Jessica Von Bredow-Werndl Hits the Right Notes in FEI Dressage World Cup™ in Salzburg

Germany took the top four places in Sunday's Grand Prix Freestyle in Austria...

Jessica von Bredow-Werndl and TSF Dalera BB continued their hot run of form by taking the top honours in Sunday’s FEI Dressage World Cup™ in Salzburg.

Von Bredow-Werndl's 87.960 percent meant she finished ahead of her former teacher, Isabel Werth, whose score of 84.720 percent with her seasoned partner Weihegold Old put her in second place in the Grand Prix Freestyle.

A third German, Helen Langehanenberg, and her 13-year-old mare, Annabelle, finished in third place.

With Dorothee Schneider and Faustus taking fourth, Germany swept the top four spots in Mozart's city and are poised to dominate the FEI Dressage World Cup™ Finals in April, to be held in Gothenburg, Sweden.

What a performance from Jessica and Dalera!

The FEI Dressage World Cup™ is taking place on an abbreviated event schedule this year, due to the pandemic, but the competition is still quite keen.

At Leg 2 of 3 this season, Dressage riders gave it their all in Salzburg’s Messezentrum as part of this week’s Neuro Socks Amadeus Horse Indoors competition.

Leading the field at the interim was Antonia Ramel of Sweden and her mount Brother de Jeu, who scored 77.460 percent from the five international judges. In second place was Anna Merveldt of Ireland, with Carina Cassøe Krüth No.3 on the leaderboard.

But with some of the world’s best still to come in the second half of the event, the rankings were sure to change. First up, Thamar Zweistra of the Netherlands put up 77.875 percent with Hexagon’s Double Dutch to move into first, and the race was on.

Zweistra’s lead didn’t last long, as France’s Morgan Barbançon and Sir Donnerhall II Old turned in an elegant programme for a score of 78.665 percent.

The leaderboard changed again, though, when the “Dressage Queen,” Isabell Werth, posted 84.720 percent with Weihegold. Whilst their test was effortless looking and a textbook lesson in beautiful contact and musicality, Werth shook her head after the final halt, indicating the door might be open for someone to beat them.

The winner of the 2013 FEI Dressage World Cup™ Finals in Gothenburg, Helen Langehanenberg, was next in the ring, with a programme set to ballet music by Tchaikovsky. But in spite of Annabelle’s gorgeous suppleness and brilliant extension, the duo’s marks of 81. 340 percent weren’t enough to beat her teammate.

Patrik Kittel of Sweden gave it a try too, performing one of his well-known rock and roll programmes aboard Delaunay Old. It was easy to see why the three-time Olympian with multiple World Cup Finals and three FEI World Equestrian Games™ under his belt is a perennial audience favourite.

However, Kittel’s score of 80.125 percent put him in third place. Would it be enough to stand on the podium later that day?

Jessica von Bredow-Werndl answered that question soon enough, with a programme on Dalera that showed off the 14-year-old mare’s huge ground covering strides and expressive canter. Wowing the judges for a score of 87.960 percent to overtake Werth, the leader of the Western European League standings cemented her trip to Gothenburg for the spring Finals.

For her first performance this season, last up Dorothee Schneider finished the event with a dramatic programme set to Carl Orff’s “Carmina Burana.” Faustus’ lovely trot and overall expressiveness couldn’t erase a few hiccups with the transitions, however, and their 80.650 percent would mean they’d have to settle for fourth place.

Behind the Germans in the top four slots, Patrik Kittel finished in fifth, followed by Barbançon, Zweistra, Ramel, Merveldt, and Cassøe Krüth in that order to round out the top 10.

Jessica von Bredow-Werndl still leads the Western European League rankings, now on 40 qualifying points. Langehanenberg is in second, trailed by Kittel, Barbançon, and Merveldt and Zweistra, who are tied for fifth.

With only one stop left at 's-Hertogenbosch (known as Den Bosch by the locals) in March, there’s little room to make up points heading to the FEI Dressage World Cup™ Finals in Gothenburg this April. Catch all the action on FEI TV.