Geñay Vaughn & Gino Clinch Grand Prix Freestyle Win With New Personal Best
The win earns Geñay the early lead in the US Equestrian Open of Dressage series.
Geñay Vaughn and her 14-year-old KWPN gelding, Gino, danced to victory at Saturday’s Grand Prix Freestyle in Thermal, CA, with a personal best score of 75.15%. Her win follows an impressive 71.283% score in Friday’s World Cup Grand Prix test, where she also took first place.
This freestyle win not only positions Geñay well to kick off the year on the U.S. Open leaderboards, but it also adds valuable qualifying points for the World Cup Final in Basel, Switzerland, this April. Currently, she is tied for 6th place with Paris Olympian Adrienne Lyle, who will undoubtedly rack up qualifying scores when Florida’s winter circuit kicks off next week in Wellington, FL.
The year-long $250,000 U.S. Open Dressage Series spans 23 qualifying events, with the top 18 advancing to the final in Thermal, CA, from November 13–16, 2025.
Geñay said ahead of her freestyle that she was “looking forward to having fun with Gino, enjoying the journey, and showing my freestyle.” What better way to enjoy the journey than with a personal best?
Fellow competitors Kristina Harrison-Antell and her 15-year-old KWPN gelding Finley posted a very respectable 72.715%. Kristina now starts the year in second place on the U.S. Open of Dressage leaderboards.
The U.S. Open of Dressage continues next weekend at the Adequan Global Dressage Festival, where four of the top 10 North American-ranked FEI riders will be competing.
