Tina Konyot and Calecto V Clinch American Victory in FEI Grand Prix Freestyle CDI 5*

Competition for the AGDF 12 CDI 5* continued on Friday at the Adequan® Global Dressage Festival (AGDF) with four major classes. Starting out the day, American Chris Hickey topped the FEI Prix St. Georges, presented by Wellington Equestrian Realty, with Cecelia Stewart's Ronaldo earlier in the day on Friday. Fellow American Adrienne Lyle finished first with Peggy Thomas' Wizard in the FEI Grand Prix Special CDI 5*, presented by Diamante Farms, which sponsored all of the large tour classes for the week. Megan Lane (CAN) and Caravella clinched the first place prize in the FEI Grand Prix Freestyle CDI 3* and Tina Konyot (USA) and Calecto V took top prize in Friday's feature class, the FEI Grand Prix Freestyle CDI 5*. The FEI Grand Prix Freestyle CDI 5* was the finale event of the "Friday Night Stars" series at the 2014 AGDF, and ended it in great fashion with a packed house of spectators.Devon Kane of Diamante Farms was thrilled with Friday evening's class after watching the AGDF develop from its infancy to the world-class dressage competition it has turned into. "We're just thrilled to be a part of this whole adventure," Kane beamed. "These guys were amazing tonight; it's spectacular to watch. You can see the crowd was so excited, and everybody's just thrilled to have not only these people here that are blowing us all away but [riders of all levels]."  Of sponsoring the season's only five-star event, Kane commented, "We take great pride in that. It's amazing to have a five star here in Wellington, and to be able to provide the upper echelon with that opportunity, we definitely take that seriously. We're thrilled to be a part of the team and all the founding sponsors here."

President of Equestrian Sport Productions Mark Bellissimo reflected on a hugely successful season for the AGDF, "We thought it would take four or five years for this to take hold, and I think we thought this is where we would be two years from now," Bellissimo acknowledged. "We have a tremendous amount of interest, with people visiting and talking about coming next year, so it's going to continue to grow. I want to thank Diamante Farms and all the other sponsors in this, because I think this is going to be one of the great places in the world for dressage. To be a part of it is an honor, and I think it will endure the test of time."

Allyn Mann of Adequan shared his thoughts on the AGDF circuit as it reaches the half-way point of its final week of competition, reflecting on the 2014 circuit and the incredible growth the show has experienced since its inception three years ago.