Germany did not have strength in numbers in Thursday’s FEI Dressage Nations Cup™ of Aachen (GER). But they certainly had strength in scores.
Despite having just three team members and no drop score following the last-minute defection of Sönke Rothenberger (Fendi), Germany was a dominant winner of the penultimate Nations Cup leg of the season on home turf. Led by chefs d’équipe Monica Theodorescu and Klaus Roeser, the trio of Katharina Hemmer (Denoix PCH), Frederic Wandres (Bluetooth OLD) and Isabell Werth (Wendy de Fontaine) produced a total score of 232.065—more than 12 points better than runners-up Belgium (219.804). It was a tight race for the final place on the podium, with Sweden edging Great Britain by just over a point for the third position (216.935).
“I think it was really good sport. It was a super advertisement for dressage—very good riding. That’s what we need for the future,” said Klaus Roeser.
As the only team with three riders, Germany did not appear in the first rotation, leaving eight other nations to battle it out in the early going. However, Hemmer quickly made a statement with her test aboard Denoix PCH when it came time for Germany to send forward its first rider. The pair scored 75.413%—the highest mark given to that point—to give an indication of what was to come from her teammates.
“It felt very special. I was very glad that Denoix could also enjoy the atmosphere today,” Hemmer shared. “Last year, he was a little bit impressed, but he gained confidence this year and he really enjoyed it, and he got better and better throughout the whole test. It was really good to get a good stat for our team as well.”
Ultimately, Germany’s riders would produce three of the top five results of the CDIO5* Grand Prix test and two of the best three individual scores. Wandres and Bluetooth, part of Germany’s gold medal-winning squad from the Paris Olympic Games (FRA), nearly locked up Germany’s top result with their 76.891%-worthy test. The score was better than even what the pair put up in Paris and improved upon the test they executed at Aachen a year ago.
“We continued being consistent in the arena. I think if it comes down later to a [championship] team spot maybe, it’s always a plus for the selectors. We’ve proved that a lot of times already,” Wandres said. “I’m very happy with Bluetooth again. He was very concentrated today.”
That took the pressure off anchor combination Isabell Werth and Wendy de Fontaine, and the pair relished the moment, putting on a celebratory performance. A year ago, the duo recorded their first five-star victory in Aachen’s Grand Prix, which earned them their Olympic qualification for Paris. A year and two Olympic medals later, the combination produced a personal best score of 79.761%, growing ever closer to the illustrious 80 percent mark for the test.
“We know each other so much better,” Werth said of her partnership with the 11-year-old Wendy. “It’s been a great improvement from day to day, from show to show, from competition to competition.
“I think at the beginning of the year, no one could have expected that she would improve—or we both would improve like we did. Today, I was thinking about that it’s just been one year. It feels like [we’ve been partnered for] years, so that makes it very special.”
Since Aachen hosted its first dressage Nations Cup in 1977, Germany has won the event all but four times.
“It’s always special to win a Nations Cup, and it’s always an honor to represent your country,” said Werth, the most decorated equestrian Olympian in history, with 14 medals. “To represent Germany here in Aachen is very special. On a Thursday, we had a nearly-full stadium with a great atmosphere for everybody. That makes it so special and important for us.”
Ahead of the season finale at Falsterbo (SWE) on 12 July, Germany leads the FEI Dressage Nations Cup™ standings by seven points, having also earned victories at Wellington (USA) and Compiegne (FRA). They boast 50 points, with Belgium second (43 points) and the Netherlands third (41).
Full results here.
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