By Alice Collins for Wellington International
Wellington, Fla. – February 22, 2026—Two Hopes topped the Buffalo Wild Wings Prix St. Georges Future Challenge on Sunday, the headline class of the final day of week seven at the 12-week 2026 Adequan® Global Dressage Festival (AGDF) in Wellington, FL. Hope Cooper (USA) took the win, with Australia’s Hope Beerling slotting into second.
Hope Cooper & Madelivia. Photo ©Centre Line Media
Cooper rode JKS Dressage Horses, LLC’s nine-year-old mare Madelivia (Ferdinand x Chippendale) to 69.608%, collecting her ticket to the final during week 11 in the development series for up-and-coming small tour horses aged seven to nine. The series is designed to offer riders a chance to show their up-and-coming international-quality horses in a championship-type environment without the pressures of a CDI—such as having to stable away from home—so they can set them up for success at high-profile shows.
Beerling snapped up the other qualifying ticket with a 67.157% ride on Sarah Colson’s nine-year-old Escolar x Vitalis gelding, Esquire WS. Michael Klimke (GER) added another flag to the podium, slotting into third with 66.912% on Harmony Amateur Sports Foundation’s eight-year-old Harmony’s Freeport 2 (Foundation x Fürst Romancier). A rainbow collective of five nations was represented in the starting line-up of 10 combinations.
Cooper has been riding Madelivia for less than three months, after bringing together a partnership with her mother, USDF Gold Medalist Jane Karol, and co-owner Jennifer Silver to buy a horse intended for sale. However, that plan is fast evolving as Cooper taps into more of the mare’s talent.
Hope Cooper & Madelivia are presented as winners of the Buffalo Wild Wings Prix St. Georges Future Challenge. Photo ©Centre Line Media
“Caroline Rothman found her in Holland,” said the 29-year-old Cooper, who hails from Concord, Mass., and spends winters in Wellington. “I told Caroline I’d like a fun, willing little horse to develop, and she found exactly that. She’s much more than I expected. She’s turned into quite a special mare—dynamite in a little package.
“I’ve only shown her a few times, and she’s been a little shy in the arena,” continued Cooper. “My favorite part of today was that as soon as I got in there and realized she was okay, she brought out her best, biggest self. The changes are always a highlight, and the trot tour is pure fun. You can steer her with your pinky fingers.”
Madelivia is making quick progress up the training ladder thanks to her can-do attitude, and Cooper is eyeing developing grand prix classes with her this summer. For now, this development tour at AGDF is the perfect stepping stone.
“The Buffalo Wild Wings class is such an incredible opportunity because it’s high pressure, but also low pressure at the same time for these young horses,” continued Cooper, who already qualified Quintus G (Quartz 7) for the final via their second-place finish in week three’s qualifier. “It’s like a national class, but you get into the CDI ring with the CDI judges, and that’s unique. Getting this practice over and over again, if you need to get in there a few weekends in a row, is amazing. I don’t think you could ask for a better setup for getting your horse used to the arena—it almost feels like cheating sometimes.”
In the La Donaira Lusitanos Future Challenge qualifier, a development series for five- and six-year-olds, Charell Garcia (USA) led the way, riding Jennifer Vanover’s MW Royalty (Viva Gold x Royal Prince) to a 76.8% score to qualify them for the final, also being held in week 11.
Click for full results from AGDF 7.
Sunday’s classes mark the end of competition in AGDF 7. International dressage returns with a CDI4* during AGDF 8, Mary Anne McPhail Memorial Week (February 25-March 1), and a USEF rated show in the national rings. The 2026 AGDF, which hosts seven weeks of CDI competition over three months, runs through March 29. For more information, results, and to watch the free live stream from the International Arena, visit www.wellingtoninternational.com.
