in pole position and the final rider to go.

U.S. rider Laura Kraut and Zeremonie, World No. 1 Simon Delestre of France, Lorenzo de Luca of Italy, Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum (Germany, Christian Ahlmann (Germany), Daniel Deusser (Germany), Janne-Freiderike Meyer (Germany) and Marco Kutscher (Germany) joined Bengtsson on zero faults and the chance to create a jump-off.

First to enter Ludger Beerbaum of Germany rode a beautiful clear with Olympic horse Casello, but his 4 faults carried through meant he would be unable to progress to the jump off. Jos Verlooy (Belgium), Harrie Smolders (the Netherlands) and Marcus Ehning (Germany) all jumped clear, with Ehning the fastest for the four-faulters after an impressive round with Funky Fred.

It would be a seven-rider jump-off with Bengtsson and Casall once again in prime position of entering last after another breathtaking display of partnership and trust between horse and rider.

Kraut and her 9-year-old grey mare Zeremonie were the first to set the pace, putting in an impressive performance to set the bar at 37.70s to beat. Janne-Friederike Meyer (Germany) and the expressive Goja looked strong but clipped a fence, and Christian Ahlmann (Germany) with Taloubet followed suit, both out of the running for a podium.

Daniel Dessuer (Germany) and First Class van Eeckelghem made some incredible turns, with Deusser maneuvering the long-legged horse beautifully in a turn back to the penultimate vertical. The pair crossed the line in 36.84 seconds, raising the bar for those to come. Despite their best efforts World No. 2 Simon Delestre and Michaels-Beerbaum couldn’t match Deusser’s time, settling for fifth and third respectively.

The final round, in the final class of what’s been a phenomenal show jumping season belonged to Bengtsson and Casall. Silence fell as the pair entered the ring, watched by thousands all around the world through GCT TV, international live broadcast and the tour’s own Facebook Live.

With the championship title in the bag, Bengtsson looked determined to add the grand prix to his accolades as he galloped the distances between fences one and two. With every stride the tension grew, with spectators whistling and cheering the formidable combination on at every fence.

An incredible 180-degree turn back at the penultimate vertical and perfectly balanced stride saw Bengtsson and Casall leap slightly ahead, as they stretched for the finish line, crossing it in a brilliant 36.44 seconds.

Rolf-Göran Bengtsson on Casall ASK. Photo by Stefano Grasso/LGCT

With the spectators on their feet Bengtsson raised his hat in the air in celebration to acknowledge their huge support, with an elated Casall bouncing to the cheer of the guests who gave the pair a standing ovation. It was a fairytale ending for Bengtsson.

“I think Rolf really deserves to be champion of the year,” said Jan Tops, president and founder of the Global Champions Tour. “Casall and he have been on the podium many times and coming in as a favorite and winning is amazing. He has been close a few years before and really deserves his title.

See full results of the LGCT Grand Prix of Doha and the final standings of the LGCT tour.