Friday – Pablo Gómez Molina Wins CDI4* Freestyle Debut
Spanish rider Pablo Gómez Molina debuted Servus Ymas in the horse’s first-ever CDI freestyle and topped the Coastal Steel Structures CDI4* Grand Prix Freestyle during Friday Night Stars in Week 5 of the 2026 Adequan® Global Dressage Festival (AGDF) in Wellington, Florida. Their bold Queen routine, which included a spectacular final centerline of piaffe into extended trot into piaffe into halt, was rewarded with 74.49%, with a high score of 76.45% from British judge Stephen Clarke.
Pablo Gómez Molina (ESP) and Servus Ymas topped the CDI4* Grand Prix Freestyle. (Centre Line Media)
Devon Kane of Wellington, FL, finished just behind Gómez Molina with her 74.235% ride to Latin rhythms on Diamante Farms’ 14-year-old gelding Vamos (Vivaldi x Insterburg). She was also awarded the Leading Lady Freestyle Rider Award, sponsored by Frank & Eileen. Susan Dutta (USA) claimed the yellow sash for her disco music routine on Flying D Equine Company’s 16-year-old Don Design DC (Der Designer x Sir Donnerhall).
The class served as a qualifier for the US Open of Dressage series, now in its second year. Seven of this season’s 24 qualifiers are held at AGDF before the final in California in November. Click here for the current standings.
Gómez Molina has been competing Servus Ymas, a 13-year-old San Amour x Depardieu gelding owned by Cristina Danguillecourt, Javier Bacariza and Yeguada De Ymas, since he was five. He was delighted with the horse’s performance, grinning as he completed his test, which was originally designed for another horse.
“I had a bit of doubt about today because in the grand prix he was spooky with the wind and the rain,” said Gómez Molina, who has benefitted from training with Ali Brock over the past month. “But once I got on, he was really focused. There’s no better place to try these things than here.
“This win is really special because we struggled to find our groove last year with Servus,” he continued. “We built up through the levels together, so it’s always rewarding to come to the CDI level and win. He’s really spicy, but also is powerful and fun to ride. The first show we did in Week 1 wasn’t the best, so this one confirms that we progressed and that we keep growing and—hopefully—getting better.
“I want to do the Nations Cup [AGDF 11],” added Gómez Molina, whose groom Lisa Trappitt was awarded the groom’s award, presented by The Horse of Course. “Then, our main goal is to go to Europe to show there and hopefully get a chance to be on the Spanish team [for the FEI World Championships in Germany in August].”
Judge William Warren (USA) said, “Pablo’s horse had some spice, but he made it work in his favor tonight. It all came together for him, and he’s such a showman that he gets the crowd really engaged. It was well choreographed, and it made it exciting to sit in the box and watch Pablo produce what he did.”
Gómez Molina’s victory shot him to the top of the standings in the Stillpoint Dressage Leading International Freestyle Rider rankings, where he is tied for first place with Christian Simonson (USA) and Susan Pape (GBR). A special prize will be awarded to the overall winner at the end of the season.
Click here for full results from the Coastal Steel Structures CDI4* Grand Prix Freestyle.
Geñay Vaughn Tops CDI4* Special
From last draw in the Coastal Steel Structures CDI4* Grand Prix Special, Geñay Vaughn swooped in to log her second win in as many days on her mother Michele Vaughn’s 15-year-old Gino. Their 71.851% was a new high special score for the talented duo from Elk Grove, CA, who have enjoyed a tremendous week in AGDF5.
The top four finishers in the class—which was also held during Friday Night Stars—were all female athletes from the U.S., with Charlotte Jorst producing a huge new personal best of 70.191% on her own and Kastel Denmark’s 13-year-old Zhaplin Langholt. Jorst and the Glock’s Zonik x Stedinger gelding had not ridden a CDI special for more than a year and added almost five percentage points to their previous best of 65.213%. The on-form Meagan Davis steered Scott Durkin’s 13-year-old Totilas gelding Toronto Lightfoot into third with 68.383%.
