Wellington, Fla. – The Dutta Corp. U.S. Dressage Team captured gold at the 2026 FEI Dressage Nations Cup™ USA CDIO3* on Thursday at the Adequan Global Dressage Festival in Wellington, Fla., ending a five-year winning streak by Team Germany, to close out an exciting finish to team competition. With a combined score of 205.631, the U.S. edged out Germany, who finished on a final team score of 205.043. Canada rounded out the podium with a score of 204.196, to mark one of the closest results in recent memory. The U.S. reclaimed the top of the podium for the first time since 2021. The U.S. CDIOU25 Team also opened their 2026 season competing in the FEI Intermediate II Test.
Chef d'Equipe Christine Traurig guided the team, which blended seasoned experience with Marek and Holzer, and exciting new talents in LaPlaca and Davis. "When a team comes together and there's camaraderie and they all know what is at stake, it's pretty incredible what can be done," Traurig said. She was quick to praise each combination's contribution to the gold-medal effort. "Anna [Marek] and Fayvel really took the team home, so to speak. Ashley [Holzer] is extremely experienced in international competition. Meagan is very talented and I think she really did a wonderful job. I find Gold Play to be an extremely talented horse, and I think it was a fabulous experience for he and Jordan [LaPlaca]. They all have a great future ahead."
Ashley Holzer (Wellington, Fla.) led the U.S. charge down the centerline aboard Hawtins San Floriana, a 2012 Hanoverian mare (San Amour x Floriana Elite) co-owned by Holzer and Diane Fellows, posting a score of 67.652%. It marked the first Nations Cup for the partnership, and Holzer delivered what she described as a milestone performance. "I have not done a clean test ever on this horse until today — so I'm pretty thrilled for her. She delivered when it really counted," she said. "When you feel that actual connection in the ring and your horse working for you, they've got your back – that is a special feeling."
Meagan Davis (Loxahatchee, Fla.) and Toronto Lightfoot, a 2013 Oldenburg gelding (Totilas x Okima Lightfoot) owned by Scott Durkin, scored 68.544% in Davis's senior Nations Cup team debut. Despite a helicopter passing overhead during their test, the pair never wavered. "[Toronto Lightfoot] looked to me, I said, ‘We're fine,’ and off we went," Davis said. "He just trusted me and we went in and did our job."
Jordan LaPlaca (Ledyard, Conn.) also made his senior Nations Cup team debut with Gold Play, a 2015 Oldenburg gelding (Grey Flannell x Shangra La) co-owned by LaPlaca and Nancy Hutson, earning 65.131%. "Each day for me is a win just being on him," LaPlaca said. "To be on a team that is so strong, to gain this experience with everybody, you can't beat it."
Anna Marek (Dunnellon, Fla.) anchored the team aboard Fayvel, a 2010 Dutch Warmblood gelding (Zizi Top x Ofra) owned by Cynthia Davila, delivering the team's highest score of the day with a 69.435%, to finish third overall in the FEI Grand Prix and seal the gold for the U.S. After going last, Marek embraced the pressure. "Christine chose me to go last, which is always a big honor," she said. "You feel a bit of extra pressure as the anchor, especially after watching your teammates ride the test. I went in [to the arena] wanting to ride the best I could for them."
In the CDIOU25 Intermediate II, Alicia Berger (Wellington, Fla.) and Aqua Marin, a 2011 Oldenburg gelding (Ampere x Stedinger Heide), co-owned by Alicia and Marianne Berger, led the field of five, scoring a 65.500% to top the leaderboard. The duo produced a harmonious test to achieve one of two scores for the U.S. counting towards the team’s overall score. Allison Nemeth (Flemington, N.J.) and Leviathan, her own 2016 KWPN gelding (Desperado x Hester), followed close behind Berger, finishing with a score of 65.353%, to place second overall, while Sophia Schults (Ocala, Fla.) and Conocido HGF, her own 2012 PRE gelding (Cosaco XI x Luz de Luna HGF), earned 62.265%% to finish in fourth place. The U.S. CDIOU25 Team’s final combined team score after the Intermediate II was 130.853.
Competition continues at AGDF with the FEI Grand Prix Freestyle CDIO3* tomorrow, March 20, beginning at 7:00 p.m. ET. The CDIOU25 Grand Prix 16-25 will start at 1:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, March 21, followed by the FEI Grand Prix Special CDIO3* at 2:45 p.m. ET. The CDIOU25 competition concludes on Sunday, March 22 with their FEI Grand Prix Freestyle CDIOU25 at 11:20 a.m. ET.
Schedule & Results
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