Brittany Fraser-Beaulieu and Jaccardo Win Future Challenge

The Lövsta Future Challenge developing grand prix horse final awarded a champion title to Canadian Olympian Brittany Fraser-Beaulieu for her energetic 72.5% performance on Jill Irving’s 11-year-old Jaccardo. The final, in which horses performed the FEI Young Horse Grand Prix test, took place on Friday, March 28, in the main stadium at Wellington International’s Adequan® Global Dressage Festival and offered a $10,000 prize pot.

Marcus Orlob (USA) continued his successful week on Alice Tarjan-owned horses, finishing reserve champion on the stallion JJ Glory Day with 70.842%. Kelly Layne repeated her third-place finish from the previous year to once again take the yellow sash with her own and Eva Levy’s Living Diamond.

The Lövsta Future Challenge is open to horses from eight to 11 years old. The class encourages riders to bring their up-and-coming international quality horses out in a championship-type environment without the pressures of a CDI, such as having to stable away from home. The series continues to grow in popularity, attracting 48 entries this season. All qualifying rounds held throughout AGDF 2025 used the FEI Intermediate II test, so the final was a step up in intensity.

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Fraser-Beaulieu has had the ride on Jaccardo, a Dutch Warmblood gelding by Desperado x Jazz, since Irving bought him in Wellington in early 2023. The horse scored eights and 8.5s across the board for his extended walk and was very concentrated in the atmospheric arena despite a stiff breeze.

“We are over the moon to have won tonight,” said Fraser-Beaulieu, who also won the previous day’s optional warm-up class with Jaccardo. “The horse gives me a sense of secure power. Sometimes he’s a little bit cheeky, but what I need is to give him space and allow him to settle into the movement. I’m not putting too much pressure on him in the ring right now, I just want him to have a great experience so he’s ready for grand prix next year.

“We’re so lucky to have this class, to get into the main ring at AGDF, and to get the young horses used to it all in a class like this. It’s very positive on their way to grand prix and I’m so grateful for the opportunity to participate in the Lövsta Future Challenge,” added Fraser-Beaulieu, who worked with her long-time coach Ashley Holzer to prepare Jaccardo for the final.

Orlob presented JJ Glory Day (by Grand Galaxy Win T x Deemster) in a snaffle and their sheet was peppered with eights, but they had the misfortune of a rain squall passing over mid-test, causing a few spooky moments.

“Unfortunately, he wasn’t happy with the flower boxes today, but I can’t be mad at him,” mused Orlob, who has been riding the nine year-old—the equal youngest in the final—since he was four. “He’s a great guy. I think he has all the elements to be a good grand prix horse; he’s spicy enough, but not stupid in the head and he likes to work. We’ll do a couple more national grands prix now, then hopefully next season start in some CDIs.”

Despite Layne’s apparent consistency with Living Diamond, she had in fact not competed the 10-year-old Livaldon x Fürst Rousseau gelding since the 2024 Lövsta final as she handed the reins over to a young rider in the interim.

“I got the ride back as purely my horse in the last two months which is why I was so late qualifying, but I was able to put it all together to be here,” said Layne, who previously represented her native Australia—including at the Tokyo Olympics—but switched codes to ride for the U.S. a month ago.

Antonia Ax:son Johnson of series sponsor Lövsta Stuteri said, “The idea for this series all started when I met Tinne [Vilhelmson Silfvén] 25 years ago. She came to work with me and I asked her what was lacking in the production of top horses, and she said it was this for developing horses, so we decided to start it.

“At first we could hardly find anyone who wanted to enter, but today we have a really strong tour in the U.S and Sweden and Amsterdam,” she continued. “We have it for jumping and dressage, and for young riders also, so we’re trying to grow this in a systematic way. Wellington is a place where we can give our horses, but also to others, an opportunity to grow and to learn at their own pace.”

