"Special is special" - and rocks the Special

Isabell Werth is smiling with satisfaction. With the ten-year-old Sezuan son, Special Blend, she has won the Anakenenhof Dressage Stables Prize, the Grand Prix Special in Hamburg's five-star tour. "I'm very proud of him. Special rode his third special today. Special is special!" emphasises Werth, "and he has really taken another huge step forward from the shows in Hagen and Lier to today." The 1.76 metre tall horse is super honest, a great buddy and doesn't want to do anything wrong. "He's one of the most uncomplicated horses I've had so far."

The pair had secured victory in the Grand Prix, but today they came second - with another very successful round, but also a real slip-up: Ingrid Klimke and Vayron NRW. "The strong walk was still going well, but when I took up the collected walk, I kept thinking: 'Oh God, now he's going to go off, now he's going to go off'. The point came closer and closer and just as I was about to piaffe, he really did. Unfortunately, my piaffe only took place just before the hoof beat," said the riding champion with a great deal of humour about the arena scene she experienced, which of course lowered her score. Nevertheless, Klimke was in high spirits: "He's a really great horse and it was a lot of fun, plus you had the feeling that the whole stadium was riding along"

Jana Anakena Taeger, Managing Director of Anakenenhof, was delighted: "That was a wonderful competition at a very high level. We had a great atmosphere, the weather was a dream. It was so beautiful and this stage suits us perfectly."
 
Two special prizes for riding champion Klimke
Klimke also won the special honour award from the Hotel Grand Elysée for the most successful pair in the Special Tour and also won the Anrecht-Investment Harmony & Fairness Prize, which is decided purely by spectator voting. "It was very important to us right from the start to involve the spectators," emphasises Kristina Anrecht. "So that they have a say. It works very well and they really enjoy it. You can also tell by how euphorically they celebrate their winners."
 
Great praise for Hamburg from Isabell Werth
The 'Legend of Sport' honour had high praise for the conditions in Hamburg: "The stands were full to the last seat, the atmosphere was great and this is the best ground I've had for years. It really is a maximum dressage arena. I believe that Matthias (Rath) is on a very good path here in Hamburg and that the show really has the potential to develop dressage even further. It's simply fun." Words that tournament director Matthias Rath was very happy to hear. "We from the organising team are incredibly pleased that the five-star tour has already been so well received," explained Rath. "That was our goal. And we want to expand dressage even further in the coming years."
 
Family victories Casall and son
Family history at the Al Shira'aa German Show Jumping & Dressage Derby 2025: Rolf-Göran Bengtsson won the CPA Lichtkonzept GmbH & Co KG Prize, the Grand Prix of the four-star tour with jump-off, with the ten-year-old Casall son Caillan. Six years earlier, the Swede himself made history in Hamburg with his sire Casall. The pair won the Grand Prix of Hamburg, marking the exceptional stallion's retirement from the sport at the age of 18. "Of course I'm also thinking about this moment today, when I was right at the front here in Hamburg with Casall. And now I'm coming here with one of his sons and winning the Grand Prix of the four-star tour - that's amazing!"

Four of the eight pairs in the jump-off went clear, but Bengtsson and Caillan delivered the fastest round of 38.21 seconds. Belgian rider Mike van Olst and Comme Elle Faut Odth Z followed in second place with a time of 39.86 seconds. Third place went to Max-Hilmar Borchert with DSP Catherina H in 40.16 seconds. “”It was an open jump-off course, we were able to gallop forward nicely," analyzed the six-time Olympic rider Bengtsson. "I then took a bit of a risk and went very close into the double combination, which went very well. He jumped super focused and did it very cleanly. And - of course - I rode full risk to the last jump to the front."

(KiK/pe&pa)