For Isabell Werth and her 16-year old Hanoverian gelding Don Johnson the Grand Prix at the 2017 CDI Mannheim were smooth sailing. In a faultfree test that earned them 78.080% they earned the blue ribbon, trophy and 1250 euro prize money outclassing a field of 24 competitors.
The Grand Prix at the 2017 CDI Mannheim took place early Friday morning 5 May 2017 and was judged by Alice Schwab, Ghislain Fouarge, Maja Stukelj, Katrina Wüst, and Dietrich Plewa. They unanimously scored Werth and Madeleine Winter-Schulze's Don Johnson (by Don Frederico x Warkant) the highest.
"Johnny was very focused and produced a secure test, that was a job well done," said Werth. When asked if she was already sure of the victory before the class even started, Isabell replied, "with Johnny you are never sure. He often has a surprise in store. It was his first time outdoor today as it's the beginning of the green season, so I'm super happy."
"The entire test Sammy Davis Jr was very focused and shone in the passage and piaffe," Schneider commented. "Also the pirouettes and the tempi changes worked well."
With her Olympic team gold ride Showtime still sidelined because of an injury, Dorothee Schneider now relies on Matthias Herbert's 11-year old Bavarian bred Sammy Davis Jr (by San Remo x Wenckstern) as her top Grand Prix horse. Three small niggly bits crept into the test: a counting mistake in the zig zag, which only two judges seemed to have spotted, and a shaky collected walk and rein back. A score of 76.100% flashed on the board which was definitely sufficed for second place. Her marks ranked from 72.800% (Schwab) to 78.700% (Fouarge).
Helen Langehanenberg and Louise Leatherdale's 15-year old Hanoverian stallion Damsey FRH (by Dressage Royal x Ritual) scored a personal best score for the technical Grand Prix with their 75.140%. Remarkably the extended walk scored between a 6 and a 9, but for the rest of the test the pair put very consistent 7.5s on the board.
Photo © Karl Heinz Frieler
Related Links
Scores 2017 CDI Mannheim