It was a big day on the Kentucky Horse Park cross-country course with a 62% clear rate and an average of 11.2 time penalties, 2.7 more than expected from this class. The course asked questions (mainly at the influential corner), and not everyone had the answers. But the below riders did.
Tamra Smith &amp; Lillet 3 proved the metrics right. Coming in as the fastest horse in the field by <a href="https://usequestrianopen.info/kentucky4s2026/cross-country" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Top Speed Percentage</a> at 95%, they delivered &mdash; picking up just 1.6 time penalties to move into the lead with a combined score of 31.3. Smith goes into the final phase with a 90% win chance on the prediction centre. A win would add 50 points to her series tally and hand her the Series lead, with a 20 point gap to Caroline Pamukcu. The&nbsp;<a href="https://us.equestrian-hub.com/public/championship/eventing/2" target="_blank" rel="noopener">leaderboard </a>implications are significant.
<a href="https://prediction-centre.equiratings.com/competitions/kentucky_4s_2026" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://usef-admin.fly.dev/assets/ae835a41-976b-41c6-89e8-e70fc6263be8.png?width=964&amp;height=655" alt="Screenshot 2026 04 25 173650"></a>
Will Coleman &amp; Very Dignified, or Dora to those who know her, put in a smashing round, picking up just 4.4 time penalties to sit second. Coleman has spoken warmly about this mare throughout the season, and it is easy to see why. She jumped clear (and inside the time!) at the US Equestrian Open Final and she jumped clear again today. The prediction centre gives her just a 9% win chance but with a 93% top-three chance, a podium looks likely.&nbsp;
Mia Farley &amp; Invictus sit third after a strong round with just 5.6 time penalties. This combination has historically carried significant time penalties &mdash; often into double figures &mdash; but they have been getting faster, and today showed that progress clearly.&nbsp;
The breakout round of the day, though, belonged to Isabelle Cook. Tina Cook's daughter, competing as part of the GB Rising Lions programme, was the fastest combination on course for a spell &mdash; until Smith came out late in the order &mdash; posting just 3.2 time penalties to climb 28 places from 36th to 8th. A remarkable ride that will turn heads.
Tomorrow, show jumping decides it. Lillet 3 leads with a pole in hand. Very Dignified is 4.4 penalties behind. The <a href="https://prediction-centre.equiratings.com/competitions/kentucky_4s_2026" target="_blank" rel="noopener">EquiRatings Prediction Centre</a> has made its call.
&nbsp;
<img src="https://usef-admin.fly.dev/assets/334c046f-d772-4b4d-b0e6-1da2cc765efb.png?width=873&amp;height=670" alt="Screenshot 2026 04 25 174450">

Tamie Smith is set to take the Series lead 

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Kentucky is East Coast territory. The iconic Kentucky Horse Park, the five-star running simultaneously, the history and the atmosphere - it all belongs to the established order. And yet, scroll through the top ten of today's dressage leaderboard and a different story emerges.
Four of the combinations sitting inside the top ten are based on the West Coast.
Tamra Smith, Temecula-based and in imperious form all season, leads on Danito with a 27.0, sits fourth with Lillet 3, and 13th with Kynan. That was somewhat expected. What perhaps wasn't is the company she's keeping from her own backyard.
Molly Duda, 21 years old, is based with Tamie Smith in Temecula. Not only does she own Lillet 3 for Tamie, but she sits sixth on 31.1 with&nbsp;Carlingfords Hes a Clover - their best four-star dressage test together across seven international starts. The context makes it more impressive. Scoring ran 2.6 penalties above the six-run average (6RA) across both days &mdash; a tough environment &mdash; and yet Carlingfords Hes a Clover beat their own 6RA by 6.4 penalties. The biggest improvement of any combination in the field.
Then there's Tommy Greengard, 26, based in Malibu, who arrives with two horses and sits equal seventh on 31.4 with&nbsp;That's Me Z. That same combination finished 17th here last year. He also has Balladeer Kilbrickens Lad in the field &mdash; a horse that won his first four-star at Galway Downs just weeks ago sitting in 26th on a 36.3. One to watch tomorrow as he takes on the cross-country with two relatively inexperienced horses who show great promise. Hear from Tommy Greengard on the US Equestrian Open Podcast <a href="https://pod.fo/e/3f8f36" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here.</a>
This is exactly what the US Equestrian Open was built for. A series that gives West Coast-based (and young!) riders, not just a reason to make the trip east, but a genuine shot at competing with &mdash; and beating &mdash; the best in the country. Duda and Greengard are not here to make up the numbers. They are here because of the Series pathway, and they are walking it.
Cross-country tomorrow will ask different questions. But the West Coast has already made its point.&nbsp; Read more on why EquiRatings think its possible to win the US Equestrian Open Series from the West Coast: <a href="https://www.usequestrianopen.org/stories/is-the-us-equestrian-open-winnable-from-the-west-coast" target="_blank" rel="noopener">https://www.usequestrianopen.org/stories/is-the-us-equestrian-open-winnable-from-the-west-coast</a>

