Wellington, Fla. – The Dutta Corp. U.S. Dressage Team will start the 2017 FEI Nations Cup™ season when they compete in the Stillpoint Farm FEI Nations Cup™ CDIO3*, March 22-24, at the Adequan® Global Dressage Festival (AGDF) in Wellington. Two U.S. teams will compete in the U25 Nations Cup running alongside the Stillpoint Farm FEI Nations Cup™, March 22-24.
Under the direction of Chef d’Equipe Robert Dover, the team of Shelly Francis with Doktor, Olivia LaGoy-Weltz with Lonoir, Arlene “Tuny” Page with Woodstock, and Lisa Wilcox with Galant will look to close out the Festival on a high note when they take on Canada and Spain. The FEI Grand Prix and FEI Grand Prix Special will account for the team score. Three members of each team will compete in the FEI Grand Prix Freestyle to determine individual honors. The U.S. has drawn first in the order and will compete in the following order:
Arlene “Tuny” Page with Woodstock: Page (Wellington, Fla.) and her own Woodstock bring a wealth of Nations Cup experience to CDIO3* Wellington. She and the 2003 Dutch Warmblood gelding were part of the team gold-medal efforts during the 2016 Stillpoint Farm FEI Nations Cup™ and won team bronze and team silver last year at CDIO5* Rotterdam and CDIO5* Aachen, respectively. Most recently, they placed second in the FEI Grand Prix Special CDI-W during week eight of the AGDF.
Olivia LaGoy-Weltz with Lonoir: LaGoy-Weltz (Haymarket, Va.) will make her big tour Nations Cup debut at CDIO3* Wellington with Lonoir. She and her 2004 Danish Warmblood gelding have secured four top-three placings since making their debut at the FEI Grand Prix level at the 2016 AGDF. Most recently, they won the FEI Grand Prix Special CDI-W during week seven of the AGDF and placed second in the FEI Grand Prix CDI-W and FEI Grand Prix Freestyle CDI3* during week eight and week five, respectively.
Shelly Francis with Doktor: Francis (Loxahatchee, Fla.) and Doktor, Patricia Stempel’s 2003 Oldenburg gelding, have gotten off to a consistent start to the competition season at AGDF). Most recently, they placed third in the FEI Grand Prix CDI-W and the FEI Grand Prix Freestyle CDI-W during week seven. They placed second in the FEI Grand Prix Special CDI5* in week five. They have been a reliable combination for the U.S. in several Nations Cup competitions and bring an impressive list of accolades into CDIO3* Wellington. Last year, they earned team gold medals at CDIO5* Compiègne, France, and the 2016 Stillpoint Farm FEI Nations Cup™, as well as team silver medals at CDIO5* Rotterdam, The Netherlands, and CDIO5* Aachen, Germany.
Lisa Wilcox and Galant: Wilcox (Loxahatchee, Fla.) returns to Nations Cup competition for the first time since CDIO3* Hickstead, England, in 2014. The Olympic team bronze medalist will partner with Jacqueline Shear’s Galant. Wilcox and the 2006 Belgian Warmblood gelding placed third in the FEI Grand Prix Special during week five of the 2017 AGDF and took first-place honors in the FEI Grand Prix and FEI Grand Prix Freestyle during the opening week of the Festival.
CDIO-U25 Nations Cup
Two U.S. teams will compete against Spain and Canada in the CDIO-U25 Nations Cup running alongside the Stillpoint Farm FEI Nations Cup™. This competition will provide an opportunity to develop teamwork skills and acclimate to the pressure of competing in team environments. This will be the first U25 Nations Cup in the United States, demonstrating the growth of dressage at the junior and young rider levels.
Chef d’Equipe Debbie McDonald will guide the team of Anna Buffini (San Diego, Calif.) and her own Sundayboy, a 1999 Dutch Warmblood gelding; Sean Sierra Keasler (Wellington, Fla.) and her own Lux Stensvang, a 2002 Danish Warmblood gelding; and Kerrigan Gluch (Wellington, Fla.) and Hampton Green Farm’s HGF Brio, a 2005 Andalusian stallion.
Chef d’Equipe George Williams will lead the other U.S. team consisting of Kaitlin Blythe (Rougemont, N.C.) and Maryanna Haymon’s Don Principe, a 1999 Hanoverian gelding; Molly Paris (Charlotte, N.C.) and her own Countess, a 2002 Danish Warmblood mare; and Genay Vaughn (Elk Grove, Calif.) and Starr Vaughn Equestrian, Inc.’s Donarweiss GGF, a 2001 Hanoverian stallion.
Watch the live stream of the Stillpoint Farm FEI Nations Cup™ CDIO3* Grand Prix Freestyle and U25-CDIO Grand Prix Freestyle on USEF Network beginning at 6:30 p.m. EST on Friday. Follow US Equestrian for coverage of this competition and more on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
The USEF International High Performance Programs are generously supported by the USET Foundation, USOC, and USEF sponsors and members.