Anna Marek and Fire Fly Bring The Heat to Claim World Cup Freestyle at AGDF

Anna Marek and Fire Fly Bring The Heat to Claim World Cup Freestyle at AGDF

By Alice Collins for Wellington International 

As temperatures dipped to 47°F and spectators bundled up for the unusually long cold spell this week in Wellington, FL, Anna Marek and Fire Fly turned the heat on to claim the FEI World Cup™ Grand Prix Freestyle, sponsored by Douglas Elliman Real Estate. They logged 77.755% for their performance during ‘Friday Night Stars’, the gala evening of top-level freestyle competition on January 24, in week three of the 12-week 2025 Adequan® Global Dressage Festival (AGDF).

Kevin Kohmann (USA) finished second with Dünensee, scoring 77.545% with Thursday’s qualifying grand prix winner, Germany’s Felicitas Hendricks, rounding out the podium in third with 76.365% on Drombusch OLD.

The class doubled as a qualifier for the new US Equestrian Open of Dressage, which features 23 qualifiers—seven of which are hosted by Wellington International at AGDF—before the final in California in November. Hendricks now sits atop the qualifying scoreboard with 37 points, though the top three riders all have the final in their crosshairs.

Ocala-based Marek paired up with Fire Fly, Janet Simile’s 15-year-old gelding by Briar Junior, just over three years ago and the duo claimed team gold and individual bronze at the 2023 Pan American Games. Their freestyle, set to music from the Stranger Things soundtrack, carried a high degree of difficulty and included 13 two-time changes on a curve and metronomic, drumbeat passage.

“This freestyle is really fun to ride, and I love the dramatic music,” said Marek, whose groom Cheyenne Duncan was awarded a check for $500 courtesy of the Lövsta Future Challenge. “This is my favorite freestyle venue to ride at; you can feel the atmosphere, and the horses get excited in a really good way—I knew he’d get pumped up.

Read more:

Global Dressage Festival LLC



Share