No medal for Germany, Benjamin Werndl and Isabell Werth in fourth and ninth place – and the second gold for the new British super couple Charlotte Fry and Glamourdale: The dressage competitions at the World Championships in Herning ended with a high-class and extremely exciting freestyle decision. As in the Grand Prix Special, silver and bronze went to Cathrine Dufour (Denmark) with Vamos Amigos and Dinja van Liere (Netherlands) with Hermes.
“My conclusion is basically very good,” said national coach Monica Theodorescu despite two individual decisions without a medal from a German perspective: “We are in a period of rebuilding, we had a completely different team this year, and I have to say, everyone has did great.”
Benjamin Werndl was audibly overwhelmed by his first World Cup. “It was a feeling that you can hardly describe because it was so unbelievable,” said the brother of Olympic champion Jessica von Bredow-Werndl: “Famoso just does everything I ask and what I intend to do. I just miss it the words to express what this horse means to me.”
With Quantaz, Isabell Werth presented a completely new freestyle with a number of maximum difficulties for the first time. Although not everything worked out as hoped, the twelve-year-old stallion presented himself for the first time in Herning as reliable, precise and focused. “I said we’d risk everything,” said Werth: “We’ll take the new freestyle, and if everything works out, it’s great – now it was good, but not great.”
The decision came when Charlotte Fry entered the stadium as the third last starter. To the stomping rhythm of Queen’s “Another one bites the dust” Glamourdale roared onto the square, again it rained top marks. When the freestyle ended to the sound of the British national anthem, the audience rose from their seats and rewarded the couple with a standing ovation. For the first time at this World Cup, the magical 90 percent mark was broken, 90.654 was the fair reward for a great performance.