A personal-best score of 90.09% saw Germany’s Isabell Werth claim the Lyon leg of the FEI World Cup Dressage series, with Britain’s Carl Hester in second with Nip Tuck.
Weihegold Old, who took Isabell to team gold and individual silver at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, was expected to shine in the Freestyle, having already won the Grand Prix qualifier. But to break the 90% barrier was a surprise event to Werth.
“I was expecting she could do a super job, but to get more than 90 percent, now that was a amazing! She has really improved since Rio,” she said. “My mare has even more power and more muscle, and I know we can be even better. I need a few more competitions to make it really come together but it’s so exciting.”
Britain’s Carl Hester and Nip Tuck finished second with 85.02%. Like Isabell, Carl is aiming for this year’s FEI World Cup Dressage Final, and thought he might have a better chance of winning because of the impending retirement of Charlotte Dujardin’s ride Valegro.
“I thought this season might be my opportunity, but now that Isabell is getting so much better it’s going to be a tougher fight!” said Carl.
“I’ll compete at Olympia and Amsterdam and I’m hoping that in December/January I will get enough points so I can relax after that, but we’ll have to see how it goes. We’re all competitors and we all want to win, but we all have our limitations, the horses and the riders, so coming second today felt like winning.”
The Netherlands’ Hans Peter Minderhoud was third with Glock’s Johnson on a mark of 80.22%.
The nine-leg series now moves to Stuttgart in Germany next month.
Result: 1, Weihegold Old (Isabell Werth) GER 90.09; 2, Nip Tuck (Carl Hester) GBR 85.02; 3, Glock’s Johnson TN NOP (Hans Peter Minderhoud) NED 80.22; 4, Zaire-E (Jessica von Bredow-Werndl) GER 79.63; 5. D’Agostino FRH (Fabienne Lutkemeier) GER 79.62; 6, Deja (Patrik Kittel) SWE 77.97; 7, Ricardo (Karen Tebar) FRA 76.68; 8, Smeyers Molberg (Marcela Krinke-Susmelj) SUI 76.47; 9, Imperio (Hubertus Schmidt) GER 76.15; 10, Badinda Altena (Pierre Volla) FRA 74.80; 11, Axis TSF (Terhi Stegars) FIN 73.72; 12, Bubblingh (Richard Davison) GBR 72.42; 13, Dandy de la Roche (Antonella Joannou) SUI 70.78; 14, Amorak (Stephanie Brieussel) FRA 70.78; 15, Raffaldo (Pierluigi Sangiorgi) ITA 69.35.
Watch the FEI World Cup series on Horse & Country, Sky channel 253 and online via H&C Play.