Vaughn’s score would likely have been higher if not for a break to canter in one of the early extended trots along the rail. Gino’s piaffe/passage work was of high quality with a lot of elasticity and engagement.
“I think he really loves the environment,” said Vaughn. “Gino is a showman, and he really showed up in there. He’s the best horse I’ve ever had—the best horse I’ve ever ridden. He’s unbelievable and I’m very grateful for him.”
Vaughn’s high score, 73.83%, came from judge at M, William Warren. He said, “I think the harmony between these two is exceptional. They just keep getting better and better, and when things go a little bit wrong, she doesn’t react, and he trusts her.”
Click here for results from the Coastal Steel Structures CDI4* FEI Grand Prix Special.
Saturday – Christian Simonson’s ‘Little Lion’ Roars to First CDI Win
Christian Simonson had never ridden a CDI special on Fleau De Baian, and made his debut a winning one in the Modon CDI3* Grand Prix Special. Aboard the 16-year-old Jazz x Ulft stallion, Simonson led the field of 14 with a 70% score on a sunny Saturday during Week 5 of the 12-week 2026 Adequan® Global Dressage Festival (AGDF) in Wellington, FL.
Ashley Holzer joined Simonson on the all-American podium, slotting into second with 69.447% on her own and Diane Fellows’ 14-year-old San Amour mare, Hawtins San Floriana. Jennifer Williams and the 12-year-old Rousseau gelding Joppe K’s 68.872% earned them the yellow ribbon.
Simonson and Fleau De Baian earned plenty of eights, mitigating the dip in marks for mistakes in both lines of changes on the diagonal, though the one-times down the centerline were lovely. This result marked the first CDI win for the duo since Simonson took over the reins in late 2023 from Adelinde Cornelissen, who also rode Fleau De Baian’s full brother Parzival at two Olympic Games.
The win was particularly sweet for Simonson as he and Fleau De Baian were eliminated for a blood speck in the horse’s mouth at the conclusion of his grand prix test during AGDF 3.
“Horses are always a learning process, and with ‘Felix’ I’ve learned an immense amount about them already,” said the 23-year-old rider. “It’s a testament to my trainer Adrienne [Lyle] and the team that we can deconstruct what happened and look at how we can best understand it and move forward. Today was a good reflection of our mentality to always try to do right by our horses, understand them better and present them better.
“Felix has so much strength and just wants to go, go, go—especially in the last extended trot today. I was thinking, ‘Oh man, don’t break—if we break, Adrienne will be upset with me!’,” continued the Wellington, FL-based Simonson. “We had mistakes in the changes, but that’s just him and me learning how to compete in the stadium. I was able to do the piaffe transitions really well, though. He has such a good heart and really tries his hardest.
“This was our first special and I’ve only done a couple of them total, so it’s been really fun,” he added. “It’s very different than the grand prix or freestyle because there are so many transitions. Last season, we were only focusing on the U25 with Felix, so it’s been kind of a refinement. At home, we’re focusing on suppleness and elasticity with him. Around the barn, he loves showing off and yelling at the other horses, but he is never wild and is good-natured. He’ll scream, but doesn’t actually do anything, which is cute. We call him a little lion because he loves roaring at everyone.”
Click here for results from the Modon CDI3* Grand Prix Special
Top Canadian Results:
- On Thursday in the CDI1* Prix St Georges, Brittany Fraser-Beaulieu won riding the 11-year-old Hanoverian gelding Fürst Foundation (70.412%), owned by Deer Ridge Equestrian, and Camille Carier Bergeron was second with her eight-year-old Oldenburg mare MSJ Valentia Roma (67.176%).
- On Friday, in the CDI1* FEI Intermediate 1, Camille Carier Bergeron won riding MSJ Valentia Roma
(68.853%), Laurence Blais Tétreault was 3rd with her sister Mathilde’s Lennon (67.706%), and Camille Carier Bergeron was also 4th with her own eight-year-old Oldenberg gelding MSJ Fürst Zonik (67.382%).
All AGDF 5 results here.
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