Following their Grand Prix win on Friday, Jessica von Bredow-Werndl and Diallo BB clinched the Freestyle on Saturday in Stuttgart, scoring 83.095% to take a decisive victory. Her compatriot Raphael Netz claimed second place with Great Escape Camelot, scoring 80.765% to join von Bredow-Werndl as the only athlete over the 80% mark in the class. Swede Patrik Kittel finished third with his FEI Dressage World Cup 2024 Final winner Touchdown on 79.620%.
Pressure until the final combination
With the top athletes tightly packed, the FEI Dressage World Cup in Stuttgart, Germany remained open until the very last starter. While several horses seemed impressed by the atmosphere of the large Hanns-Martin-Schleyer-Halle in Friday’s Grand Prix, on Saturday the tension appeared to have settled. Diallo BB (owned by Antoinette Göbelsmann-Schweitzer and Beatrice A. Buerchler-Keller), who found the surroundings challenging Friday, produced 73.261% to win the Grand Prix. But in the Freestyle, the pair added another level entirely, finishing more than three percent ahead of the field.
“In the Freestyle I could enjoy every single step down the final centreline. Diallo was so relaxed, yet still so powerful. After a pretty difficult and hot start in the Grand Prix, I didn’t expect him to be so focused [in the Freestyle]. I was so proud of him, because this arena is very electric,” said Jessica von Bredow-Werndl.
Von Bredow-Werndl performed to music previously used with Zaïre-E. “This music also suits Diallo perfectly. We made a few small adjustments, but it feels wonderful to ride to these sounds again,” the German athlete smiled.
Strong challenge from Netz and Pape
As the first of the final five starters, von Bredow-Werndl opened an intense final stage of competition. She was immediately followed by Germany-based British rider Susan Pape with Harmony’s Giulilanta (owned by the athlete and Harmony Sporthorses). The elegant chestnut mare showed excellent technique in the collected work, and riding to Tom Jones music, Pape scored 78.290% to finish sixth.
Next came 26-year-old Raphael Netz, who spent many years at Aubenhausen in Germany under the guidance of von Bredow-Werndl. He showed what he has learned in the saddle of Great Escape Camelot (owned by Sonja Kristina Kral and Therese Boss), becoming the second combination to break the 80%-barrier on 80.765%, good for second place in the final standings.
“I had a fantastic feeling [Saturday], I really enjoyed riding Camelot. He is a very special horse; I can always rely on him. He has the biggest heart and really grows in the arena.”
Netz is competing in the World Cup series with two horses this season, having also started Dieudonnee two weeks ago in Lyon, France. “That is new for me, but it’s great fun. In principle the Final in Fort Worth is our goal, but which World Cup qualifiers we will ride next is something we will decide along the way.”
Top Belgian performances
Belgium sent four combinations into the Freestyle in Stuttgart, with Alexa Fairchild and Larissa Pauluis finishing in the prizes. Before the break, Fairchild completed a strong test with Fairplay (owned by the athlete and Af Equestrian Lda), showing a very steady piaffe-passage tour. Their score of 75.680% placed them eighth.
Pauluis delivered an energetic test with Flambeau (owned by Caroline and Emmanuel Lepage and Jean and Marie Christine Pauluis) as the penultimate starter. A significant mistake in the one-tempi changes prevented a higher placing, and with 78.680% they finished fifth, unable to repeat their top-three result from Lyon.
Kittel goes for it
The final athlete to enter the arena, Patrik Kittel, was the only remaining challenger for the winning score. Touchdown (owned by Sommarkvarn Ab) looked fresh and expressive. With outstanding half-passes, uphill extensions and excellent pirouettes, the experienced Swedish athlete appeared headed towards an 80% score. However, Touchdown delivered a small buck at the end of an extended canter, and both the piaffes and transitions could have been more secure.
“I went for it, but Touchdown gave me a small, enthusiastic buck in return. Touchdown was so fit and happy, he got very excited by the atmosphere in the arena. He was just happy to be here, but for today that was maybe a little too happy…” said Patrik Kittel.
Kittel has not yet decided whether he will aim for the Final in Fort Worth, though he intends to compete at the World Cup leg in Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Top ten results and World Cup standings
Among the top ten were Germany’s Svenja Kämper-Meyer with her home-bred Amanyara M FRH (owned by Hans-Jürgen Meyer), and ninth-placed Delia Eggenberger of Switzerland with Fairtrade (owned by Isabelle Ros), both scoring above 75%. The just 22-year-old German Moritz Treffinger rode the impressive black stallion Cadeau Noir (owned by Gestüt Bonhomme GmbH & Co. KG) to seventh place, matching his result from Herning, Denmark.
Cadeau Noir was previously ridden by Australian dressage rider Simone Pearce when she was working for Gestüt Bonhomme. Together they had several wins, including the CDI3* Grand Prix and Special at Neustadt Dosse in Germany at the beginning of 2023.
A standout improvement in the ranking came from Dutch rider Marieke van der Putten with Kuvasz RS2 N.O.P.T. (owned by RS2 Dressage Center de Horst). After finishing seventh in the Grand Prix, the pair climbed to fourth in the Freestyle with 78.765%.
After the third World Cup leg, Raphael Netz now leads the standings thanks to his impressive second place in Stuttgart. The next FEI Dressage World Cup leg will take place in London (GBR) on 18 and 19 December, so do not miss a hoofbeat!
Watch the action from Stuttgart German Masters here via ClipMyHorse.TV.
View all the results from the Stuttgart German Masters here via Equipe.
Source: FEI press release by Bettine van Harselaar, edited by Equestrian Life.