A grooms prize was awarded to each of the top three grooms: Fraser Beaulieu’s groom Julie-Anne Munns was handed a cheque for $1,500, with both Orlob’s groom Allison Nemeth and Layne’s groom Gabrielle Angelico each picking up a $750 prize.

Click HERE for full results of the Lövsta Future Challenge Final

Camille Carier Bergeron and Finnländerin 3rd in CDI4* Grand Prix Freestyle

Three female Olympians filled the podium in the Lövsta Stuteri CDI4* Grand Prix Freestyle on March 28, during the season’s final edition of the popular ‘Friday Night Stars’ gala evening. U.S. Olympic team bronze medalist from Rio 2016 Kasey Perry-Glass and Heartbeat W.P. logged their third international win of the 2025 Adequan® Global Dressage Festival (AGDF) in Wellington, FL. They scored 75.915%, with a high score of 77.675% from the judge at B, Kurt Christensen.

Ashley Holzer— a four-time Olympian for Canada before electing to ride for the U.S.—set a new combination high score for second place, piloting Hawtins San Floriana to 74.84%. Camille Carier Bergeron rode her Paris Olympic partner Finnländerin into third place with 73.37%.

Perry-Glass debuted the now 13-year-old Heartbeat a year ago at AGDF and has been fine-tuning the Charmeur x Ferro gelding’s performances inside the boards, aided by Adrienne Lyle who came up with their floorplan.

“There was a lot of power and a lot to contain, but I’m starting to be able to manage it,” explained Perry-Glass, who rode to a bespoke Tom Hunt soundtrack featuring the sound of a heartbeat. “Sometimes ‘Heart’ tries to overpower me, but tonight he proved that he can keep the power underneath me. It’s about figuring out what works for him, but once I get in the ring, he’s a true showman and he stepped up.”

Holzer also rode to Tom Hunt music with a patriotic American twist on the 13-year-old Hanoverian, San Floriana (San Amour x Florestan). They produced a new personal best despite only having received the new music three days before the class. Holzer bought the British-bred mare, whom she co-owns with Diane Fellows, just over a year ago from Carl Hester and Charlotte Dujardin.

“She’s really the first trained horse I’ve taken over the ride on, and I found that a bit tricky,” explained Holzer. “I struggled to feel that bond with her. I took her to Carl’s last summer and worked on trying to create a partnership. It’s really just in the last few weeks that I’ve started to feel that she’s speaking my language. She really tries so hard, and it’s special when you feel a horse start to become your teammate.”

Of her choice of patriotic music, she added: “I’m an immigrant. I came to the States a number of years ago when I met my husband. The music spoke to me about America welcoming people. I’m a new American and I’ve been embraced by this country.”

Carier Bergeron rode to a Joost Peters soundtrack on Finnländerin, a 15-year-old Fidertanz x Donnerhall mare whom she co-owns with her father, Gilles Bergeron.

“That test was one of the times she’s felt the most relaxed and most connected with me—very accessible,” said the 24-year-old. “The trot tour felt like a win to me, and the piaffe/passage. We had some bobbles in the canter tempis at the end of the test, but other than that I was really happy with her.”

Fellow Canadian Naïma Moreira Laliberté placed 5th riding Statesman, scoring 72.885%.

Judge at C Janet Foy (USA), who is herself a ballroom dancer, said, “That was really fun for the judges. I’m a dancer, so there was a lot of great stuff going on in there. The top five or six horses were really special and did a great job. It’s a great way to finish the season.”

The class doubled up as part of one of the 24 qualifying events held around the country for the inaugural season of the US Equestrian Open of Dressage, with the final set for mid-November in California. Anna Marek (USA) currently sits atop the rankings with 88 points, with Germany’s Evelyn Eger (85 points) in second and the USA’s Karen Lipp (70 points) in third.

Click HERE for full results from the CDI4* Grand Prix Freestyle, sponsored by Lövsta Stuteri

~ with files from Alice Collins for Wellington International