Leipzig (fn-press). Jessica von Bredow-Werndl and TSF Dalera BB are the best dressage pair of the 2021/2022 indoor season. At the World Cup finals in the Leipzig exhibition halls, they secured the title by winning the Grand Prix Freestyle. Isabell Werth and Weihegold OLD took third place. It was the last tournament in the long, successful career of the Oldenburg mare. The Danish Cathrine Dufour came second with the Westphalian gelding Vamos Amigos. The third German couple, Helen Langehanenberg and the Holsteiner mare Annabelle, finished the indoor season in sixth place.
The Olympic champions Jessica von Bredow-Werndl (Aubenhausen) and TSF Dalera BB won the final test with 90.836 percent. It was only a few percentage points less than her Olympic victory in Tokyo 2021 (91,732 percent). Regardless of the result, the rider was certain: "It felt even better today than in Tokyo. It's not normal, Dalera keeps improving, we keep improving. It was very emotional today because Dalera always gives everything for me and because it was the last tournament with her for the next five to six months. But fortunately it wasn't the very last. We will come back,” said Jessica von Bredow-Werndl after the award ceremony. Even after all the successes of the past few months, the Olympic victory and the triple success at the European Championships, it was her goal to pull off a top performance again in Leipzig. She undoubtedly succeeded. And so the 36-year-old Bavarian, who is expecting her second child in August and is taking a break from tournaments, can now celebrate her first overall World Cup victory. With the stallion Unée BB she had previously taken third place at the World Cup finals three times. "It's like a fairy tale and I know that's not something to be taken for granted," said von Bredow-Werndl. "I'm just infinitely grateful for that, grateful for Dalera and for all the people who have accompanied me on this journey."
8,000 spectators watched the Grand Prix Freestyle from the sold-out grandstands. They also experienced the last performance of Isabell Werth's exceptional mare Weihegold OLD. In top shape and to the thunderous applause of the audience, the black mare said goodbye to sporting retirement. Weihegold has already won the World Cup final three times in a row. This time she was third, and with another world-class performance: 85.921 percent. “It was a very emotional atmosphere. Weihegold did a great job and didn't make any mistakes. Over the course of the test, she became more relaxed and the finish gave me goosebumps,” said Isabell Werth, who has won the World Cup final four times. However, these championships are not everyday events for her: “Maybe I was a bit tense, after all it was about Weihe's last performance. But after the first minute the tension eased and then it was just a very nice, flawless stage.”
The third German couple, Helen Langehanenberg and Annabelle, also made it into the top ten. The two achieved 78.839 percent in the freestyle and finished sixth. The piaffes and passages as well as the transitions between these lessons are particularly good for both of them. However, the Holsteiner mare showed her impetuous side in the canter tour. "I'm incredibly proud of Annabelle. She made me feel the very best. That tempted me to take a bit of a risk, which made us make mistakes,” reported Langehanenberg after the stage. However, that was no reason for her to get angry: "I have no regrets. Annabelle is so amazing. And if you don't risk anything here at the World Cup final, where do you do it?". jbc
