The queen was beaten in her own realm: On Friday Jessica von Bredow-Werndl and her mare Dalera became German dressage champions in Balve - ahead of the most successful rider in history, Isabell Werth, with her dream horse Bella Rose, the world and European champion couple . The explanation is simple: the winner has improved since last year and made no mistakes in the Grand Prix Special, she achieved 84.883 percentage points. Werth and Bella Rose made a mistake in the gallop changes from jump to jump - that was it with 83.902 points. An epoch-making success for the challenger from Bavaria, who had already revealed her intentions in the warm-up test on Thursday. There, too, she had lain in front of the great master from Rheinberg. Third place went to Dorothee Schneider (Framersheim) with Showtime (80,274), but only because Werth's result on her young horse Quantaz (83.490) was not counted.
Evi Simeoni
Sports editor.
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If you look at the situation from a purely sporting point of view, it could hardly be better for national trainer Monica Theodorescu seven weeks before the opening of the Olympic Games: three top riders are meticulously preparing for the dressage tournament in Tokyo - and spur each other at the first sighting in Balve at.
Isabell Werth, Jessica von Bredow-Werndl and Dorothee Schneider are not lacking in ambition or fighting spirit, as they are proving once again in the Sauerland.
On this Saturday, the music freestyle is all about the second championship title.
Not the slightest doubt
The Amazon trio had almost dominated the European Championships in Rotterdam two years ago. The formal starting shot for their attack on the medals in Tokyo was given in Balve. "Here we go," said Isabell Werth cheerfully. The goal is Olympic gold with the team, which this time consists of only three pairs without a cancellation result. For this they want to ride side by side against the strong competition from Great Britain and Denmark - but when it comes to the individual successes, each individual will take the knife between their teeth, that's for sure.
“It was indescribable,” enthused Jessica von Bredow-Werndl about her current experience with Dalera after the warm-up test. "There wasn't a millisecond in which Dalera and I had the slightest doubt," she said. “I have never felt what I felt today.” With discipline, meticulousness and perfectionism, she brought herself and her horse into such radiant shape - she already did that at the tournaments in Hagen in April and in Munich in May proven. The question is: can these achievements for Tokyo be increased?
"Everyone has their own, individual plan," said Dorothee Schneider. Unlike Jessica von Bredow-Werndl, she and Isabell Werth let their top horses take a long break. First because they wanted to save them for Tokyo 2020. And after the games were postponed by a year because there was no championship on the program due to the pandemic. Both measure the strength of their exceptional horses and only ask them to do what is absolutely necessary. After all, Isabell Werth's Bella Rose is 17 years old and has a long medical history - she was out of action from 2014 to 2018. And the fifteen-year-old Showtime is cherished and cared for so that he can stay in top-class sport for as long as possible. “You only have such a horse once in a lifetime,” said Dorothee Schneider. “I'll keep it for me.“In addition, she had to take a break in May because of a broken collarbone, in Balve she rides with a tape bandage. As far as healing is concerned, she is "on the way up". You shouldn't be squeamish at the top of dressage.
So Bella Rose and Showtime are only just beginning to develop, which you can tell from the appearances in the square. Small set-up errors and discrepancies, especially with the flying gallop changes, are normal in such a phase. The second sighting will follow in Kronberg at the end of June, and the bill will be settled at the end. If everything goes well, Monica Theodorescu will ultimately only have to name the replacement couple for Tokyo, who play a special role: "How quickly can someone be positive for Corona by any chance," said Monica Theodorescu in Balve. With a view to the Olympics in times of the pandemic, the national coach, who was there live at five games, is pensive. “I go to sleep with the thought and wake up again with the following: Is that good, is that right?” You have to weigh the risks. "Of course, the decision has been made and I'll do my job."