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:
| 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 |
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