Germany’s Isabell Werth and the lovely mare Weihegold showed exactly why they are the no. 1 partnership in the world rankings when sweeping to their second consecutive victory in the FEI World Cup™ Dressage 2016/2017
Western European League on home turf at Stuttgart today. This third leg attracted 15 riders from eight nations but the host country completely dominated the podium, with world no. 2 Kristina Broring-Sprehe slotting into runner-up spot with Desperados FRH ahead of Fabienne Lutkemeier and D’Agostino in third.
Werth produced a personal best Freestyle score of 90.09 when topping the previous leg at Lyon, France last month and today’s winning mark of 89.416 was just a little short of that. But the 47-year-old rider felt today’s performance was even better.
It was the German Olympic reserve partnership of Hubertus Schmidt and Imperio who were leading at the halfway stage with a score of 77.645 before The Netherlands’ Madeleine Witte-Vrees went out in front with a very nice effort from the promising nine-year-old, Cennin, who posted 78.415. Werth was next into the ring however and the result never looked in doubt after her big score went up on the board. “There was just one little thing when I stopped in the one-tempis and she gave me one more jump, but the rest was really super!” said the athlete who added yet another team gold along with individual silver to her massive haul of Olympic medals at the Rio 2016 Games this summer.
The remaining four enjoyed mixed fortunes, Spencer Wilton’s Super Nova producing an edgy performance that left the Briton last despite the pair’s third-place finish in yesterday’s Grand Prix. Lutkemeier moved into second spot with a solid test from the 16-year-old D’Agostino when posting 78.886 before Ireland’s Judy Reynolds and Vancouver K, struggling a little with their brand new music and floorplan, put 74.780 on the board.
Last to go, Broring-Sprehe and Desperados FRH were elegant and foot-perfect for a mark of 86.306 which saw them overtake Lutkemeier for second place, but Werth was in a class of her own. Describing the mare who looks well set to earn a third FEI World Cup title for the rider who is already a legend in her own lifetime, Werth said this evening, “she’s fantastic, she’s always very polite and very uncomplicated, never spooky or tense. She is the perfect competition horse!”
Werth now lies second on the Western European League leaderboard, just one point behind Switzerland’s Marcela Krinke-Susmelj, going into the next leg in Salzburg, Austria on 11 December.
Result: 1, Weihegold OLD (Isabell Werth) GER 89.418; 2, Desperados FRH (Kristina Broring-Sprehe) GER 86.306; 3, D’Agostino FRH (Fabienne Lutkemeier) GER 78.886; 4, Cennin (Madeleine Witte-Vrees) NED 78.145; 5, Imperio TSF (Hubertus Schmidt) GER 77.645; 6, Smeyers Molberg (Marcela Krinke Susmelj) SUI 75.265; 7, Vancouver K (Judy Reynolds) IRL 74.870; 8, Ricardo (KarenTebar) FRA 74.857; 9, Badina Altena (Pierre Voila) FRA 73.648; 10, Foco Loco W (Borja Carrasposa) ESP 73.627; 11, Loverboy (Jenny Lang-Nobbe) GER 72.613; 12, DSP Rodriguez (Astrid Neumayer) AUT 72.486; 13, After You (Ludovic Henry) FRA 70.251; 14, Badari (Danielle Heijkoop) NED 68.427; 15, Super Nova ll (Spencer Wilton) GBR 67.933.
Detailed result here
Facts and Figures:
The Stuttgart German Masters fixture presented the third leg of the FEI World Cup™ Dressage 2016/2017 series today.
The startlist included 15 riders from 8 nations, including the top two horse-and-rider combinations in the world rankings, Isabell Werth (GER) with Weihegold and Kristina Broring-Sprehe (GER) with Desperados.
Werth posted her second victory of the 2016/2017 season with Weihegold.
German riders filled the top three places with Werth followed by Broring-Sprehe in second and Fabienne Lutkemeier in third.
Fourth place went to The Netherlands’ Madeleine Witte-Vrees riding the youngest horse in the competition, the nine-year-old Cennin.
The panel of judges consisted of: At E, Francis Verbeek von Rooy (NED); At H, Raphael Saleh (FRA); At C, Dr Evi Eisenhart (GER); At M, Dr Vincenzo Truppa (ITA); At B, Peter Holler (GER).
The next leg of series will take place in Salzburg, Austria on 11 December.
Quotes:
Isabell Werth GER (1st): talking about her mare, Weihegold – “yesterday she was really relaxed and easy, this morning she was more alert, not tense but concentrated.”
Kristina Broring-Sprehe GER (2nd): “This is my first show since Rio and I’m very happy, I had a great feeling today. My horse is 15 years old but still really wants to compete and has plenty of energy. Now he goes for breeding for six weeks. I’m not sure about my plan for him, my main focus is on the European Championships next year. We had a great team in Rio and I think we have a good shot at the European Championships next summer.”
Fabienne Lutkemeier GER (3rd): “I’m super happy, my horse gave everything! The spectators here are great and my horse loved the show, his ears were pointed all the time and he was enjoying himself!”
Standings following round 3 of the FEI World Cup™ Dressage 2016/2017 Western European League at Stuttgart (GER) here