DEL MAR, California, Feb. 27, 2026–Geñay Vaughn rode Gino to victory on a personal best score in the CDI-W Grand Prix in the competition that could boost the partnership’s hope for a start in their second World Cup Final.
Geñay and Gino, the 15-year-old gelding owned by her mother, scored 72.282% for an overwhelming win in the pair’s third qualifying event for the annual world championship to be staged in Fort Worth, Texas in six weeks.
A victory in the freestyle Saturday would bring her total point to 57, tied with Canada’s second ranked Brittany Fraser-Beaulieu on Jaccardo and behind North American leader Christian Simonson of Wellington, Florida on Indian Rock with a maximum of 60 points.
North America gets three of the 18 places at the Final.
If the musical performance by Geñay and Gino Saturday is a winner, the duo need to score better than a personal best 79.680% to beat Brittany’s average to move into second place.
If the duo does not do so, Geñay will be in third place and face the prospect of waiting for the final North American qualifying event in Wellington in two weeks. There, Kevin Kohmann on 54 points and Benjamin Ebeling on 52 points currently stand in the third and fourth places.
If either one is victorious in Wellington, the winner would also have 57 points, the same as Brittany and Geñay.
If that happens, the highest averages of their three qualifying scores decide who gets an invite to Fort Worth.
Geñay competed Gino in the 2025 Final, the rider’s first. She accumulated her points this season by winning a qualifying competition in her home state of California then leaving her base in Elk Grove for a second score at Wellington’s Global Dressage Festival.
Results:
| Rank | Competitor | Score | E | H | C | M | B |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Geñay Vaughn (USA) Gino | 72.282% | 71.413 | 73.043 | 73.043 | 72.065 | 71.848 |
| 2. | Brittney Eastgate (CAN) Kartsevo Goldfinch | 66.956% | 67.391 | 67.826 | 65.435 | 67.717 | 66.413 |
| 3. | Nadine Schwartsman (USA) Royal Flash R | 66.065% | 67.717 | 64.457 | 66.087 | 65.217 | 66.848 |
| 4. | Cyndi Jackson (USA) Florisson | 65.826% | 66.957 | 66.630 | 66.739 | 64.239 | 64.565 |
| 5. | Patty Mayer (USA) Pio | 58.782% | 56.522 | 59.130 | 59.891 | 60.652 | 57.717 |
 Find details on Equestrian Hub |
