Skovens Tzarina Wins 2023 Nurnberger Burgpokal Finals

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2023 CDI Frankfurt

Isabell Werth and the Danish warmblood mare Skovens Tzarina became the winners of the 2023 Nurnberger Burgpokal Finals, the German Developing Prix St Georges Horse Championship. The Finals are held annually at the CDI Frankfurt and also this year the "Burgpokal" was one of the highlights of the show on Saturday 16 December 2023.

The Queen of Dressage, Isabell Werth, has qualified no less than 19 horses for the Finals in its 32-year history and has won it now five times.

Skovens Tzarina

Werth and the 9-year old Skovens Tzarina (by Zack x Don Schufro x Zorro Z) set the tone straight away by winning the warm-up round on Thursday 14 December. With a score of 76.048% she stayed almost two percent ahead of the runner-up Helen Langehanenberg on Danny Cool (by 74.804%) with Spaniard Manuel Dominguez coming third on breeding stallion Escamillo (73.634%).

In the Finals round, judges Katrina Wüst, Dr. Dietrich Plewa, Dr. Evi Eisenhardt, Henning Lehrmann, Elke Ebert were equally convinced of Werth and Tzarina's superiority and rewarded the pair with the winning score of 76.787%.

"The mare is a world-class horse with go and spirit," Werth told St. Georg. “She is amazingly performance-oriented and always wants to go. I think very highly of her."

Skovens Tzarina is bred by Kirsten Bjerregaard Hansen and Jens Lund Pedersen in Denmark. Danish horse dealer and Olympian Andreas Helgstrand bought her as a foal at the 2014 Danish Warmblood elite auction and in 2017 she became Danish Warmblood Elite Mare Champion. Mette Sejbjerg Jensen rode her to a 15th place in the 2018 Danish Young Horse Championships. Helgstrand sold an ownership share in the mare to one of his many business partner and financial backes, Bolette Wandt. In 2019 Betina Jaeger piloted Tzarina at the 2019 World Young Horse Championships in Ermelo to a fifth place in the consolation finals. At the 2019 Danish Young Horse Championships they were 18th.

In the summer of 2020 Isabell Werth took her students Lisa Müller and Victoria Max-Theurer shopping in Denmark. Müller bought D'Avie and Max-Theurer acquired Skovens Tzarina. Werth picked up the KWPN gelding Joshua seemingly as a commission fee. This year Werth premiered her on the Nurnberger Burgpokal circuit and also rode her in her first CDI at small tour level in Kronenberg in July, where they won the Prix St Georges and Intermediaire I. Isabell will continue to produce her to Grand Prix level next year before handing her to owner Max-Theurer.

Lord Europe and Danny Cool

Leonie Richter made an impressive climb on the board with the 7-year old Rhinelander stallion Lord Europe (by Lord Leatherdale x Boston). The pair rose from a sixth place in the warm-up to a second place in the finals with a strong score of 75.365%. The black stallion is owned by Paul Schockemöhle, Helgstrand Dressage and Joop van Uytert.

Helen Langehanenberg and the 8-year old DSP registered Danny Cool (by Danciano de Malleret x Sandro Hit) went from a runner-up spot in the first round to a third place in the Finals test with 74.658%.

“I love him, he’s as smooth as a cat and didn’t let anything distract him," said Helen.

The third placed pair of the warm-up, Manuel Dominguez and the 8-year old Rhinelander Escamillo (by Escolar x Rohdiamant), dropped to the bottom of the ranking to 12th place as the talented stallion was tense and distracted and finished on 63.268%.

32nd Burgpokal Finals

The Nurnberger Burgpokal Finals are a bastion on the German dressage scene. Established with the help of Dr. Reiner Klimke, the show circuit and finals are a clear pathway for talented FEI level horses towards the top. Numerous future champions and Grand Prix team horses came through the Burgpokal system.

For 2024 the Nurnberger Burgpokal circuit will again include eight qualifiers (Hagen, Munich, Balve, Bettenrode, Elmlohe, Görlitz, Donaueschingen, Darmstadt). The 12 highest scoring pairs will be eligible to compete in the finals in Frankfurt.