Even if the judges scores were otherwise not exactly uniform, after Jessica von Bredow-Werndl’s test in the Grand Prix, the Prize of Family Tesch, all of judges were unanimous: That was top! The top of the field to be exact.

Photos ©Mary Phelps 2023

Jessica von Bredow-Werndl and her 16-year-old Trakehner mare, TSF Dalera BB, won the Grand Prix, the Prize of Family Tesch on a score of 82.304 percent. Second and third place went to the partner country Great Britain, thanks to Charlotte Dujardin with Imhotep (79.782) and Charlotte Fry with Everdale (78.913).

It was the first time Jessica von Bredow-Werndl competed here in Aachen since 2019 and it was the first time she headed the lap of honour with the mare that carried her to Olympic gold, the European Championship title and double World Cup gold. “For me it is not as much about winning, but instead about the development,” she emphasised. With Dalera the development has been going in one direction for years: upwards. In the first salute, the mare was slightly restless, she lifted her left hind leg while her rider was greeting. “That is an energy thing,” believes Jessica von Bredow-Werndl. “She can hardly wait for us to start.”

How he coped so well with the atmosphere here, at the biggest, best equestrian show in the world. He is an inexperienced horse, he hasn’t done many Grand Prix tests yet, he is ten years old and it is such fun riding him! ©Mary Phelps 2023

But she has a plan for Saturday when the decision in the Nations’ Cup falls in the Grand Prix Spéciale. “Otherwise I don’t make a big deal out of it,” the 37-year-old double Olympic gold medallist said. If Dalera dances in the coming classes like she did after today’s first salute, that shouldn’t be a problem. The first mark may have been low, but then one highlight followed the next. A test full of the harmony that has allowed them to win everything there is to win. Her goal is clear: To see her name eternalised on the winners’ board in Aachen for the first time.

Charlotte Dujardin doesn’t stop raving when she talks about her ten-year-old KWPN gelding, Imhotep. Which is no surprise since today was just the third Grand Prix test since Dujardin returned to the sport after having a baby and it was the first time in Imhotep’s life that he has competed in Aachen. “My goal was to compete here and here I am, I came second and am absolutely delighted with Imhotep. How he coped so well with the atmosphere here, at the biggest, best equestrian show in the world. He is an inexperienced horse, he hasn’t done many Grand Prix tests yet, he is ten years old and it is such fun riding him! He is so full of energy and has so many highlights. He is the horse with the best piaffe I have ever sat on. All I have to do is sit there and keep him in balance.” I have so many expectations for the future in him: “He is the horse with the best movements I have ever sat on.” And that is coming from the woman who claimed three Olympic gold medals as well as the European and World Championship titles and also won here in Aachen with Valegro. Valegro’s horseshoe is already embedded in Aachen’s Hall of Fame. Perhaps there will also be a plate bearing the horseshoe of his stablemate Imhotep soon.

Charlotte Frye and Everdale ©Mary Phelps 2023

Charlotte Fry travelled to Aachen as the reigning World Champion, albeit with her Olympic horse, Everdale, instead of her World Championship horse, Glamourdale. The 27-year-old hadn’t given it a thought as to whether she would make it under the top three today. But she admitted “when I saw the starting list, I thought, okay, that is in principle the same as a championships: Everyone is here and the level is so high… I know what Everdale is capable of. But for everything to go right on day X and in the arena in Aachen, that is something different. So I couldn’t have been happier today. I was actually a bit emotional after the test because he felt so super and I am looking forward to the next class.”

That will be the Grand Prix Spéciale, the MEGGLE-Prize, which is also the final competition in the Lambertz Nations Cup. Germany are currently in the lead with an interim score of 235.413 points, ahead of Denmark on a score of 228.608 and close behind them Great Britain on 228.565 points.