By Alice Collins for Wellington International
Wellington, Fla. – March 13, 2026—Although only one rider can occupy the highest step of the podium, there were effectively two winners from Friday night’s Lövsta Stuteri World Cup™ Grand Prix Freestyle. The German anthem played for Frederic Wandres’ top score of 76.24% with Hof Kasselmann’s Verrenberg, but it also felt like a victory for second-placed Kevin Kohmann (USA), whose result in the showcase class of Week 10 at the 2026 Adequan® Global Dressage Festival (AGDF) secured him a start in April’s FEI World Cup™ Final in Texas. Spain’s Pablo Gomez rounded out the all-male podium and added another flag to the top trio.
Frederic Wandres & Verrenberg. Photo ©Centre Line Media
Wandres gave much of the credit for his personal-best performance on Verrenberg—at 10, the youngest horse in the nine-horse starting lineup—to his fiancée, Lars Ligus. Ligus rode the Vilancio x Johnson gelding for several weeks while Wandres was in Germany, with Wandres only returning to Florida at the start of Week 10. Fittingly, Ligus was presented with the Lövsta-sponsored grooms award of $500 for his care and preparation of Verrenberg.
Lars Ligus was presented with the Lövsta-sponsored grooms award of $500 for his care and preparation of Verrenberg. Photo ©Centre Line Media
“He’s a really promising horse,” said Wandres, who was on the German Olympic gold medal-winning team in Paris with Bluetooth OLD. “Of course, there’s a lot to improve, and Verrenberg is a bit green here and there, but he has everything. He’s very consistent in the arena to bring these good results already at this young age, which is not so normal.
“I was wondering whether we should do the three-star or the World Cup freestyle this week, but we so love the Friday nights under the lights, so the decision was made. It’s so special for us here,” continued Wandres, who rode to a freestyle soundtrack originally put together for Bluetooth. “This is Verrenberg’s fifth CDI and he becomes better and better—I think the future looks promising for him.”
Kevin Kohmann & Dünensee. Photo ©Centre Line Media
Kohmann was laser-focused on qualifying for his third straight FEI World Cup™ Final on Diamante Farms’ 17-year-old Dancier x Davignon I gelding, Dünensee. Not only did he need to finish as the top North American rider in the class, he also needed to score more than 73.85%. Once his score of 75.715% was announced, he had an anxious wait to see if Ashley Holzer (USA) would top him.
A few mistakes crept into Holzer’s test on Hawtins San Floriana, and they finished in fourth with 73.555%, gaining Holzer the Frank & Eileen Leading Lady Rider award for Week 10. Only then could Kohmann celebrate his remarkable achievement of becoming the second U.S. rider this century to qualify for three straight FEI World Cup™ Finals on the same horse—also achieved by Laura Graves and Verdades.
Ashley Holzer is presented with the Frank & Eileen Leading Lady Rider Award. Photo ©Centre Line Media
Kohmann joins his fellow U.S. athlete Christian Simonson on Indian Rock and Canadian rider Brittany Fraser-Beaulieu on Jaccardo, taking the third and final automatic qualification spot on the FEI World Cup™ North American League.
“I was standing on the side very nervous because when you have a rider like Ashley at the end, she could easily have beaten me,” admitted the Wellington-based Kohmann. “We got lucky today. ‘Dunee’ felt amazing. For the mistake in the two-tempis, I put the blame on the rider, but in the rest, he gave me everything.
“This guy still feels like he’s eight years old,” he added. “This horse has such a big heart. He made my career; he changed everything. If you’d told me four years ago that we’d make it to the World Cup™ Finals three times in a row, I’d have told you you were crazy. This is incredible and I’m stunned.”
Pablo Gómez Molina & Ulises de Ymas. Photo ©Centre Line Media
Gómez Molina was also riding an experienced horse, the 16-year-old Ulises De Ymas. He was bred by Yeguada De Ymas and Gomez Molina has been riding him for 11 years, producing him up through the competitive ranks.
“My night wasn’t as eventful as Kevin and Frederic’s, but it’s always fun to show him here, we love riding under the lights,” said Gómez Molina, whose result elevated him to second place on the Stillpoint Farm Leading International Freestyle Rider leaderboard.
President of the ground jury, C judge Thomas Keßler, also noted that the ‘Friday Night Stars’ gala evening is a treat for everyone involved.
“It’s a special atmosphere with the stadium full of spectators,” he said. “You can’t find this all over the world, it’s only like this at a few shows. Tonight, the sun was setting over the first four horses and the light was amazing.”
Watch The Winning Test
The freestyle class doubled as a qualifier for the US Equestrian Open of Dressage series, now in its second season. This year, it features 24 qualifiers—seven of which are at AGDF—before the final in California in November. Click here for the live standings.
Click for full results from the Lövsta Stuteri World Cup™ Grand Prix Freestyle.
In the final qualifier in the Lövsta Future Challenge Intermediate II series, Dawn White-O’Connor snapped up a place in the Week 11 final with a win on Leon from the field of seven U.S. athletes. She rode Four Winds Farm’s nine-year-old gelding by the Vivaldi son Decor Ferdinand to 67%. Second-placed Ashley Holzer and Derek, P.J. Rizvi’s 10-year-old Morricone gelding, scored 65.853%, though they had already qualified earlier in the season. The ticket for the final passed down to third-placed Eline Eckroth, who rode Connie Duff Wise’s 11-year-old Eye Catcher gelding, Key To Be Fabulous, to 65.088%.
Dawn White-O’Connor & Leon. Photo ©Centre Line Media
The series is designed to give up-and-coming big tour horses from eight to 11 years old exposure to the atmosphere of a championship show without some of the added pressures, such as stabling away from home for multiple days. The grand final is set to take place on Friday, March 20, 2026.
Click for full results of Week 10’s Lövsta Future Challenge qualifier.
Competition in AGDF 10 continues on Saturday, March 14, with the day’s marquee class, the Adequan® CDI3* Grand Prix Special, starting at 1:30 p.m. ET. Of the 13 combinations lining out, the winner of Thursday’s qualifying grand prix, Erin Nichols, will be looking to repeat the feat—chased by the Paris Olympics reserve combination of Endel Ots on Zen Elite’s Bohemian and rising stars Jordan LaPlaca and Gold Play.
The final international show of the 2026 AGDF takes place during Week 11, which features the only FEI Dressage Nations Cup competition of the season. AGDF, which hosts seven weeks of CDI competition over three months, runs through March 29, 2026. For more information, results, and to watch all the classes in the International Arena live or on catch-up, visit www.wellingtoninternational.com.
