-- GDF press release, edited by Eurodressage - Photos © Centre Line Media
Small tour horse Medoc and big your horse So Perfect became the winners of the season finals of the "Buffalo Wild Wings and Lovsta" Future Challenge series for Developing Prix St Georges and Grand Prix horses, held annually at the Global Dressage Festival in Wellington.
Medoc Wins 2026 Buffalo Wild Wings Future Challenge Final
After five qualifiers throughout GDF, nine horse-and-rider combinations lined out to contest the Buffalo Wild Wings Prix St. Georges Future Challenge Final.
Canadian Olympian Brittany Fraser-Beaulieu taking the champion’s sash riding Jill Irving’s 9-year-old Medoc (by Vivaldi x Sir Donnerall) on 68.588%. Reserve champion went to Lars Peterson (USA), whose test on a brand new ride, Helgstrand Dressage’s 8-year-old New Rock (by Indian Rock x Jazz) earned 67.853%. Hope Cooper (USA) completed the top three line-up, riding JKS Dressage Horses’ nine-year-old mare Madelivia (by Ferdinand x Chippendale) to 67.353%, rounding out a trio of Dutch Warmbloods on the podium.
The Concept
The popular series is open to developing small tour horses aged 7 to 9. It is designed to offer horses with international quality the opportunity to perform a test under CDI conditions in the main ring but without some of the pressures of an international show. Riders can showcase their developing horses in the stadium for assessment by international judges.
Series Serial Winner
Fraser-Beaulieu, who won the 2025 Lovsta Future Challenge series final on Jaccardo, now claimed the title aboard small tour horse Medoc, who qualified for the final during GDF 5 with a score over 73%, though a few errors in the final pegged the score back—most notably when Medoc got his legs in a muddle in the change at the end of the final extended canter on the diagonal. The picture-perfect black gelding made up for it with exemplary trot work and a beautiful, consistent frame.
“We are so fortunate to have a class like this,” said Fraser-Beaulieu, who is the top-ranked Canadian rider at 19th in the world. “It’s amazing to get the young horses out in an environment like this with top judges. It gets them used to the show ring and the atmosphere. Jill purchased Medoc when he was 5, and he just grew. He’s a very big horse, so we took our time with him, but he’s pre-schooling all the grand prix work—it comes naturally for him.
“His piaffe/passage is phenomenal,” she continued. “So, he’ll probably be an even better grand prix horse, which is exciting. He has a lot of power; I just have to teach him how I can access it while he stays relaxed. But that takes time over the years to develop.”
“I want to do the Lövsta Future Challenge [for developing grand prix horses] next year here with Medoc—that’s my goal,” said the 37-year-old, who was the last rider down centerline before AGDF relocates to its brand new home, a purpose-built facility adjacent to the Winter Equestrian Festival (WEF) show jumping grounds.
“I didn’t realize that until after I was done, and then I thought ‘Oh my gosh, I’m not going to be riding here anymore,” said Fraser-Beaulieu. “I’ve been coming here for so many years, and I’m definitely going to miss it—there’s nothing like a Friday night riding under the lights here.
“I’m sure the new venue is going to be spectacular, but there are so many memories—I had a lot of firsts here,” she reminisced. “I qualified to go to World Cup Final in this ring. I had a lot of scores to go to Tokyo in this ring. And, I set the Canadian freestyle record here [79.33% achieved on All In at AGDF in 2021, which still stands].”
So Perfect Wins the 2026 Lovsta Future Challenge Final
In its seventh year at the Global Dressage Festival, the Lövsta Future Challenge for Developing Grand Prix Horses saw its champion’s blanket awarded—fittingly—to one of the series’ own architects in the final on Friday 20 March 2026.
Popular Class at Global
The ever-popular program drew a record 51 entries across its five qualifiers in 2026 with the winner of each qualifier moving forward to the final.
Swedish Olympian Tinne Vilhelmson Silfvén rode the 9-year-old gelding So Perfect (by Sezuan x Sir Donnerhall)) to a double win in the qualifiers and was therefore the hot favourite for the title.
The biggest absentee from the final was Palm Beach derby qualifier winner Adrienne Lyle on Zen Elite's licensed stallion My Vitality.
