Can Germany win World Cup Dressage title?

Germany’s Isabell Werth has achieved a second successive victory at the penultimate leg of the Reem Acra FEI World CupDressage.

Electric atmosphere

Competing on home ground in Neumünster, Isabell scored an impressive 84.600 riding the 11-year-old mare Weihegold OLD.

“I couldn’t have expected such a good result in this electric atmosphere,” said Isabel referring to the close proximity of the crowd to the arena.

Runner-up was fellow German Jessica von Bredow-Werndl with Unee BB who scored 80.900. The Netherlands’ Adelinde Cornelissen and Jerich Parzival were third on 78.775.

Defending champion

The last qualifying round of the 2016 Western European League series is at ‘s-Hertogenbosch in the Netherlands on Saturday 12 March.

Isabell’s second win puts her in first place on the leaderboard with 77 points.Jessica is second on 66,just ahead of Sweden’s Patrik Kittel in third on 65.

There are no Brits in the top 15, however Charlotte Dujardin is guaranteed a place as the defending World Cup Champion.

All those who qualify for the final in Gothenburg, Sweden on 23-28 March will start on a zero score, so any rider could take the title.

‘Good situation’

It is 24 years since Isabel first claimed the trophy with Fabienne at Gothenburg in 1992, and nine years since her last victory in Las Vegas with Warum Nicht. She plans on competingDon Johnson in this year’s final.

“I’m so long in the sport that I know that the next show is a new day and a new situation,” she said. “We will try our best, yes I am in a good situation, but nothing more.”