A Cool Breeze, a Fiery Freestyle: Kohmann and Dünee Shine in Wellington
Kohmann claims the World Cup ticket, but Marek keeps him looking over his shoulder with a powerful freestyle performance.
The evening air was crisp by Florida standards, dipping into the low 70s as a cool breeze drifted through the showgrounds. The sky burned orange behind a tapestry of palm trees. In the fading light, the first riders entered the warm-up arena, their movements quiet and deliberate. Horses and riders moved in quiet concentration, warming muscles, refining aids, and dissolving any lingering tension as they prepared for their dance under the lights.
Under Pressure
By the time Kevin Kohmann entered the arena at 8:44 p.m., the sky had fully darkened, and the stands were packed with spectators. If he felt nervous about this high-pressure ride, it didn’t show. He and 16-year-old Dünensee looked cool and confident in warm-up, nailing their piaffes and extensions. When “Dünee” missed a change, Kevin calmly brought him back to walk, reset, and produced a perfect line of ones on their next attempt.
It paid off — his test was breathtaking and ultimately secured him the win. Under the lights, the pair looked like they were simply having a late-night schooling session that a couple hundred people happened to be invited to. As their freestyle drew to a close, the audience clapped in time with the music before erupting into cheers at his final salute. As they left the arena, both horse and rider beamed, waiting for the scores.
The judges awarded Kohmann a personal best of 79.240%, with the judge at B scoring him an 80%. His score sheet was littered with 8s, including high marks for the trot half-pass, and one judge gave a 9 for his entrance and halts. With this win, he secured the final North American ticket to Basel for the World Cup Finals.
“He’s helping me every day in the ring. I cannot thank the horse enough.” — Kevin Kohmann
His freestyle victory came on the heels of another personal best in the Grand Prix the day before. “I know I said ‘no pressure,’ but there was a little pressure sitting next to me here right now,” Kohmann joked, nodding toward fellow competitor Anna Marek.
All In
"Following Kevin, I had nothing to lose..."
Anna Marek & Fire Fly. Photo by Shannon Brinkman
Marek and Fire Fly finished second with a score of 77.640%. The pair was electric yet fluid, and Fire Fly is truly a horse to see in person. Flashy and beautiful on the livestream, his animated movement in person is next level. He embodies the “floating horse” — his passage so light it looks as though he doesn’t touch the ground. For a horse that has struggled with the piaffe in the past, Friday night’s performance showed no signs of it. Marek said she feels like she can ask for more now — and he answers without hesitation.
Their Stranger Things-themed freestyle is a dramatic, high-energy performance that perfectly matches Fire Fly’s animated power. Anticipation hung in the air as Marek trotted down the final centerline. Tentative cheers floated on the breeze, hesitant at first, as if the crowd didn’t want to disrupt the energy. When Marek hit her salute, the arena erupted in applause.
“Following Kevin, I had nothing to lose,” Marek explained. “So I was just like, ‘I’ll just go for it and take some risks I might not normally do on Fire Fly.’ But today, it all worked. He was really, really good. I was proud of him.”
Kohmann and Marek have a friendly rivalry that pushes them to be better every time they step into the ring. It adds pressure — but the right kind.
“I was trying to scare him a little bit yesterday,” Marek joked. “Oh Kevin, I’m coming for you.”
“Bring it on,” Kevin laughed in response.
Marek’s second-place finish makes her first reserve for the World Cup Final in Basel. Now that the World Cup qualifiers are wrapped up, she shifts her focus to the US Equestrian Open of Dressage, with her sights firmly set on the final in Thermal, California, at the end of the year.
Top 10 Placings on the Series Leaderboard after the Palm Beach Derby:
See the full series standings, updated after each qualifier, here.
The Palm Beach Derby’s conclusion shakes up the leaderboard. Karen Lipp’s sixth-place finish earned her 10 points, putting her in a tie for the overall lead with Germany’s Evelyn Eger. Marek now sits behind them on 54 points, tying her with Felicitas Hendricks. Meanwhile, Camille Cartier Bergeron’s third-place finish earned her 17 points, bringing her season total to 37. That result ties her for 10th place alongside Kohmann and Adrienne Lyle.
What's Next
Next week, the qualifiers continue up north in Ocala, FL, at the World Equestrian Center March Dressage Show.
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