Wayne, Ill. – The 2025 U.S. Dressage Festival of Champions got underway Monday with the first tests for entries in the Intermediaire I and Adequan/USEF U.S. Para Dressage National Championships. All entries in the three divisions passed the inspection on Sunday afternoon after being presented to the veterinary panel in the Grand Prix Arena at HITS Chicago at Lamplight Equestrian Center.
USEF Intermediaire I Dressage National Championship
The first class of the show came in with 13 entries strong on Monday morning as the Intermediare I contenders completed their FEI Prix St. Georges test. Coming in around the midpoint of the order, Jojoba de Massa, a 2014 Portuguese Sporthorse stallion owned by Four Winds Farm and ridden by Sabine Schut-Kery (Thousand Oaks, Calif.) moved into the lead with an average score of 72.235% and stayed there for the rest of the class.
Vincent, a 2017 Oldenburg gelding owned and shown by Elizabeth Bortuzzo (Frenchtown, N.J.), co-owned by Mark Paul, earned second place with a 70.647%. C. Cadeau, a 2016 Danish Warmblood gelding owned by the Elvis Syndicate LLC and ridden by Lauren Spreiser, clinched third place with a 70.235 %
The Intermediaire I championship will continue on Tuesday with the FEI Intermediate I tests beginning at 9:00 a.m. CT/10:00 a.m. ET.
Adequan®/USEF Intermediaire I Para Dressage National Championship
The new FEI Para Intermediaire division is making its national championship debut at this year’s Festival of Champions, and three horse-and-athlete combinations came to compete. Carrera GH, a 2005 Hanoverian mare owned by Tami Glover and ridden by Victoria Yu (Coatesville, Pa.) were the first pair down the centerline for their FEI Para Intermediate Test A and ultimately earned the top placing in the class with a 63.570%. Divino, a 2000 Hanoverian gelding owned by Roberta Clark and ridden by Sienna Busking (Owasso, Okla.) placed second on a 62.936%. Baltico BRH, a 2018 PRE gelding ridden and owned by Elizabeth Welch (Summerville, S.C.) finished in a close third place with a 61.606%.
Adequan®/USEF Grand Prix Para Dressage National Championship
The Grand Prix Para Dressage division saw another three combinations completing their FEI Para Grand Prix Test A. Supreme, a 2016 Westphalian stallion shown and owned by Kate Shoemaker (Wellington, Fla.) impressed the judges to earn a score of 74.444% and the top spot in the class. Rumour Has It, a 2012 Hanoverian gelding owned by Simone Van Der Schalk and ridden by Roxanne Trunnell (Royal Palm Beach, Fla.), finished in second place on a score of 69.583%. My Moment, a 2010 Hanoverian mare ridden and owned by Eleanor Brimmer (Wellington, Fla.) took third with a 68.850%.
Both sections of the Adequan®/USEF Para Dressage National Championship will continue on Tuesday beginning at 11:55 a.m. CT/12:55 p.m. ET.
2025 U.S. Dressage Festival of Champions Live Stream
The 2025 U.S. Dressage Festival of Champions is streaming live on USEF Network, brought to you by Adequan. US Equestrian fans, subscribers, and members can access the live stream, and subscribers and members will be able to watch replays on demand. Learn more here.
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