Brittany Fraser-Beaulieu Goes All In to Take the Win

There were no fewer than three grand prix classes on Thursday, March 3, the opening day of week eight of the 2022 Adequan® Global Dressage Festival (AGDF) in Wellington, FL. AGDF, which hosts seven weeks of CDI competition, runs through March 27.

Photo - Canadian Olympic rider Brittany Fraser-Beaulieu, 33, topped the World Cup™ Short Grand Prix with 71.447% on her partner of 12 years, All In. (©susanjstickle.com)

Canadian Tokyo Olympic rider Brittany Fraser-Beaulieu, who is three months pregnant, laid claim to the World Cup™ Short Grand Prix, presented by Sapphire Stables. Riding her long-time partner All In, Fraser-Beaulieu notched up 71.447%, handing her a unanimous victory.

A Horse of a Lifetime

“He felt great, so it was a little bit of a shame that we had a miscommunication in the ones on centerline,” said the 33-year-old, who has partnered the horse for 12 years. “But he’s 17 years old, I just had a huge show at the five-star, and he came back out here and was with me again. He’s just a horse of a lifetime. He comes out every time and tries his best.

“I thought my pirouettes were really nice,” she added, “and his piaffe has improved so much even from last year. Before, he used to get really nervous, and I felt like I had to really play it safe and not aid too much. But now he’s like ‘Oh, I got this.’”
BrittanyFraser.ALLIn.GPCDIW.A65I0750©susanjstickle.com.
Brittany Fraser-Beaulieu with her groom, judge from C Christof Umbach, and Niki Clarke of class sponsor Sapphire Stables. ©susanjstickle.com

A light work regime outside season and a short pre-test warm-up help keep All In enjoying his work.

“I warm him up, at most, for 20 minutes,” explained Fraser-Beaulieu of the son of Tango, “and I don’t work him that hard at home, maybe four days a week. Every day he comes out and he loves doing his job, so as long as he keeps doing that, he’ll tell me when he’s ready to retire.”

Fingers Crossed

She is keeping her fingers crossed for an invitation to compete at the FEI Dressage World Cup™ Final in Germany in April, though she won’t be aiming for the World Championships in August as she will be busy preparing for the arrival of her second child around the same time. Fraser-Beaulieu was invited to the 2021 final — which would have been her first — but it was cancelled due to the pandemic.

Alice Tarjan was on the podium once again, riding the 11-year-old Donatella M, by Fürstenball, into second with 69.053% on their first attempt at the short grand prix. Local rider Codi Harrison (USA) finished third with Katholt’s Bossco (68.368%) and will be hoping for a strong performance in Friday’s freestyle to secure the one remaining starting slot for North America at the World Cup Final.

Personal Best

The top three in the Prix St. Georges CDI2*, presented by CabanaCoast, all scored over 71%. But it was the USA’s Christian Simonson who rode Zeaball Diawind into the top spot, with a new personal best of 74.5%. Last to go, Christina Morgan’s 10-year-old gelding — another by Fürstenball — garnered nearly 77% from judge at E, Christof Umbach, with all five placing him first.

Simonson, who is only 19, has an immaculate record with Zeaball Diawind: they have hardly ever scored below 70% at FEI level, and the pair won three gold medals at the North American Youth Championships in 2021. Fellow American Kristina Harrison-Antell finished second with 71.294% on I Felix, while Luuk Mourits (NED) made the third rung of the podium riding Harmony’s Sarotti OLD to 71.265%, just 0.02 percentage points adrift.

Results: FEI World Cup™ Dressage Short Grand Prix, presented by Sapphire Stables
Place, rider, nationality, horse, horse information: judge E%, judge H%, judge C%, judge M%, judge B%, final score

E, Elisabeth Max-Theurer (AUT); H, Katrina Wüst (GER); C, Christof Umbach (LUX); M, Evi Eisenhardt (GER); B, Michael Osinski (USA)

1. Brittany Fraser-Beaulieu (CAN) on All In, her own & Marc-Andre Beaulieu’s 17yo KWPN gelding by Tango: 71.842, 72.105, 71.842, 70.526, 70.921, 71.447

2. Alice Tarjan (USA) on Donatella M, her own 11yo Oldenburg mare by Fürstenball OLD: 69.868, 70.132, 69.211, 66.711, 69.342, 69.053

3. Codi Harrison (USA) on Katholt’s Bossco, her own 15yo Danish Warmblood gelding by Don Schufro: 67.763, 68.816, 70.132, 66.184, 68.947, 68.368

4. Anna Buffini (USA) on FRH Davinia La Douce, her own 15yo Hanoverian mare by Don Frederico: 66.053, 67.237, 69.605, 67.368, 68.421, 67.737

5. Jan Ebeling (USA) on Status Royal OLD, Ann Romney’s 12yo Oldenburg gelding by Statesman OLD: 68.026, 66.974, 67.895, 66.316, 67.368, 67.316

Dressage resumes on Friday, March 4, with a jam-packed day and evening of competition. “Friday Night Stars” in the evening under the lights features the Grand Prix Freestyle CDI4* to music, presented by IDA Development, as well as the ever-popular Adequan® Palm Beach Derby final, in which riders perform a Prix St. Georges test on an unfamiliar horse, competing head-to-head. Daytime action includes the World Cup™ Dressage Grand Prix Freestyle, supported by Sapphire Stables, as well as contests at small tour, junior, young riders, and amateurs. 

For more information and results, visit www.globaldressagefestival.com.