In a nail-biting finish filled with gasps and thrills, Oliver Townend of Great Britain did the seemingly impossible: he beat Germany’s three-time defending champion Michael Jung at the Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event.

Standing in third overnight, Townend jumped a gorgeous fault-free show jumping round aboard Cooley Master Class, finishing on his dressage score of 28.7 penalties and setting up the showdown with overnight leader Jung on Fischerrocana FST. When the German pair dropped a rail at fence 5, the victory was Townend’s. Jung would finish second (31.5).

“Obviously it’s a fantastic feeling,” Townend, 35, Shropshire, England, said. “I had to do a bit of arm-twisting to get the horses here as there was no funding from Britain to come here this year. The owners gambled on me to win their money back, and I’m pleased the horses have come through with great results and that I’ve repaid the owners’ gamble on me.”

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