U25 Rider Cecilia Bergakra and Developing GP Horse Delgado Win 2025 Lovsta Future Challenge

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2025 CDI Stockholm

Under 25 rider Cecilia Bergakra and Developing Grand Prix horse Delgado became the winners of the Lovsta Future Challenge, the Swedish edition of the Piaff Forderpreis and Louisdor Cup, on Saturday 29 November 2025.

The Lovsta Future Challenge finals are held annually in Stockholm during the Sweden International Horse Show. Four riders and four horses each are invited to the Finals in Stockholm after a series of national qualifiers throughout the spring and summer show season in Sweden.

The two winners each took home 40,000 SEK (approx. 3,600 euro). The Lovsta Future Challenge has a purse of 200,000 SEK in total.

U25: Cecilia Bergakra

Cecilia Bergåkra and the 14-year old Swedish warmblood mare My Friend (by Friendship x Troll) rocked the Under 25 final with their freestyle. They won and achieved a personal best of 76.590%.

"Maya was absolutely incredible today," said Bergakra, who also won the warm-up round, the short Grand Prix with 71.385%. "I had an absolutely fantastic feeling the whole way. She is always on and is eager to perform, but today was something extra. She was so with me every step of the way and I am also so happy about the audience's commitment, it lifts me up so much."

Bergakra is a professional rider who works for Team NoCordia. In 2026 ger goal is to step up to the senior Grand Prix division. "'It seems like Maya is saying she is ready to take on "the big boys," Cecilia concluded. She owns the mare together with breeder Carina Edin.

The runner-up was Hedda Thunberg aboard the 17-year old Swedish warmblood mare Diva (by Richfield x Silvano), who scored 74.390% in the Kur.

Developing GP Horse: Delgado

After topping the board in the warm-up round, Mattias Jansson and the 10-year old Swedish warmblood Delgado (by De L'Or x Rohdiamant) aced the Final on Saturday, winning the Challenge with a score of 67.842%. Delgado is bred by Mats Axelsson and owned by Jill Kimhed.

"He was a bit tense today but of course it's great fun to win, so I'm not going to stand here and complain," said Jansson. "It's easy to forget that he doesn't actually have that much experience, now he's starting to confirm and feel strong enough to be established as a GP horse. We decided to do Lövsta first and now we can come out and see the big competitions."

Jansson has now the dam line of Delgado for over three decades. Delgado's grand dam Dramatik was stationed at Flyinge in the 90s when Mattias lived and worked there. Breeder Ingvar Fredricson covered Dramatil with Rohdiamant, a foreign stallion which was not often done in Sweden at the time. Dodona was born in 1998 and paired with De L'Or, another not very popular breeding stallion, she produced Delgado, who is now owned by Mattias' friend Jill Kimhed.

The runner-up in the Developing GP Horse class was Johanna Pettersson aboard the 9-year old Swedish bred Qing TH (by Chirlon x Schwarzenegger). Bred by Christian Hansson and owned by Anna-lena Hjalmarsson, the black gelding scored 67.816%.