Diallo BB, a Hannoverian gelding by Dancier, has enjoyed a superb first year at international grand prix, scoring seven wins from nine starts since his debut in April – including his triumphs in Stuttgart.
Watch Jessica von Bredow-Werndl’s winning freestyle with Diallo BB below
“I don’t think I’ve realised it yet! I’m so proud, especially after yesterday, when he was really hot and excited,” said Jessica, who described Diallo BB as a “little powder keg”, after their grand prix test.
“I didn’t know what to expect today, and I couldn’t be happier and prouder of him than I am today,” she said. “Everything is the first time for him – he hasn’t had a crowd like this before, and especially when we finished our ride, he was so proud. I didn’t expect him to leave the arena so self-confident, and this makes me even more happy.”
Jessica always channels such artistry in her freestyle music and choreography choices. Fans will have recognised returning riffs of Magic Moments, L-O-V-E and Big Spender from her archive, and the remixed adaptation was well suited to Diallo BB.
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“This music also suits Diallo perfectly. We made a few small adjustments, but it feels wonderful to ride to these sounds again,” said Jessica.
“In the freestyle I could enjoy every single step down the final centre line. Diallo was so relaxed, yet still so powerful.
“After a pretty difficult and hot start in the grand prix yesterday, I didn’t expect him to be so focused today. I was so proud of him, because this arena is very electric.”
The 10-year-old, owned by Béatrice Buerchler-Keller who part-owned Dalera, and Annette Göbelsmann-Schweitzer, earned a new freestyle personal best of 83.095% from the judges to win by almost three per cent.
Raphael Netz, who was based with Jessica for eight years before setting up on his own in 2024, was second with Great Escape Camelot (80.765%).Sweden’s Patrik Kittel finished third with his 2024 World Cup Final winner Touchdown (79.620%).
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Lucy is an experienced news journalist, reporter and presenter. Since joining the Horse & Hound team in 2015, Lucy has reported from major global sporting events including the Tokyo Paralympic Games and multiple European Championships, as well as Badminton, Burghley and London, to name a few. She has covered current affairs and sports news across the full spectrum of equestrian disciplines and racing, as well as human and equine welfare, industry news and court cases.
