GERMANY’s Isabell Werth and Don Johnson FRH produced one of the finest performances of their career, to win the fifth leg of the Reem Acra FEI World Cup dressage league at Salzburg in Austria last Sunday.

From a distinguished field of starters that included many of the sport’s top stars, they emerged for a convincing victory ahead of The Netherlands’ Edward Gal and Glock’s Voice, while the only other German contender, Jessica Von Bredow-Werndl, lined up third with Unee BB.

“I’m feeling really, really happy, Johnny (Don Johnson FRH) was fantastic and I’m very proud!” Werth said after claiming the maximum 20 points and moving into equal-seventh spot on the leaderboard alongside Gal and Portugal’s Goncales Carvalho.

It was Gal’s score of 80.900 that Werth was chasing when she entered the arena as last rider to go but from the moment Werth set off, she had winner written all over her, the often-naughty Don Johnson completely under her spell as he racked up a massive score of 84.125.

“He has a bit more experience with age so he has become more serious. He has settled down and he and I are growing together now - we know each other really, really well,” said the 46-year-old athlete whose extraordinary list of career accomplishments includes double-gold at the Atlanta and Beijing Olympic Games, five gold medals from the FEI World Equestrian Games and eight from FEI European Championships.

Don Johnson FRH can now look forward to an eight-week holiday before Werth brings him back out for a run or two ahead of the World Cup dressage 2016 final in Gothenburg, Sweden, next March.

The next leg of the series will take place at Olympia in London this Wednesday, December 16th.

Judy Reynolds will line-out for Ireland with Vancouver K, hoping to continue the excellent form they showed at the beginning of the league.