The Grand Prix Special was the test of the day for international competition during the World Equestrian Center (WEC) April Dressage CDI4* presented by Hampton Green Farms at WEC – Ocala on Friday, April 25, 2026. U.S. Olympic team bronze medalist Kasey Perry-Glass and Heartbeat W.P., owned by Diane Perry, took the title in the Grand Prix Special CDI4*, presented by The Fix. In the Grand Prix Special CDI3*, Jodie Kelly-Baxley (USA) and her own Grayton Beach topped the leaderboard. The WEC April Dressage CDI4* concludes on Sunday, April 26, with awards for the Florida Youth Dressage Championships (FYDC) presented by Discover Dressage.
Kasey Perry-Glass (USA) and Heartbeat W.P. scored 69.021% for victory, and Perry-Glass felt that their pirouettes and changes were highlights of the test, in addition to having more power than in Thursday’s Grand Prix CDI4*, where they finished in second place.
“I was really proud of him for stepping up and letting me really ride him through the test, staying with me, and allowing me to put my leg on,” she explained. “Sometimes he can be a bit too hot to where I can’t do that. I was really happy with his energy, especially after a long weekend.”
The Grand Prix Special test suits “Heart,” she added about the 14-year-old KWPN gelding by Charmeur x Ferro. “It really sets him up well in the trot work, which is not his strong suit, but doing so many of those passage-extension transitions really start to bring out a better trot in him.”
This is the pair’s third season together in the grand prix classes and their third FEI show of the year, but they have placed in the top five in every class, including three victories. They were on last year’s U.S. Dressage team in July at CHIO Aachen for the CDIO5* Nations Cup in Germany. For 2026, Perry-Glass hopes to be back in contention for a team spot in a year when the FEI World Championships return to Aachen, Germany. An initial step to that is competing in May’s USEF Grand Prix Dressage National Championships at WEC – Ocala.
“I always look at these types of years as a building process, and I want to test the waters and really find those spots that I can start to raise my scores and start to peak at the right moments,” said the Olympic and World Equestrian Games team medalist. “Obviously, those team events are huge moments to be solid, get your best scores, and really shoot for pushing the limits with your horse and the power. These shows are to get the qualifying scores and to hone in on the things that we really need to solidify in the test. To be able to do that with another horse feels like a blessing, as does working toward being back on teams.”
Perry-Glass was raised in competitive team sports, having participated in basketball, track and field, and golf before she focused specifically on riding during her college years and beyond.
“I’m a really big camaraderie person,” she explained. “I really enjoy rooting on my teammates and lifting my team up. There is something about being a part of teams that really get along and participate with each other; they start to feed off of each other’s energy. I think that it helps you keep improving. Sometimes we can get stuck in our own little worlds, but team events really enhance our ‘Team USA’ trajectory.”
Denielle Gallagher (CAN) and Come Back de Massa, her and Ellen Lazarus’s 14-year-old Lusitano gelding by Galopin de la Font x Quixote SDS, finished in second place with a score of 67.808%. With 66.915%, Lars Petersen (USA) and Sang Real, a 14-year-old Hanoverian stallion by Sir Donnerhall I x Lauries Crusador xx owned by Kim Aiken, placed third.
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