By Alice Collins for Wellington International
Wellington, Fla. – February 27, 2026—Two top-level classes highlighted the ‘Friday Night Stars’ gala evening during Week 8 at the 2026 Adequan® Global Dressage Festival (AGDF) in Wellington, FL. Tinne Vilhelmson Silfvén (SWE) led the Donato Farms CDI4* Grand Prix Freestyle, while Jennifer Williams came out on top of an all-female Donato Farms CDI4* Grand Prix Special riding Joppe K.
Tinne Vilhelmson Silfvén & Hyatt. ©Centre Line Media
As Vilhelmson Silfvén passaged one-handed down the final centerline of her charming freestyle test on Lövsta Stuteri’s 14-year-old Hyatt, whoops and cheers rang out. Their final score of 78% was their second highest to date. Germany’s Michael Klimke rode the youngest horse in the class, 12-year-old Harmony’s Fado (Fairytale x Sir Donnerhall), into second place in the horse’s second-ever CDI freestyle, with a new personal best of 74.77%. U.S. athlete Susan Dutta rounded out the podium representing a third nation with her 72.895% ride on Flying D Equine Company’s 16-year-old Don Design DC (Der Designer x Sir Donnerhall).
Michael Klimke & Harmony’s Fado. Photo ©Centre Line Media
Susan Dutta & Don Design DC. Photo ©Centre Line Media
Vilhelmson Silfvén has been riding Hyatt (Apache x Sandreo) since March 2023 and has always maintained her belief in the compact, willing mare’s talent for the higher scores. Her prediction is proving well-founded.
“Last year, I didn’t dare to compete Hyatt in the Friday night class because she is really motivated and very awake,” said the seven-time Olympian who earned week eight’s Leading Lady Freestyle Rider Award, sponsored by Frank & Eileen. “Over the past year, I started to think it could work. I took her in the five-star and she got really excited, but today she was super.
Tinne Vilhelmson Silfvén, mounted on Hyatt, is presented with the Frank & Eileen Leading Lady Award by Thomas Baur. Photo ©Centre Line Media
“I’m always searching for the balance between power and relaxation, and I don’t always succeed,” she continued. “What horses need is to have trust in you and to like their work. You need a smart setup for every horse, which is different for every animal, so you figure out what’s good for them. For sure, the chance to ride here in the winter, at this show with perfect atmosphere, is a super opportunity to teach the horses how to go.”
Vilhelmson Silfvén rode to a Beach Boys medley put together for her London and Rio Olympics mount Don Auriello 12 years ago by Cees Slings, who died in October 2025, making this performance especially poignant.
Groom for Tinne Vilhelmson Silfvén, Anna Forsman, was awarded The Horse of Course Groom’s Award for her care of Hyatt. Photo ©Centre Line Media
“I’ve been resting this freestyle and it’s dear to me,” said Vilhelmson Silfvén, whose groom Anna Forsman was presented with the groom’s award and a check for $500, sponsored by The Horse of Course. “I realized that some of the judges haven’t heard it either. My goal tonight was that Hyatt would trust me and go. She was ‘on it’ and yet could still walk out on a long rein and be a happy horse, and I’m very pleased about that.”
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Hyatt’s schedule includes one more CDI show at AGDF before returning to Europe and embarking on the selection process for the Swedish team for the FEI World Championships in Aachen, Germany, in August.
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.
Tinne Vilhelmson Silfvén & Hyatt are presented as winners of the Donato Farms CDI4* Grand Prix Freestyle. ©Centre Line Media
Jennifer Williams Claims Special
Five female American riders battled it out in the Donato Farms CDI4* Grand Prix Special, with Jennifer Williams and Joppe K logging 70.128% to take the blue ribbon—their first four-star victory. The judges could not decide between Ashley Holzer’s test on Hawtins San Floriana and Meagan Davis’s ride on Toronto Lightfoot, awarding both an overall score of 69.192%. The placings were decided on the collective marks, with Holzer garnering a higher harmony average to bag second place with her own and Diane Fellows’s 14-year-old mare by San Amour. Davis and Scott Durkin’s 13-year-old Totilas gelding were awarded the yellow ribbon.
The 2026 AGDF is Joppe K’s seventh straight season competing in Wellington, so it comes as no surprise that he is relaxed in the ring. The 12-year-old gelding by Rousseau has been competing at international grand prix for four years, and this was his highest Special score since April 2024.
Jennifer Williams & Joppe K. Photo ©Centre Line Media
“It was a great night,” enthused Williams, who trains with Oded Shimoni and Christophe Theallet. “The atmosphere was helpful for us, and the weather was cooler, with a bit of a feeling of a storm brewing, and he felt that energy. I really wanted the harmony and the joy to come out in the ride. I felt like we were united and well connected.
“I felt blessed that they put the special into tonight’s program [rather than during the day], because that’s where Joppe really shines. Sometimes the 80-degree weather can be a lot, and I want to keep him motivated. With Joppe, it’s important that we keep things fresh and fun, so we do a lot of hacking. He obviously knows the movements now, so fitness is the key, along with keeping things light.”
Jennifer Williams & Joppe K are presented as winners of the Donato Farms CDI4* Grand Prix Special. Photo ©Centre Line Media
Like Vilhelmson Silfvén, Williams plans to compete in one of the two remaining CDIs at AGDF 2026. She would also like to show at the USEF Grand Prix National Championship in May, and be considered for the European tour squad in the summer.
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Palm Beach Derby
The final of the 43rd edition of the ever-popular Palm Beach Derby knock-out competition took place between the Grand Prix classes. Jennifer Hoffmann (USA) and Chris von Martels (CAN) emerged victorious from the semi-finals held earlier in the day to step forward for the final. In this competition, top riders team up with an unfamiliar horse and perform the Prix St. Georges under test conditions after just five minutes to get acquainted.
Chris von Martels & Esquire WS. Photo ©Centre Line Media
The horse for the final was Sarah Colson’s nine-year-old Escolar gelding, Esquire WS, whose regular rider is Australian Hope Beerling. Esquire and Beerling were placed first in Thursday’s Prix St. Georges test, which is how the horse to be used for the final is determined.
First to go, Hoffmann put down a 69.596% ride on Esquire WS. Von Marels climbed into the saddle and produced a powerful, expressive 72.758% on the attractive Westphalian to clinch the Palm Beach Dressage Derby title for the second time, after also winning in 2016. Aside from the five-time winner Cristoph Koschel, Von Martels is the only rider to have won more than once.
The final of the 43rd edition of the ever-popular Palm Beach Derby knock-out competition took place between the Grand Prix classes. Photo ©Centre Line Media
Click here for full results from AGDF 8.
Dressage competition during AGDF 8 continues Saturday, February 28, with the day’s marquee class, the Mission Control CDI3* Grand Prix Special, starting at 11.20am ET. AGDF, which hosts seven weeks of CDI competition over three months, runs through March 29. For more information, results, and to watch all the classes in the International Arena live or on catch-up, visit www.wellingtoninternational.com.
