By Alice Collins
Three of the eight daytime titles during the second day of competition on Friday, October 30, at the 2026 US Dressage Finals presented by Adequan® at World Equestrian Center (WEC) in Wilmington, OH, were won by riders who qualified through Region 8, but not before Cecelia Stewart opened the day with a win for Region 1. The Finals event runs from October 29 to November 1, 2026, with 37 championship awards and more than $100,000 in prize money. Competition coverage of the remaining five classes from day two will be issued on Saturday, October 31.
Stewart kicked off the day two festivities with a win in the Grand Prix Adult Amateur Championship aboard her stellar partner Serenade MF. The pair earned extremely consistent marks from judges William McMullin at H, Teresa Stewart at C, and Sandra Hotz at B, particularly in the piaffe, finishing strongly in the final trot work. Their final score of 69.964% put Stewart and Serenade MF squarely atop the leaderboard of 12 total combinations, almost three percentage points ahead of the rest of the field.
“She was a superstar,” enthused Stewart of her 13-year-old American Hanoverian mare (by Sir Donnerhall x Don Principe). “I think I was most proud of her willingness. She knows the test probably better than I do, and she has a lot of personality, which I love, but she was still very responsive. I felt like she was really listening, so I was very pleased.” It was a result two years in the making for Stewart, who purchased the striking black beauty from Jessica Howington in May of 2024 after the mare was previously brought along by Alice Tarjan. Tarjan notably produced Serenade through the grand prix level with several international appearances, including at the 2023 FEI Dressage World Cup™ Final.
“For a while in the beginning, honestly, it was very difficult for me to ride her, because we simply didn’t know each other,” explained Stewart, who is based in South Carolina. “She’s a mare, and it just took time for us to develop that relationship and for me to learn how to ride her at that level where she was. I felt like, ‘Oh, my gosh, can I ride this horse?’ Now everything has really come together over the last four to six months. I feel she’s decided I’m okay, and now she’s my ride. I’ve gotten better as a result of her. I’ve never ridden a horse quite that talented.”
Though she was the pilot in the arena, Stewart was quick to credit the many people who have been involved with Serenade and the value of community support.
“Hats off to Maryanna Haymon for her incredible breeding,” expressed Stewart of Serenade MF’s roots. “When I got back to the barn, the first text I had was from her, and she was really excited because she follows her horses. Alice also did a phenomenal job with her and took her to some amazing places. Chris Hickey has been a coach and a friend for a long time. I told him today that all those lessons and all that fussing at me has paid off. He’s a tough coach, and I’ve learned a lot from him, so I put him way up there in terms of being responsible for our win today. I’m very happy with where we are and where we have the possibility to go.”
Mallory Chambers Lane and Geistfeuer Come Together for Third Level Freestyle Open Championship
Mallory Chambers Lane and Geistfeuer had a ticket to ride straight to victory in the Third Level Freestyle Open Championship. It was another blue ribbon in which Tarjan had a hand: Chambers Lane purchased Geistfeuer as a yearling from Tarjan, who bred the Grand Galaxy Win x Florencio I son.
“I started him and brought him up the levels,” explained Chambers Lane, who is based in Pennsylvania. “Then we had a bit of a hiccup when he was six, and he was laid up for two years. Now he’s coming back at eight, and this is our first season competing again. It’s so special that he’s here and doing so well.”
Chambers Lane and the handsome gelding earned consistent marks for an overall total of 72.542% from judges William McMullin at H, Teresa Stewart at C, and Sandra Hotz at B. The class was especially competitive with 20 entries, of which the top 11 earned more than 70%. With a music compilation featuring songs by The Beatles, which was originally put together in the 90s by a friend of Chambers Lane, and a floorplan with added difficulty, they did not need to “Twist and Shout” to take the top spot. “In general, he was very excellent and through and listening to me, and he was ready to give me his everything,” said Chambers Lane of her eight-year-old American Oldenburg gelding. “That made me really proud. It was such a nice feeling.
Kerry Karangelen and Johnny Cash Make the Intermediate I Adult Amateur Championship Arena Their Ring of Fire
In the Intermediate I Adult Amateur Championship, it was Kerry Karangelen and Johnny Cash, her own 12-year-old KWPN gelding by Capri Sonne Jr. x Krack C that walked the line to the top of the class of 20 combinations with 68.922%. A strong advocate for adult amateur presence in dressage, Karangelen was excited to be among such a formidable and dedicated group.
“I love seeing more adult amateurs out here trying to show everyone what they’ve got, because I think it’s so important for the growth of our sport overall,” noted Karangelen. “For me, going into any class, I look at dressage as being a competition with yourself. I try not to reference anyone else, and, in fact, I don’t really look at scores. I’m more concerned with how it felt and if we improved what we have been working on. It’s awesome when you have a big field of riders, because it makes the recognition sweeter, but ultimately, it’s Johnny and me versus Johnny and me from yesterday. My biggest pride today is just being able to keep the harmony with him.”
Karangelen and Johnny are now in their second season together after she purchased the flashy chestnut from John Tijssen in the Netherlands.
“The second I sat on him, it was magic,” recalled Karangelen, who made the long trip from Bedford Corners, NY. “You just feel the potential, and we clicked. I knew he was a lovely horse I really wanted to have, and it has been incredible. He has such a good brain, too.”
For her win, Karangelen was awarded the George W. Wagner Jr. Perpetual Trophy, presented by the International Georgian Grande Horse Registry.
Lara Moody and Pac-Man LVL Level Up for Second Level Adult Amateur Championship
Lara Moody and her own Pac-Man LVL enjoyed a lot of success during the 2025 season at Training Level, including being named the Training Level Horse of the Year, but Moody didn’t have the experience she expected at the 2025 US Dressage Finals with the now six-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding by Fürst Jazz x Voice. Now, a year later, the duo traveled from Pennsylvania to claim the blue-ribbon honors in the Second Level Adult Amateur Championship.
“This is a fantastic venue, and it’s a huge environment for him,” said Moody, who is the executive director of the Institute for Feed Education and Research. “We have worked so hard practicing and getting ready for this competition, and it paid off today. Emily Donaldson has helped me as my coach, and we were just so excited that we got him here.
“I bought him as a four-year-old with the intention of having a grand prix horse when I’m 60, and I was 50 when I bought him,” she continued. “We were really buying for the brain with good enough quality to do that, and he is turning into that for me.”
Earning great trot and canter work scores from judges Lisa K. Schmidt at E, Heidi Gaian at C, and Michael Osinski at B, Moody and Pac-Man LVL earned a final score of 68.889%. Competition resumes on Saturday, October 31, with 14 more championship titles to be awarded across the daytime and evening sessions. Follow all the action via the USDF Facebook page and USDF Instagram page. Full results are published live on HorseShowOffice.com.
Alongside its top-level competitions, gala evening performances on Friday and Saturday nights, competitor parties, and Halloween costume competitions, the 2026 US Dressage Finals presented by Adequan® offers a wide selection of shopping opportunities from an array of equestrian fashion, feed, equipment vendors, and more.
All championship classes are livestreamed on USEF Network via ClipMyHorse.TV, with expert commentary from Kathy Connelly in the Sanctuary Arena. Along with presenting sponsor Adequan®, the 2026 US Dressage Finals is supported by SmartPak and Platinum Performance. Contributing sponsors include Premier Equestrian, Sterling Thompson Equine, Schneiders, and Nutrena. Learn more by visiting the US Dressage Finals website.
