After slipping up last year, the German dressage team took the lead again at the CHIO in Aachen.
There were quiet boos in the Aachen dressage stadium when the result of the front runner Jessica von Bredow-Werndl was announced. They came from the opposing camp and in the very fair circle of riders they were hardly directed against the person – maybe it was at least a slight criticism of the monotony of their dominance. Because with her ride in the Grand Prix Special, victory for Germany was certain.
Thanks to the last rider, Von Bredow-Werndl, who was once again reliable, won back first place in the CHIO Nations Cup for Germany. The team of national trainer Monica Theodorescu had already laid the foundation in the Grand Prix on Thursday, where the double Olympic champion and her Trakehner mare put Germany on the road to victory. The 40th victory was brought safely across the finish line.
Frederic Wandres rides himself
But there were definitely one or two moments of tremor. Although Sönke Rothenberger and the young Fendi recovered from their failed Grand Prix and rode in tenth place, it almost went wrong for Frederic Wandres.
The 36-year-old made a mistake, he cantered too early, but thanks to his experience he was able to correct the mistake before it got really expensive. “I always think: ‘How can you get the most points now?'” Wandres explained: “I think a few seconds further and the judge at C would have rung the bell, then it would have been two percent less.”
In the end he was sixth, Isabell Werth in seventh place completed the winning team with Quantaz. Incidentally, von Bredow-Werndl also won the individual classification after the Grand Prix and will again be the clear favorite in the freestyle on Sunday (10 a.m.).
