By KENNETH J. BRADDICK
AACHEN, Germany, July 5, 2025–Justin Verboomen and the nine-year-old Zonik Plus beat Isabell Werth on her Olympic gold medal mount Wendy de Fontaine by 0.639% in the World Equestrian Festival CDIO5* Grand Prix Special Saturday with both combinations scoring above 80%.
Justin and the Hanoverian stallion scored 80.745% for the highest Grand Prix or Special result ever for a Belgian dressage rider.
Isabell and Wendy posted a personal best 80.106% for runner-up.
Great Britain’s Becky Moody on her Olympic partner Jagerbomb placed third on 78.404%, also a personal best.
This was the first international Grand Prix season for Justin and his self-trained Zonik Plus and just the second Special ever for both horse and rider. They weren’t detered by Aachen, the mecca of high performance horse sports.
The pair was runner-up in the Grand Prix.
Was it as good as it can be?
“Not yet,” Justin replied. “But you will see it one day!” he promised.
On the cards: the European Championships in late August; the World Cup Final in Fort Worth, Texas next April; the World Championships back here in Aachen next year or, considering the horse is only nine now, Los Angeles Olympics when he will be aged 12 in 2028.
Isabell Werth and Wendy made mistakes in the one-tempi flying changes.
Just like Justin and Zonik Plus, the scores wobbled between 79+ and 80+.
“It was great sport and the strong competition makes it spicy,” was Isabell’s explanation of the competition. “That is the reason I am still here.
“I saw Justin in Lier (Belgium) and it was clear to me that he wouldn’t try to be a gentleman. That is what we love to have: Exciting sport and competitive shows, that is what the spectators love.”
Britain’s Becky Moody and her self-bred Dante Weltino son, Jagerbomb that was a last-minute addition to the bronze medal team in Paris, was overjoyed at coming third on a personal best 78.404% in her first ever competition at Aachen:
“It is something else to ride into this arena. The crowd is fantastic and so knowledgeable.
“At the same time, the atmosphere brings challenges with it. He was definitely very enthusiastic today in the arena! He didn’t want to stand still, but it is precisely this energy that makes the rest of his test so special. That is what we are all striving for finding the balance between energy and relaxedness.”
Results:
| Rank | Competitor | Score | E | H | C | M | B |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. |
Justin Verboomen (BEL)
Zonik Plus
|
80.745% | 82.128 | 82.234 | 80.532 | 79.255 | 79.574 |
| 2. |
Isabell Werth (GER)
Wendy de Fontaine
|
80.106% | 80.638 | 79.894 | 78.936 | 80.106 | 80.957 |
| 3. |
Becky Moody (GBR)
Jagerbomb
|
78.404% | 79.574 | 78.191 | 78.936 | 77.021 | 78.298 |
| 4. |
Frederic Wandres (GER)
Bluetooth OLD
|
77.702% | 77.021 | 77.766 | 78.298 | 77.766 | 77.660 |
| 5. |
Katharina Hemmer (GER)
Denoix PCH
|
77.447% | 76.596 | 77.340 | 77.979 | 76.383 | 78.936 |
| 6. |
Patrik Kittel (SWE)
Touchdown
|
73.723% | 73.404 | 74.468 | 74.574 | 73.617 | 72.553 |
| 7. |
João Pedro Moreira (POR)
Drosa Fuerst Kennedy OLD
|
73.596% | 73.723 | 73.617 | 72.447 | 72.766 | 75.426 |
| 8. |
Maria von Essen (SWE)
Invoice
|
73.319% | 71.383 | 73.617 | 75.532 | 74.362 | 71.702 |
| 9. |
Rikke Dupont (DEN)
Grand Galiano
|
72.383% | 72.447 | 73.936 | 69.574 | 72.979 | 72.979 |
| 10. |
Larissa Pauluis (BEL)
Flambeau
|
72.362% | 74.468 | 70.745 | 70.957 | 71.596 | 74.043 |
| 11. |
Andreas Helgstrand (DEN)
Jovian
|
72.170% | 71.383 | 72.128 | 73.404 | 71.170 | 72.766 |
| 12. |
Marieke van der Putten (NED)
Zantana RS2 OLD
|
72.064% | 69.362 | 72.553 | 73.723 | 72.660 | 72.021 |
| 13. |
Kasey Perry-Glass (USA)
Heartbeat W.P.
|
71.362% | 71.064 | 71.064 | 70.745 | 72.021 | 71.915 |
| 14. |
Maria Caetano (POR)
Hit Plus
|
71.021% | 71.170 | 70.851 | 71.064 | 70.319 | 71.702 |
| 15. |
Nadja Aaboe Sloth (DEN)
Favour Gersdorf
|
70.979% | 71.277 | 70.532 | 70.106 | 72.234 | 70.745 |
| 16. |
Andrew Gould (GBR)
Indigro
|
70.936% | 71.915 | 72.872 | 70.106 | 69.574 | 70.213 |
| 17. |
Geert-Jan Raateland (NED)
Gladiator
|
70.447% | 71.170 | 70.106 | 72.234 | 69.149 | 69.574 |
| 18. |
Benjamin Ebeling (USA)
Bellena
|
70.319% | 69.043 | 72.447 | 70.213 | 69.255 | 70.638 |
| 19. |
Susan Pape (GBR)
Harmony’s V-Plus
|
70.000% | 69.681 | 69.681 | 69.894 | 70.745 | 70.000 |
| 19. |
Tinne Vilhelmson Silfvén (SWE)
Hyatt
|
70.000% | 69.362 | 70.000 | 68.830 | 71.277 | 70.532 |
| 21. |
Domien Michiels (BEL)
Intermezzo van het Meerdaalhof
|
69.830% | 70.851 | 68.830 | 70.213 | 70.638 | 68.617 |
| 22. |
João Miguel Torrão (POR)
Lirio MVL
|
69.298% | 70.213 | 68.936 | 69.255 | 70.319 | 67.766 |
| 23. |
Borja Carrascosa (ESP)
Frizzantino FRH
|
68.936% | 68.830 | 68.298 | 70.745 | 68.404 | 68.404 |
| 24. |
Claudio Castilla Ruiz (ESP)
Hi-Rico Do Sobral
|
68.681% | 68.404 | 68.723 | 67.766 | 68.085 | 70.426 |
| 25. |
Charlotte Defalque (BEL)
Botticelli
|
68.617% | 69.681 | 68.404 | 68.404 | 68.511 | 68.085 |
| 26. |
Jonna Schelstraete (NED)
Ironman
|
68.170% | 68.404 | 67.660 | 69.149 | 69.043 | 66.596 |
| 27. |
Juan Matute Guimón (ESP)
Lexus
|
67.234% | 66.170 | 67.766 | 67.447 | 67.128 | 67.660 |
| 27. |
Rita Ralão Duarte (POR)
Irao
|
67.234% | 65.319 | 70.745 | 67.021 | 67.872 | 65.213 |
| 29. |
Lewis Carrier (GBR)
Diego V
|
65.936% | 65.766 | 66.830 | 65.766 | 65.872 | 65.447 |
| 30. |
Rowena Weggelaar (NED)
Don Quichot
|
65.894% | 66.596 | 64.362 | 66.277 | 66.596 | 65.638 |
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