Triumphant return for Bluetooth OLD as Wandres leads Germany to victory in Compiegne
After a career year culminating with a gold medal with Germany at the Paris Olympic Games (FRA), Frederic Wandres made a conscious decision to give his partner Bluetooth OLD a rest at the end of the 2024 season, and the pair came out for just one competition in January before taking another break from competition. Following those nearly-five additional months of downtime, Bluetooth OLD returned in triumphant fashion at Compiegne (FRA), leading Germany to a CDIO5* FEI Dressage Nations Cup™ victory.
Fans had to wait until the very last test to see the pair in action, but the performance was worth the wait. With particularly high marks for the extended trot, extended canter, and piaffe, Wandres and Bluetooth received the best score of the day—on a day where just three scores above 70 percent were awarded. Their 75.696% mark comfortably lifted Germany to the top of the leaderboard as the nation assumed a dominant lead in the FEI Dressage Nations Cup™ standings.
Led by chef d'equipe Monica Theodorescu, the German squad of Wandres (Bluetooth OLD), Raphael Netz (Dieudonne), Carina Scholz (Blue Hors Veneziano), and Matthias Alexander Rath (Destacado FRH) finished on a winning total of 215.522. Portugal finished second (209.152), followed by the Netherlands (207.783).
"We just did one World Cup show over the winter, because we wanted to be fit and super shining in the summer for the next European Championships. We hopefully improved a little bit at home and tried to show it today...I'm very happy." said Frederic Wandres
Before Wandres entered the arena, things were closely bunched, as eight nations competed for Nations Cup glory. The Netherlands held the lead for a lengthy duration, thanks to a 72.522%-score from Marlies van Baalen (Habibi DVB). But Portugal took over the top spot just before Wandres' test, impressing as all three of its best scores were above 69%. It put just enough pressure on Wandres, who needed to score above 69.326 to land Germany on top of the podium.
"There's always a little bit of pressure. That's also necessary for me to get my blood pressure up a little bit," Wandres shared. "But I have to say, after Paris when we won the gold medal, you can really take a breath and say, 'Come on, you've handled so many difficult situations already...Try to shine, because you can do it.' Then the pressure is a positive pressure for you."
Wandres did have to gather himself somewhat after a small blunder, when he dropped his reins at the opening salute.
"Maybe another horse would have made something else out of that situation. [Bluetooth] was completely calm and waiting for me until I picked up my reins again, and then he was ready to start and deliver a good test," Wandres said. "You know you can really trust him, and the horse trusts you to shine together when it's time to shine...He gives you so much confidence, like he knows everything."
"I think the horse deserved a 10 for the halt, because he was just waiting. 'Are you ready?' So this was a bit of a funny moment, especially that it happened to Frederic, because he likes to have everything really under control. He completely lost control, but horses help us in many ways," Theodorescu said. "I love the horse: He's so beautiful, and he's shining and brilliant, and he did a very good test."
Theodorescu knew she could rely on her anchor combination, while she saw improvement from her squad's less experienced partnerships. Netz's horse Dieudonne was competing in a five-star competition for the first time. Scholz has only known Blue Hors Veneziano for a few months. Rath impressed with 12-year-old Destacado FRH, whom he's had since the stallion was just a 2-year-old; they finished third individually (71.239%).
"'[Destacado FRH] has improved a lot, is a lot stronger, more connected and in a better frame. He did a very good test, I think," Theodorescu said. "The horse has a lot of possibilities with trot work, the canter is really very, very strong and good, and the collection is getting better. It's all coming there."
For Theodorescu, the Nations Cup is an important opportunity for her to utilize different combinations in a team setting and evaluate how they handle pressure.
"There is a bit more pressure in the Nations Cup than any other Grand Prix. It's always good to integrate new, younger riders and new pairs with a strong one like Frederic [and Bluetooth]," Theodorescu said. "This is one of the top Nations Cup events of the year, so it's very important for me to get experience with these riders and horses."
After winning the opening leg of the series in Wellington (USA), Germany holds a commanding lead in the FEI Dressage Nations Cup™ standings with 25 points. Portugal has moved into second (13 points), followed by the Netherlands (11). The FEI Dressage Nations Cup™ resumes at CDIO4* Lier (BEL) on 16 May 2025.