Two New Grand Prix Horses for Laura Graves

Dressage

U.S.A.

Laura Graves, one of America's all-time most successful dressage riders, has welcomed two new Grand Prix horses into her barn.

Graves has taken over the ride on Leslie Waterman's Java Dulce and Sole Mio.

Java Dulce

Java Dulce is a 14-year old Danish warmblood gelding by Jazz out of JJ Dolce Gabbana (by Deemster x Riccione). He is bred by JJ Horses in Norway and originally named JJ Jaguar.

He is maternal half brother to Glory Day (by Grand Galaxy Win, owned by Alice Tarjan, ridden by Marcus Orlob) and to WCYH participant JJ Spencer (by Secret, ridden by Jessica Lynn Thomas).

JJ Horses sold JJ Jaguar to Kerstin Klieber and Stefan Sandbrink as a 2-year old. In 2013 he was presented at the pre-selection for the Oldenburg stallion licensing in Vechta but was not picked. Klieber sent the horse to Florida and Leslie Waterman bought him at the 2015 WEF Sport Horse Auction in Wellington as a 4-year-old for 85,000 $.

He has been produced up the ladder by Emily Miles, who is based in Kansas. He was only very lightly competed and first came into the spotlight when he finished third in 2021 U.S. Developing Grand Prix Horse Championship. A year later they won bronze again, this time in the 2022 U.S. Dressage Championships.

Miles and Java Dulce made their international show debut at Grand Prix level at the 2022 CDI Katy in Texas, winning with 68.696%. Half a year later they rode in Ocala, wher they won the Special. Miles spent her first ever season in Wellington in 2023 and showed Java Dulce in three CDI's with increasing scores. They last international was in April 2024 in Ocala.

Sole Mio

Sole Mio is an 11-year old Rhinelander stallion by Stanford out of Donna Rafaela (by Donnerschwee x Lancer II). He is bred by ZG Wencek.

The liver chestnut was licensed at the 2016 Hanoverian Stallion Licensing in Verden, where he sold at auction for 50,000 euro to Waterman. He was imported into the U.S.A in January 2017 and started his sport career at Miles' Wally Woo Farm. He first captured the spotlight as the high scorer of the 2018 North American Stallion Sport Test.

Under Miles he became one of America's most successful young horses. He won the U.S Young Horse Champonship in 2018 as a 4-year old, in 2019 as a 5-year old, he finished third in the 2021 U.S. Developing Prix St Georges horse championship, and in 2023 he became the Developing Grand Prix Champion.

The pair made its international debut at the 2019 World Young Horse Championships in Ermelo, where they were 11th in the 5-year old consolation finals. Their international Grand Prix debut was in Tryon in October 2023, where they scored 67.109% in their first Grand Prix test. They competed in Ocala in November 2023 and April 2024. Their last GP score was 68.304%.

Laura Graves

Graves won individual silver at 2018 WEG

With Emily Miles having decided to put her equestrian career on the backburner and go back to university, Java Dulce and Sole Mio have moved to Laura Graves' yard near Orlando, Florida.

"Sole Mio and Java Dulce are continuing their training with Laura Graves," Waterman confirmed to Eurodressage. "Laura has had a few of my young mares in training for the past years so it was a very positive transition.

Waterman's Daily Show (by Danciano x Stockholm) is still with Miles in Kansas recovering from a small injury.

Leslie Waterman is a passionate dressage horse investor and breeder with a keen eye for talent. She owns Chasing The Muse Farm in Arrington south of Nashville, Tennessee, but is building a state of the art facility in Sonoma, California, where she hopes to move to soon.

"I am almost finished building my new training facility in Sonoma where I will be moving my young prospects to continue their development towards top sport," Leslie explained. "This has been a three year project with a lot of moving parts. I’m very excited to be with my horses again. I’m a California girl and delighted to be home again."