Isabell Werth (GER), the most decorated rider in Olympic history, captivated the crowd at the FEI World Cup™ Finals Omaha 2017, winning the FEI Grand Prix competition at the CenturyLink Center on Thursday. Riding her Olympic mount Weihegold OLD, Werth rode to an impressive score of 82.300%, the only entry to score above 80 per cent.
Werth, with the12-year-old Oldenburg mare that she rode to team gold and individual silver at the 2016 Rio Olympics, is seeking a third FEI World Cup™ title in Omaha after having won at Gothenburg (SWE) in 1992 and then in Las Vegas (USA) in 2007.
“Today I was well prepared, but you never know what can happen. It was expected that Weihegold could get 80%, but you never know. I was very happy,” said Werth. “She felt tense when she came into the arena because the atmosphere was so electric and there was big applause when Laura finished. I had to be a bit careful at first, there was a slight mistake in the two tempis (changes of lead every two strides), but it was definitely my fault, it’s always the rider’s fault. I felt safe after the two tempis and forgot to continue to concentrate, but the rest of the test was fantastic. I am completely happy with today.”