West Coast contenders deliver in the Cosequin® Lexington CCI4*-S

Tamie Smith is doing what Tamie Smith seems to do. She leads on Danito with a 27.0 &mdash; exactly his six-run average (6RA), delivered on cue &mdash; and sits joint third with&nbsp;Lillet 3 on 29.9 and 13th with Kynan. Lillet 3 leads the <a href="https://prediction-centre.equiratings.com/competitions/kentucky_4s_2026/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Prediction Centre </a>and is certainly one to watch tomorrow with a serious chance at making the time. Three horses and three solid positions. The points Tamie could gain her may become extremely critical in her <a href="https://www.usequestrianopen.org/stories/six-horses-two-weekends-why-tamie-smith-is-the-series-favorite" target="_blank" rel="noopener">campaign for the Series lead.</a>
<a href="https://prediction-centre.equiratings.com/competitions/kentucky_4s_2026/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://usef-admin.fly.dev/assets/a7447e51-337d-4337-b156-b0afde008c47.png?width=931&amp;height=792" alt="Screenshot 2026 04 24 171623"></a>
Sharon White &amp; Claus 63 were the surprise (and impress!) of the phase. A 28.1 is their second-best four-star test from 20 starts together, behind only the 25.2 they produced at the US Equestrian Open Final at Morven Park last year. They outperformed their 6RA by 4.2 marks to sit second overnight. The <a href="https://prediction-centre.equiratings.com/competitions/kentucky_4s_2026/movement" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Prediction Centre</a> has rewarded them accordingly with a +16% swing in win chance, the biggest post-dressage move in the field, putting them top at 21%.
<a href="https://prediction-centre.equiratings.com/competitions/kentucky_4s_2026/movement" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://usef-admin.fly.dev/assets/27215b29-d617-4f04-9806-261922a0d3fc.png?width=931&amp;height=510" alt="Screenshot 2026 04 24 171702"></a>
Then there is Elizabeth Barratt and Ride for Thais Chaman Dumontceau. The 20-year-old, competing as part of Great Britain's Rising Lions team, posted a 29.7 to sit third &mdash; just under the horse's six-run average of 30. The horse's most recent run before Barratt took over in 2025 was the Paris Olympics with St&eacute;phane Landois, where they scored a 24.4. The horse was also previously produced and ridden by the late Thais Meheust who tragically lost her life in a horseriding accident.&nbsp;
As Barratt grows into the partnership and performing on the bigger stages, the ceiling could be high. No British rider has ever completed this class in its five-year history meaning that Barratt, alongside Rising Lions teammates Finn Healy (35.8, 25th) and Isabelle Cook (39.3, 36th), are aiming to change that.
Cross-country is tomorrow. Tamie Smith is everywhere. Sharon White is on form. And a 20-year-old from Great Britain just announced herself.
<div style="text-align: center; margin: 20px 0;"><a style="display: inline-block; background-color: #1a5fa8; color: #ffffff; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-weight: bold; padding: 14px 28px; border-radius: 6px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://usequestrianopen.info/kentucky4s2026" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Learn more about Kentucky in the Fan Guide</a></div>

