Lehfellner and L’Espoir underline international ambitions
- Jun 13
- 2 min read
Under bright sunshine and perfect conditions, local favourite Stefan Lehfellner once again had reason to celebrate on the second day of the international dressage tournament at Schloss Achleiten. In the FEI Grand Prix Special (CDI3*), the Upper Austrian rider delivered another convincing performance aboard L’Espoir and secured victory in front of multiple Olympic champion and trainer Isabell Werth. With a score of 70.766%, the 43-year-old finished ahead of Juliane Jerich (AUT) and Quater Girl (67.596%) as well as Florian Bacher (AUT) with FBW Sunfire (66.042%).
Lehfellner was highly satisfied with his test. “Leo listened much better today and was far more focused on me than yesterday. This was only his third Grand Prix Special ever, so everything is still part of the development process. It was also my first Special in almost a year, so I’m extremely happy,” said the Paris 2024 Olympian. He was particularly pleased with the assessment of international dressage icon Isabell Werth. “She says this is a true Grand Prix horse. It’s not only us who see it that way – the judges do too. We will continue on this path. Leo belongs on the international stage and we all agree on that. We still have big plans ahead.”
Florian Bacher, who had finished runner-up the previous day, experienced mixed emotions during the class. A momentary lapse in concentration proved costly, but the positives clearly outweighed the negatives. “The piaffe-passage tour was really good. Considering it was only my second test with this horse, I’m super happy. Of course, it was a frustrating mistake, but these things happen. The important thing is to take the positives with us, and there were plenty of them over the two days,” said the Austrian rider.
With his second victory of the weekend, Lehfellner once again underlined the promising development of L’Espoir and strengthened his ambitions for upcoming international competitions.
RESULTS
N°15 FEI Grand Prix Special (CDI3*)
1. Stefan Lehfellner (AUT), L’Espoir, 70,766 Percent
2. Juliane Jerich (AUT), Quater Girl, 67,596
3. Florian Bacher (AUT), FBW Sunfire, 66,042
