Germany’s Benjamin Werndl and Famoso OLD have continued to impress on their senior championship team debut with another personal best in the Blue Hors FEI World Dressage Championships results.
The pair scored 78.24% in today’s grand prix special, beating their previous top mark in the special by 0.22%, which took them into the provisional lead at the final break this afternoon (8 August). This is their second personal best of the week, having helped Germany to team bronze with a score of 77.03% in the grand prix.
The 13-year-old gelding, who Benjamin co-owns with father Klaus Werndl and Flora Keller, has such presence in the arena. The pair were trending just above 76% for their early trot work, with the mark climbing as the test progressed.
Famoso OLD’s spring through his passage and silk-like transitions – gliding from piaffe into passage – were particular highlights, as was his smooth, ground-covering canter zig-zag.
“It felt light, and that’s what I always try to achieve, because if something is not light, it doesn’t feel good,” said Benjamin, adding he had a “really great feeling”.
“Of course it is exhausting to ride a grand prix or grand prix special, but I enjoyed really every metre.
“He is a [naturally] balanced horse and that helps – that’s what we are always looking for, balanced horses, because all the work we do is [about] balance. When you are in balance, everything is light. Of course we work on that too, and the frame – it’s not that it’s always [just] given, we work on that.”
The Farewell III is a character in the stable and that personality is part of what makes him so good in competition.
“He’s really funny,” said Benjamin, with a laugh. “He always wants to escape and do funny things, he is sweet as well. He wants to cuddle, but then when you do, he will suddenly bite you. But he’s a very lovely character. He doesn’t want to do anything bad, and that’s the same in the test. He doesn’t want to make any mistakes.”
Benjamin, who is the brother of reigning Olympic champion Jessica von Bredow-Werndl, added his sister was “really happy” for him to secure his first medal yesterday, as part of the team bronze winning German side.
Benjamin was followed into the arena by Denmark’s Daniel Bachmann Andersenn and Marshall-Bell, fresh from their team gold medal-winning performance the night before. This horse’s hindlegs are exceptional to watch and the pair netted another impressive score of 76.52%, to put them into provisional third in the Dressage World Championships results before the final session of competitors.
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