--- GDF press release, edited by Eurodressage - Photos © Lily Forado
Great Britain’s Susan Pape and Harmony Sport Horses' KWPN mare Giulilanta topped the bill with a new combination career high of 73.63% in the 5* Grand Prix held in a special evening session under lights at the 2026 CDI Wellington on 22 January 2025.
Her achievement eclipsed U.S. Olympian Marcus Orlob’s score on Jane by just 0.043 percentage points.
“It’s very exciting to be honored with a score like that—we keep climbing up,” said Pape, who rides the powerful and responsive chestnut with four white socks for the horse's American owners, Leslie and John Malone of Harmony Sport horses. The Malones bring Pape and Michael Klimke annually to Wellington for a winter show season.
“There’s a lot of commotion, so she was a little tense, but I know how to cope with that. She’s still hot, but she’s focused. I think the high points tonight were the collected work, like the passage, transitions and pirouettes. Giulilanta does a lot of things very well.”
Top Three
Brittany Fraser-Beaulieu completed the multi-colored flags on the CDI5* podium, taking third place for Canada with Jill Irving’s 12-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding Jaccardo (by Desperado x Jazz).
Orlob may well have snuck above Pape’s score if not for a spook at the end of the extended canter that muddied the flying change. Still, Alice Tarjan’s 12-year-old Dutch mare — another by the Vivaldi son Desperado—appears to have conquered much of the nerves and tension that marred some of her performances in previous years.
Rise of the Phoenix
Harmony’s Giulilanta (by Jazz x Flemmingh) is 15, but the Dutch Warmblood is relatively lightly competed at the international Grand Prix level. When she was 11 and on the brink of stepping up to the level, she sustained an injury that ruled her out of competition for two years.
“I wasn’t even sure she would ever come back, but she did it so beautifully,” said Pape. “She had such a long break, and now she’s stronger than ever. She’s a miracle and a fighter, this horse.”
“I was surprised with how well she’s coped because it took us 23 hours to get back home [to Germany] from London, and then she spent four days at home—just hand walking and lungeing—then she got on a plane and came here,” added Pape, who spent the 2022 and 2025 winter seasons in Wellington competing Giulilanta. “I’m surprised how fit she is, but she knows exactly where she is when she’s here, so that makes it easy, and she’s quite secure in the ring.”
Pape currently has eyes on the ground in Florida from fellow Harmony rider Michael Klimke, and while at home, she trains with her husband Ingo Pape and Holga Finken.
In the U.S., two of Giulilanta’s embryo transfer offspring have already proved themselves in the arena at small tour; her Revolution daughter M Revelation De Jeu, who is now nine, has won with Lars Petersen, and the 10-year-old Glamourdale stallion Lorence De Jeu competed under Mackenzie Peer. Pape also has two two-year-olds of her own out of Giulilanta in Europe.
Perry-Glass Tops CDI3* Grand Prix
In the Palm Beach Equine Clinic CDI3* Grand Prix, the winning test came from the very last rider in the class of 10 starters. Heading up a trio of female Olympians on the podium, Rio 2016 Olympic team bronze medalist Kasey Perry-Glass (USA) and Diane Perry’s 14-year-old Heartbeat WP (Charmeur x Ferro) laid down a new personal best of 72.022% to claim the top spot. All five judges were in unison, with the duo’s scores ranging from 71.739% to 72.609%.
Related Links
Scores: 2026 CDI Wellington