Dressage-News

WELLINGTON, Florida, Jan. 24, 2025–Anna Marek and her 2023 Pan American Games bronze medal mount Fire Fly won the World Cup Grand Prix Freestyle on a wintry Friday night under lights at the Global Dressage Festival a fraction ahead of fellow American Kevin Kohmann on Dünensee who was runner-up to keep him firmly atop the North American League for the Final in April.

Anna of Dunnellon, an Ocala, Florida community, and  Fire Fly were awarded 77.755% for the win on the 15-year-old KWPN gelding that she competed in Europe last year after riding Fayvel in the World Cup in Saudi Arabia.

Kevin who rode Dünensee at the same Saudi Final scored 77.545% that he described as “the best” in their career.

Germany’s Felicitas Hendricks on Drombusch OLD, a 14-year-old gelding, placed third on 76.365%, breaking a string of 10 victories and one second place over the past two years of competing in Wellington.

Anna said that in the 3 1/2 years she’s been riding Fire Fly Friday night in Wellington “is my favorite freestyle venue to ride at. I mean, not as many people today because of the weather. But you can usually feel the atmosphere, and the horses get excited in a really good way. And that’s what I felt from him today. I was so happy with his Grand Prix. It was definitely one of the better ones that we’ve done together. It keeps getting a little bit better. And then I knew today for the freestyle that he’d get pumped up. But it always works for me now that he and I are really a pair and have been together for so long. So it was really fun, the whole ride.”

Kevin Kohmann said after his ride, “It wasn’t our highest score but it was for me the best ride. I was super thrilled.”

He first rode Dünensee as a five-year-old when the horse was too big for Devon Kane of the owning Diamante Farms family. The ride didn’twork out at the time and they sent the horse to Europe to sell. When that was not successful, his trainer, Christoph Koschel, competed the horse briefly and suggested they keep him–“thank God I listened to Christoph! This horse is just helping me so much.”

With only three World Cup qualifiers remaining in North America, two in Wellington and one in California, Kevin Kohmann leads the standings with 57 points for the Final in Basel, Switzerland in April.

Canada’s Camille Carier Bergeron and Devon Kane are tied on 43 points. Adrienne Lyle and Genay Vaughn are tied, each with two victories for 40 points.

Results:

World Cup Grand Prix Freestyle

Rank	Competitor	Score	E	H	C	M	B
1.	Anna Marek (USA) Fire Fly	77.755%	78.550	75.250	76.675	78.225	80.075
2.	Kevin Kohmann (USA) Dünensee	77.545%	77.550	76.800	79.925	76.600	76.850
3.	Felicitas Hendricks (GER) Drombusch OLD	76.365%	75.100	77.325	74.975	76.375	78.050
4.	Evelyn Eger (GER) Tabledance 3	75.340%	72.375	74.725	77.050	75.975	76.575
5.	Tinne Vilhelmson Silfvén (SWE) Devanto	74.855%	72.750	76.175	75.000	73.325	77.025
6.	Jennifer Williams (USA) Joppe K	74.260%	73.600	73.875	73.825	74.350	75.650
7.	Jan Ebeling (USA) Jubi’s Tenacity	73.180%	72.550	74.425	75.175	72.600	71.150
8.	Camille Carier Bergeron (CAN) Finnländerin	73.165%	72.025	73.675	73.950	71.925	74.250
8.	Karen Lipp (USA) Infinity	73.165%	75.600	72.550	72.725	71.825	73.125
10.	Pablo Gómez Molina (ESP) Ulises de Ymas	72.995%	72.225	72.825	70.225	74.100	75.600
11.	Charlotte Jorst (USA) Zhaplin Langholt	72.800%	71.725	70.475	74.450	74.775	72.575
12.	Mathilde Blais Tétreault (CAN) Fedor	71.100%	75.625	70.425	71.025	70.250	68.175
13.	Susan Dutta (USA) Don Design DC	70.915%	71.375	69.825	70.350	70.775	72.250
14.	Sarah Tubman (USA) RS Damon	68.635%	69.775	69.375	69.500	69.350	65.175
15.	Adriane Alvord (USA) Selfmade	67.530%	66.825	66.075	68.125	67.525	69.100
Find details on Equestrian Hub