Isabell Werth Brings a Special Blend of Riding Magic to Headline Freestyle Night With Over 82% at AGDF 7
By Alice Collins for Wellington International
Wellington, Fla.-February 20, 2026—German dressage megastar Isabell Werth stamped her own brand of riding magic on the Zen Elite Equestrian FEI Dressage World Cup™ Grand Prix Freestyle, producing a mesmerizing 82.66% performance. She and Special Blend 3 were making their CDI freestyle debut during the ‘Friday Night Stars’ sold-out evening showcase at the 2026 Adequan® Global Dressage Festival (AGDF) in Wellington, FL.
Flipping the second and third places from the qualifying grand prix class, Brittany Fraser-Beaulieu landed the runner-up spot with a massive new personal best on Jill Irving’s 12-year-old, Jaccardo. The Desperado x Jazz gelding scored 79.25% with a high-energy, maximum throttle performance. Ecuadorian rider Julio Mendoza Loor finished third, meaning the top three athletes represented three different continents. Mendoza Loor rode his 2024 Paris Olympics mount Jewel’s Goldstrike to 78.165%. Riders from six different nations filled the top six places in the high-scoring class.
Special Blend 3, who is still registered to former owner Helgstrand Dressage but was recently sold to Werth’s student Natalie Stickling-Morzynski, belied his inexperience in the freestyle, dancing enthusiastically to a classical compilation originally designed for Werth’s Olympic team gold medal-winning horse, Emilio. Special Blend only got the call-up to fly to Florida a few days before the show after Werth’s intended horse, DSP Quantaz, got a small swelling on one leg.
“This freestyle is really, really difficult and I was not sure what Special would do because he’s not experienced in these kinds of atmospheres, but he was very focused,” said Werth, who was delighted to hear 2,000 spectators clapping along to her final centerline. “This crowd was so supportive and started to clap, which is something special. That end to a test is a feeling I really enjoy, and it’s how you know why you’re still in the saddle in a competition.”
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