The Concept
The final, in which horses performed the FEI Young Horse Grand Prix test, took place in the main arena and offered a prize pot of $15,000. The series is open to horses from eight to 11 years old. The class encourages riders to bring their up-and-coming international quality horses out in an ornately dressed arena and championship-type atmosphere without the pressures of a CDI. All qualifying rounds held throughout AGDF 2025 used the FEI Intermediate II test, so the final was a step up.
Antonia Ax:son Johnson of series sponsor Lövsta Stuteri said: “We’ve been doing this here for seven years, but Tinne had this vision over 20 years ago. We were just trying to find a way to bridge the gap to the unbelievably difficult grand prix level—that’s where it all started.”
Giving Horses Security
“It was so great that I could ride in this, to participate in the series and also promote it,” said Vilhelmson Silfvén, who has only been riding So Perfect since buying him from River Oak Equestrian and Helgstrand Dressage in June 2025.
“Initially, we started the developing young horse classes in Sweden in 2011 because we saw how popular they were in Germany. Then we wanted to give something back to the place we live in the winter," said Tinne. "A lot of very good horses came out this year. You can see that they’re young, they’re green—but they’re supposed to be. They’re getting to learn the atmosphere and the routine. I’m so pleased with So Perfect this season. He’s very green, and he’s never done these classes before. Being able to ride in the big ring, he gets more secure every week.
“I’m just enjoying the ride with him,” continued Vilhelmson Silfvén. “I want to be careful with him. I want to do the right things to get him the right experiences. How he was tonight, especially in the prize-giving, saying, ‘Look at me!’, that feeling is wonderful.”
Vilhelmson Silfvén and her long-time collaborator, Lövsta Stuteri’s owner Antonia Ax:son Johnson, announced that they will donate Vilhelmson Silfvén’s prize money and funds totalling $6,000 to Vinceremos Therapeutic Riding Center to facilitate the running of a summer camp for children in care.
A grooms prize was awarded to each of the caregivers of the top three horses. Vilhelmson Silfvén’s groom Emilia Hallerskog was handed a check for $1,000, with both Kellock Duckworth’s groom Brianna Larkin and White-O’Connor’s groom Francisco Tomas each picking up a $750 prize.
Runner-up
“It was his second time in the stadium, and he brought his A-game for me,” she said. “He’s the best partner I could ask for. He’s kind of picking me up as we go along, so I’m super proud of him. It’s great to be able to go in there with a developing grand prix horse and not feel the pressure but still be able to check in with everything like the piaffe and the one-times and see where they’re at in this environment.”
White O’Connor, who piloted Four Winds Farm’s nine-year-old Hexagon's Leon (by Ferdinand x Rubiquil), echoed the sentiments, adding, “It’s a great class to get him in there with more atmosphere than just showing in the national rings. It’s a good bridge into the bigger classes.”
Young Horse Finals
In the two future challenge young horse finals, mares with Vivaldi blood came to the fore—a recurring pattern in the 2026 GDF bloodlines. Australians dominated the five-year-old ranks, with Hope Beerling riding her own Dynamic Diva to the champion’s title. The Westphalian mare by Dynamic Dream out of a mare by the Vivaldi son Vitalis scored 77.4, including an eight for her canter. Alanna Richards piloted another mare into the reserve spot, riding Emmaline Count’s Oldenburg Chica AK, who is by the Vitalis son Valverde, to 70.8%. Jessica Kozel (USA) rode Cynthia Perretti’s Hanoverian gelding Tuscany (by Taurus out of a Thoroughbred dam) into third with 67.4%.
In the six-year-old final, Canada’s Julie Channell captured the blue ribbon on owner/breeder Laura Cacioppo’s Hanoverian mare Delikat EGF (Dark Pleasure x Totilas) with 69.6%. Rebecca Waite (USA) steered Holly Rutland’s Fox Creek’s Toadally Pony (Fox Creek’s Treasure x FS Daddy Cool) to the reserve champion’s sash with 67%.
Photos © Centre Line Media
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Prince of Hope and Jaccardo Win "Buffalo" and "Lovsta" Developing Horse Classes at 2025 CDIO Wellington