Frederic Wandres (GER) and Bluetooth OLD. ©SusanStickle.

Wellington, FL – January 14, 2022 – The first “Friday Night Stars” evening freestyle of the 2022 Adequan® Global Dressage Festival (AGDF) in Wellington, Florida did not disappoint. The highlight class of week one, the FEI World Cup™ Grand Prix Freestyle, presented by Lövsta Stuteri, produced top-drawer dressage, personal bests galore, and a winning score of over 81%.

The 34-year-old German rider Frederic Wandres pulled off another powerful, supple, and enchanting performance for 81.065% aboard Elena Knyaginicheva and Sergey Knyaginichev’s 12-year-old Bordeaux gelding Bluetooth OLD, who only started international grand prix in the spring of 2021.

Anna Buffini (USA) rode her own FRH Davinia La Douce, by Don Frederico, into second place, and Ashley Holzer (USA) finished third on Dr. Diane Fellows’s Hochadel mare Havanna 145 (77.25%).

“I felt super tonight,” said Wandres, who also topped the Grand Prix and whose freestyle was made by Michael Erdmann. “My best score was 79% in Aachen in the four-star CDI, but today 81% is really something fantastic and incredible.”

Jennifer Williams’s Millione Records Second Win with Personal Best Freestyle Score

It was nip and tuck in a high-quality tussle for the top spot in the Grand Prix Freestyle CDI4*, presented by CabanaCoast. Both Jennifer Williams (USA) and Susan Pape (GBR) scored over 77%, but it was Williams who emerged triumphant, taking her prize-money earnings to $5,500 in 24 hours.

Riding the 19-year-old gelding Millione, who is six years older than any of his challengers, Williams pulled off a career-high score of 77.175% — with Pape trailing by just 0.17 percentage points aboard Harmony’s Eclectisch. This was the second career personal best set by the Millione Partners’ gelding Millione, by Milan, in two days.

For more information and results, visit www.globaldressagefestival.com.