Isabell Werth and Viva Gold OLD won the Vienna Grand Prix ahead of Katharina Hemmer and Special Gold OLD

Against the magnificent backdrop of Schönbrunn Palace, Isabell Werth’s Viva Gold OLD secured a fairly comfortable victory in the Vienna Grand Prix with a score of 77.370 percent. The stallion appeared fresh and motivated, offering a glimpse of his skills in the piaffe and passage even before the test began, while his rider was still adjusting the tails of her tailcoat with one hand. These were also the movements in which he scored highly during the test itself. Both flying changes were flawless, as was the rest of the canter sequence. The stallion was full of enthusiasm, moved confidently in response to the driving aids, and for the most part kept his neck as the highest point and his nose in front of the vertical. On the wish list for even higher scores: more suppleness, especially in the trot.

Golden Boy Number Two

From grandson to son—while super-mom Weihegold appears in Viva Gold’s pedigree as a grandmother, Special Gold OLD (by San Amour) is a direct son of Werth’s Olympic champion, European champion, and three-time World Cup champion. Both ten-year-old stallions were bred by Weihegold’s owner, Christine Arns-Krogmann, and both competed in last year’s Louisdor Prize Final in Frankfurt. Now they are facing off against each other on the international stage.

Special Gold followed well behind—with 70.435 percent—in second place. However, this does not reflect the quality of the ride, as the pair made costly mistakes in the canter sequence—specifically in the flying changes and pirouettes, elements that count double in the Grand Prix. In contrast, there were long stretches of the test where it became clear just how much progress Special Gold has made in terms of self-carriage. Whereas on previous occasions he would occasionally seek support from the rider’s hand—for example, during the extensions—he now showed himself to be securely balanced on his hind legs.

A narrow third-place finisher from Canada

The Canadian World Championship pair, Chris von Martens riding the 13-year-old Hanoverian mare Londoncrown—a chestnut mare who clearly takes after her sire, Londontime—was defeated by the narrowest of margins. The pair delivered a faultless performance with an enthusiastic, composed, and largely rhythmically stable piaffe-passage sequence and centered pirouettes, the first of which was particularly well-balanced. However, the mare was set very high and narrow throughout much of the test and showed no expansion of her frame even in the extensions. They scored 70.413 percent—a new personal best—and three of the five judges at the judging table placed them in second place.

The Top Finishers

In fourth place was a familiar face: the Oldenburg gelding Mist of Titanium. The now 14-year-old black horse was trained by Emma Kanerva of Finland, who has taken the surname Teufert since her wedding in May. Almost exactly a year ago, the Millennium son—bred by Riverbank Horses—was sold to Alanna and Mark Richards in Australia. The 33-year-old Richards is also the one who now rides Mist of Titanium—and does so beautifully! Their successful performance was scored at 70.196 percent, by far the best result the pair has achieved so far.

Right behind them were the U25 European champions, Cadeau Noir and Moritz Treffinger. It had been a good two months since the 16-year-old Hanoverian stallion by Christ had last competed at a show, and he clearly couldn’t wait to get started. Treffinger gave it his all, but holding the horse still for the first salute was out of the question. Instead, they executed a very nice first extension. Overall, however, the trot sequence could have used more flow, and in the first two piaffes, Cadeau Noir drifted backward and outward with his left hind leg. The carefully ridden canter sequence was then once again superb, featuring, for example, very supple, straight, and confidently executed one-tempi changes, as well as well-executed, active, centered, and balanced pirouettes —even though Cadeau Noir, in his eagerness, wanted to start the second one two meters before the mark. All in all, the pair scored 69.935 percent.

The fourth German pair in the competition were Lisa Müller and D’avie, who also finished in the top ranks with a score of 66.196 percent.

You can find all the results here.