As expected, dressage Olympic champion Jessica von Bredow-Werndl secured the first German championship title this year on her comeback in Balve.
The 37-year-old from Gut Aubenhausen and her Trakehner mare Dalera dominated the competition in the Grand Prix Special and, thanks to an impressive performance, clinched victory with a strong 83.255 percent. It is the fourth German title for the couple.
On Friday, the successful duo surprisingly only rode in second place in the Grand Prix due to an unusual mistake. Sönke Rothenberger (Bad Homburg) secured victory in the Grand Prix with the only nine-year-old Fendi. The two of them again showed a very good test and finished second on Saturday with a deserved 79.882 percent.
Record winner Isabell Werth (Rheinberg), who is fighting for her 18th title with Quantaz as an outsider, finished fourth with 77.902 percent behind Frederic Wanders and Duke of Britain (78.628). Defending champion Dorothee Schneider had no chance with First Romance 2 in ninth place.
Von Bredow-Werndl has thus achieved the first of two goals in the national title fights. On Sunday (12.00 p.m.) the world number one can perfect her double title in the freestyle.