Anna Marek Opens Her Account at AGDF 5 with Personal Best Victory on ‘Bouncy Ball’ Fayvel
Week 5 of the 2024 Adequan® Global Dressage Festival (AGDF) in Wellington, FL, kicked off on Thursday, February 8, with two Grands Prix classes, including the FEI World Cup™ Grand Prix, sponsored by The Dutta Corp. AGDF hosts seven weeks of CDI competition over three months and runs through March 31.
Anna Marek (USA), who is currently fourth on the North American League FEI Dressage World Cup™ dressage rankings, is looking to boost her position on the list, seeking a start at the 2024 World Cup™ Final in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in April. She opened her campaign during AGDF 5 with a win in the qualifying Grand Prix, chalking up a 72.826% win on the 14-year-old KWPN gelding Fayvel. His 72.826% marked a huge new personal best for the son of Zizi Top, eviscerating his previous high score in this test of 69.456%, which Marek set in AGDF 1.
Kevin Kohmann (USA) slotted into second with another personal best score on Diamante Farms’ 15-year-old Dancer gelding, Dünensee. The pair scored 71.239%. Kohmann currently sits second on the North American League rankings. Portugal’s Maria Pais Do Amaral put down 68.435% to capture third place on HRST-Horseteam Unipessoal LDA’s 13-year-old Hot Hit OLD Campline, the former ride of Germany’s Frederic Wandres. Marek and Kohmann will both be vying for the 20 ranking points on offer to the winner of Friday night’s freestyle.
Marek describes Cynthia Davila’s Fayvel as “a bit of a freak” and “like riding a bouncy ball”.
“He has no thoughts other than he’s very forward and he does what you ask him to do,” said Marek, of Ocala, FL. “I’ve shown him quite a bit nationally and this was my third CDI on him and we had a clean ride. There were pieces of it that I could have maybe ridden a bit better, but overall I was thrilled with him and a little bit shocked and excited that he was so well rewarded. He’s a really fun, forward, honest horse to ride.
“His owner came to me having ridden a green I-1 and he was young,” she added. “I taught him the piaffe and the passage and his [adult amateur] owner hopped back on and showed him grand prix — his first grand prix, her first grand prix. If you ask it right on him, he does it. I told her, ‘He piaffes and passages the same for you as he does for me — this is not normal!’ He just loves his job. You ask him for more and he asks how much and starts hiking his legs.”
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