It’s only been a few weeks since David Will had to say goodbye to his best horse in the stable. But at the Whitsun tournament in Wiesbaden, the show jumper from Marburg pulled a second ace up his sleeve.
With the mare Concordia, the 34-year-old won the Grand Prix on Monday and received prize money of 25,000 euros. In the jump-off, Will set the fastest clear round in 38.14 seconds and relegated the 18-year-old Max Wachman from Ireland with Berlux Z to second place. Gilles Dunon from Belgium was third.
In addition to Wachman, other Irish show jumpers presented themselves surprisingly well at the tournament, above all Cian O’Connor. The 42-year-old won two international competitions, including one with the gelding C Vier – until recently Will’s championship horse. “He has a great attitude and is not afraid of anything,” the 2012 Olympic bronze medalist praised his new acquisition. C Four is a possible candidate for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.
Great duel between Schneider and Werth
At the last Olympic Games, Julia Krajewski was the first woman to win a gold medal in eventing. Now the woman from Warendorf and her Olympic horse Amande de B’Neville also won the four-star test in the Hessian state capital. “Wiesbaden was our starting shot towards the World Championships,” said the rider. For her horse it was the first cross-country course since Tokyo. Second was Michael Jung from Horb with Highlighter, followed by the Austrian Lea Siegl with Fighting Line.
In the dressage arena, Dorothee Schneider and Isabell Werth fought an exciting duel. Only shortly before the end of the Grand Prix Special did the five judges decide in favor of Schneider with the twelve-year-old First Romance. “I wasn’t sure if he could cope with this dressage arena with so much flair and the spectators close by,” admitted the 53-year-old after her ride.
Superb still lacks the experience
Not even half a percentage point separated her from Werth, who had saddled her hope for the next generation, Superb. “If she shows her potential, she will also be fantastic in competitions,” said Werth, the most successful dressage rider in the world, about her ten-year-old mare. However, the horse has hardly any tournament experience, so it is still missing the adjustment in the test. Third was Nicole Wego-Engelmeyer from Hagen aTW with Saphira Royal.
In the Grand Prix Freestyle on Sunday evening, the Australian dressage rider Kristy Oatley won with her proven Du Soleil, the two got almost 80 percent. At the award ceremony that followed, she said goodbye to her 18-year-old horse, with which she had competed at world championships, World Cup finals and the Olympic Games. Laurence Vanommeslaghe from Belgium came second with Edison, followed by Anja Plönzke from Heidenrod with Fahrenheit.
Source: HR