Will Matthew and 11-year-old Oldenburg mare Faye 43 (Fuerst Heinrich x Aljano 2) scored 69.043% to place third in the CDI3* Grand Prix from a field of 25 combinations. The Australian duo also received the highest Spectator Judging score (69.975%).
The result marked a personal best CDI Grand Prix score for Will and Faye, and a World Championship qualifying score according to the competition criteria component of Australia’s selection policy.
To be eligible for selection, Australian combinations must be consistently achieving scores approaching or exceeding 68% in at least two Grand Prix tests at CDI3* or above. As has always been the case, this score is higher than the FEI Minimum Eligibility Requirement (MER) of 66%. Combinations must also show demonstrated experience in a minimum of two Grand Prix Special tests at CDI3* or higher events.
The qualifying period ran from 1 January 2025 until today, 6 July 2026.
Will and Faye’s next best Grand Prix score is 67.087% achieved at Lier CDIO4* in May, followed by 67.022% at Aachen CDI3* the same month. The combination also has several scores of around 66%, with their best CDI Grand Prix Special result being 66.915%.
The CDI3* Grand Prix at Hagen went to the American Olympic combination of Adrienne Lyle and Helix on 70.891%, with Germany’s Lisa Müller in second aboard Gut Wettlkam’s Zonik Hit OLD on 69.631%.
Fellow Australian Jemma Heran also contested the CDI3* Grand Prix with 14-year-old Oldenburg gelding Total Recall (by Totilas out of Weihevoll, by Sandro Hit), scoring 64.978%.
Germany claims Nations Cup CDIO4* in Hagen
Germany delivered on home soil Friday at the Covalliero Dressage Days, securing an assertive victory in the FEI Dressage Nations Cup™ at Hagen a.T.W. (GER), the first Nations Cup event held at the venue.
With the FEI Dressage World Championships just a month away in Aachen (GER), Germany signalled its readiness, putting forth a dominant performance over a group of talented nations. Under Chef d’Equipe Klaus Roeser, the four-rider squad of Semmieke Rothenberger (Farrington), Raphael Netz (Great Escape Camelot), Frederic Wandres (Bluetooth OLD), and Isabell Werth (Wendy de Fontaine) finished on a total score of 230.834. Spain finished more than 17 points behind on 212.892 points. It was a closer race for the runner-up position, with the United States less than two points behind in third (210.957).
“The [World Championships] are another test, but this was an important test,” said Monica Theodorescu, German national coach. “This is another important step toward the Championship — and whichever Championship there is in a year, it’s the same procedure.”
German riders produced the three highest scores of the CDIO4* Grand Prix test, and all four of its riders scored above 71 percent. A nine-time World Champion, Werth led the way with her partner from the Paris Olympic Games, Wendy de Fontaine, earning a score of 80.051%. The pair received 10s from the judges on multiple occasions throughout their test, particularly during their canter work, and were the only combination to score above 80%.
“I was really happy with Wendy. It’s always a bit more difficult when you wait the whole day and then into the evening to start, but she was really focused and concentrated,” Werth shared. “She was really relaxed and I think with a lot of highlights. I was really happy with the piaffe-passage. The walk tour was really relaxing, and I was happy with my pirouettes… The whole test, I could really sit and wait and enjoy it.”
Werth and Wendy were the only combination to out-perform Wandres and Bluetooth OLD. Also impressing for their team, they received a score of 76.087%, and while they had a small mistake in their two-tempi changes, they excelled in their one-tempis.
“Bluetooth is now a very consistent team player; he’s always delivering good scores,” Wandres said. “We worked at home on several things — the halts and the piaffe work a little bit and also the pirouettes. All of those things improved today, and I was pretty happy about that.”
Theodorescu was also particularly pleased with the team’s less experienced riders, Netz and Rothenberger. Both were among the top five individual scores, scoring 73.696% and 71.935%, respectively. While Rothenberger was Germany’s drop score, the 26-year-old’s ride would have contributed to any other team in the lineup.
“I’m very proud and happy to have such a good team — a young team,” Theodorescu said. “We go through all of our age categories, and it proves that our system is working well in Germany. The young riders — Semmieke and Raphael — they [rode] like this was any other competition… That gives us confidence.”
“It was like having Christmas and my birthday altogether when we got the nomination to be here,” Rothenberger said. “To be on the team with Isabel and also with the other experienced riders here is a great honour and a great feeling.”
Both Rothenberger and Netz also boast previous success at Hagen a.T.W., having won team gold together in the European Under-25 Championships in 2021.
“I personally had quite a few flashbacks coming here and going into the arena,” Netz said. “I think it’s quite a lovely story that Semmieke and I went together in the youth division, and now we are back together on a Nations Cup team with the seniors… To win here with the team is a great honour.”
Germany’s win—the team’s second of the season—allowed them to extend their lead in the series, now boasting 44 points from four legs. Belgium moved into second on 29 points, followed by Great Britain with 23 points.
The 2026 FEI Dressage Nations Cup series concludes Saturday, 11 July 2026 at CDIO5* Falsterbo (SWE).
View the Nations Cup results here.
Source: FEI press release by Catie Staszak
