Werth wins at Zeffirelli MT's special premiere
- Daniel Winkler
- Jul 28
- 2 min read
Isabell Werth won the Grand Prix Special at the CDI3* in Achleiten. Riding the ten-year-old Zeffirelli MT, the most successful dressage rider of all time prevailed on Sunday morning with a score of 68.234 percent. Second place went to Juliane Jerich (AUT) with Quater Girl (64.340%), while Alina Kaltstein (GER) came in third with 63.128 percent.
For Werth's young horse, owned by tournament host Elisabeth Max-Theurer, it was a debut under difficult conditions: “It was his first Grand Prix and Special ever in his life. And it was international, under really difficult conditions. Especially yesterday in the pouring rain. But he did a great job,” said the eight-time Olympic champion and nine-time world champion. The 56-year-old German was particularly impressed by her sporting partner's attitude: “He put his heart and soul into it and wanted to do everything right. It was not a given that he would be able to perform like this here today.”
The next highlight for Werth is the European Championships at the end of August in Crozet, where she will be aiming for her 22nd gold medal. “Before that, we'll be going to training camp, and then France will of course be the highlight of the season.”
Jerich analyzed the Grand Prix Special, which is very demanding for both rider and horse, with Quater Girl self-critically: "There were a few mistakes on my part. My horse had a slight rhythm disturbance in the first extension and from then on she was a little unsettled. She always wants to do everything right, and she tried to do that. So I can be happy that we ended up where we did."
N°12 FEI Grand Prix Special (CDI3*) 1. Isabell Werth (GER) Zeffirelli MT 68,234 2. Juliane Jerich (AUT), Quater Girl 64,34 3. Alina Kaltstein (GER) 63,128 4. Barbara Bertschinger (SUI) 62,17 Result in detail