Americans Anna Buffini & Codi Harrison in Wellington World Cup Battle for Final Invite
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By KENNETH J. BRADDICK
WELLINGTON, Florida, Feb. 28, 2022–Two 20-something Americans compete head-to-head in the Global Dressage Festival World Cup this week in the last chance to earn an invitation to the Final of the global championship in Leipzig, Germany April 6-10.
Anna Buffini 27 years old of San Diego, California on Davinia la Douce and Codi Harrison, aged 25 of Wellington on Katholt’s Bossco are scheduled to compete to join Ashley Holzer as one of two North Americans to be among the 18 combinations in the Final starting lineup.
Ashley, also based in Wellington, already has clinched a start on Havanna with 55 points. This will be her first championship as an American since switching in 2017 from riding for Canada that included the 2009 World Cup Final in Las Vegas and four Olympics.
Codi and the 15-year-old Danish Warmblood stallion she has competed for the past six years through youth divisions to Big Tour stand second in the World Cup North American League with 42 points earned in three qualifiers.
Coached by Danish Olympian and World Cup star Lars Petersen, she rode Katholt’s Bossco at the 2016 and 2017 North American Youth Championships and in 2011 and 2013 on two other different horses.
Anna and the 15-year-old Hanoverian mare rode on American teams at last year’s Nations Cups in Rotterdam and Aachen, Germany. She bought Davinia from Anabel Balkenhol, daughter of the German Olympic gold medalist, Klaus, who was also the U.S. coach for eight years.
Anna, coached by Günter Seidel who earned bronze medals on the three Olympics he rode on for the United States, won team gold at the 2014 North American Youth Championships on Sundayboy, that she retired in 2017.
The Short Grand Prix is scheduled for Thursday with the Grand Prix Freestyle set for Friday Night Stars in Global’s centerpiece international arena.
An invite to Leipzig comes down to the musical performance.
Under the points format, Anna needs to finish third or better among the five entered combinations to earn enough points to overtake Codi.
Aside from Anna and Codi, the other pairs are Jan Ebeling of Moorpark, California and Status Royal OLD; Alice Tarjan of Oldwick, New Jersey and Donatella M and the Canadian Olympic team partnership of Brittany Fraser-Beaulieu and All In.
