Thermal, Calif. — November 14, 2026 — Geñay Vaughn and her longtime partner Gino delivered a clean, confident test under the lights of the Grand Prix Stadium at Desert International Horse Park on Friday evening, November 13, to win the CDI5* Grand Prix, presented by the Brad & Cathy Coors Foundation.
The Friday night featured event served as the qualifier for Saturday night’s CDI5* Grand Prix Freestyle — the grand finale of the 2026 US Equestrian Open Dressage Series with $200,000 in prize money on the line.
Geñay Vaughn and Gino. Photo by Terri Miller Photos
On their way to the win, Vaughn and Gino scored 69.544%, finishing more than two percentage points clear of the field. Vaughn and Gino were placed first by four of the five judges, with their highest mark, 70.761%, coming from Elisabeth Max-Theurer at C. The ground jury also included Sarah Geikie (E), Raphaël Saleh (H), Katrina Wüst (M) and Janet Lee Foy (B).
“I was really happy with [the test]. There was no big hiccup,” said Vaughn. “I think it was quite clean. There are definitely areas that we can improve on, but I was very happy with a clean, good, solid performance.”
Vaughn’s longtime partnership with the 15-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding, owned by Michele Vaughn, began nine years ago as a family affair.
“We’ve owned him since he was 6 years old,” said Geñay Vaughn. “My mom picked him out as a horse for herself, and when she saw us on the first ride together when he came from Europe, she just knew we were a match. I think it’s been that way ever since. I just love him; he’s incredible.”
Geñay Vaughn and Gino kicked off the US Equestrian Open Dressage Final weekend with a win in the CDI5* Grand Prix, presented by the Brad & Cathy Coors Foundation. Photo by Terri Miller Photos
Finishing behind Geñay Vaughn in second place were Kristina Harrison-Antell and Finley on 67.478%. Ali Potasky and Inxs rounded out the top three with 67.283%, just ahead of Micah Deligdish and Carpe Diem De Massa (67.239%) and Devon Kane and Vamos (67.217%) in a tightly packed middle of the leaderboard.
With the win, Geñay Vaughn and Gino head into the CDI5* Grand Prix Freestyle as the pair to beat — and she is ready for it.
“I’m so excited,” Geñay Vaughn said. “I can’t wait to dance with my best friend!”
Desert Dressage I, featuring the US Equestrian Open Dressage Final, continues through Sunday, November 15, at Desert International Horse Park. Spectator admission is free. Full results are available on equestrian-hub.com.