Tamie's on top and Sharon surges in the Cosequin® Lexington CCI4*-S

The Grand Prix Freestyle at WEC Ocala this week has three legitimate contenders and no obvious favorite. Jennifer Williams and Joppe K, Ashley Holzer and Hawtins San Floriana, and Claire Darnell and Harrold S are separated by less than a percentage point in career average. Their personal bests span barely more than a point.
<iframe id="datawrapper-chart-cL7DH" style="width: 0; min-width: 100% !important; border: none;" title="Grand Prix Freestyle Stats: WEC Ocala April CDI3*" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/cL7DH/1/" height="666" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" aria-label="Table" data-external="1"></iframe>
<h2 dir="ltr">The Top 3</h2>
If you need to hand someone the slight edge, recent form points to Williams. She&rsquo;s logged back-to-back 75.455s with a last-three average just above 75% and a scoring range of just over a point. That's a pair executing consistently near the top of what they've shown. But "slight edge" is more of an educated shrug than a full-blown prediction.&nbsp;
Darnell and Harrold S, meanwhile, are trending sharply upward. Their last three scores &mdash; 73.450, 74.315, 74.365 &mdash; form a tight, rising sequence, with their most recent result the best of the bunch. The issue is simple arithmetic: that 74.365 is essentially Williams's recent floor. For Darnell to win, she'd not only need to put in a personal-best-level performance, but would also need Williams to have an off day. Now granted, Darnell&rsquo;s personal best with this horse is a 77.015%, but that score was posted more than three years ago. Her current form is a more honest read of where the pair sits.&nbsp;
Holzer and Hawtins San Floriana are the wildcard. Their recent scores span from 73.555 to 75.290. That two-point spread means Holzer can beat anyone in this field on the right day, or lose to the other favorites on the wrong one. Hawtins has yet to win a Grand Prix Freestyle, which remains true after eight starts together. A sharp ride this weekend could break that curse. But that's the thing about a wide-open field: a career first is on the table, and so is third place.
<iframe id="datawrapper-chart-OmzsS" style="width: 0; min-width: 100% !important; border: none;" title="Recent Freestyle Form" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/OmzsS/1/" height="469" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" aria-label="Line chart" data-external="1"></iframe>
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<h2 dir="ltr">A Race Within A Race</h2>
The more interesting story this weekend may not even be who wins the class. It's what Holzer and Darnell do to each other on the leaderboard.
Wandres currently leads the Series, but he's not competing this weekend. Whether he's still leading when scores post depends entirely on how Holzer and Darnell finish &mdash; and relative to each other, not just the field. Darnell sits just behind Wandres. Holzer is close behind her. If both place in the top three, Wandres loses the lead, and whoever places higher between the two of them takes it. The only scenario where Wandres holds on requires Darnell to fall outside the top three, and even then, only if Holzer also doesn't finish first or second.
That makes this a race within a race, and given how close these two score, it runs through every movement of both freestyles.
<iframe id="datawrapper-chart-g6jy9" style="width: 0; min-width: 100% !important; border: none;" title="US Equestrian Open: Leaderboard Scenarios" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/g6jy9/1/" height="320" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" aria-label="Table" data-external="1"></iframe>
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WEC Preview: Wandres Could Lose the Lead And He’s Not Even There

The Kentucky Horse Park needs no introduction. One of the most storied venues in eventing, it has hosted some of the sport's most iconic moments and this weekend, the Cosequin&reg; Lexington CCI4*-S returns for its sixth consecutive year.
<div style="text-align: center; margin: 20px 0;"><a style="display: inline-block; background-color: #1a5fa8; color: #ffffff; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-weight: bold; padding: 14px 28px; border-radius: 6px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://usequestrianopen.info/kentucky4s2026" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Learn more about Kentucky in the Fan Guide</a></div>
If last year is anything to go by, it will be one of the standout events of the entire series. In 2025, it drew the largest field of any qualifier and ranked in the top three for overall field strength. The 11th qualifier of 2026 is shaping up to match it.
And the timing matters. The leaderboard has been shifting constantly through the opening ten qualifiers, and two of the biggest names in the title race arrive here with serious skin in the game. Tamie Smith, with three entries,&nbsp;and Lucienne Bellissimo, with Kitsch Couture HPK, sit third and fourth in the standings and both still have one open scoring slot. With space for six counting scores each, this could be one of the last chances for either to add a fresh result rather than trying to improve on an existing one.
<img src="https://usef-admin.fly.dev/assets/87e9abcf-8db2-4446-8f96-373fbcec5349.png?width=712&amp;height=417" alt="Screenshot 2026 04 20 173003">
The points at stake here are also significant. With Kentucky operating on the large qualifier scale, a win is worth 50 points, enough to move either combination sharply up a tight leaderboard.
<img src="https://usef-admin.fly.dev/assets/f4c60395-4300-4ffc-a11d-a722b69c73c4.png?width=717&amp;height=397" alt="Points Scale for Blog Inserts">
<h2 class="font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]">&nbsp;</h2>
<h2 class="font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]">The favorite: Tamie Smith &amp; Lillet 3</h2>
Tamie Smith &amp; Lillet 3 lead The<a href="https://prediction-centre.equiratings.com/competitions/kentucky_4s_2026" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> EquiRatings Prediction Centre</a> on an 18% Win Chance. The ten-year-old produced the highest High Performance Rating (HPR) recorded at a US Equestrian Open qualifier this season&mdash;a 99 at Carolina&mdash;to win a big, competitive class.
<a href="https://usequestrianopen.info/kentucky4s2026/who-wins--top-scores" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://usef-admin.fly.dev/assets/9fdbd7e8-08a3-4ca0-b77d-7c194ce11292.png?width=1174&amp;height=1678" alt="N4 Ocg Who Wins the Cosequin Lexington Cci4 S "></a>
Tamie arrives with six international wins already this season and serious momentum behind her. She&rsquo;s in form, in rhythm, and riding one of the strongest strings in the country right now. Tamie also brings her experience campaigner Danito (10% Win Chance) and Kynan (3% Win Chance) who finished in the top 10 in this class last year.
Read more about Tamie's 2026 campaign&nbsp;<a href="https://www.usequestrianopen.org/stories/six-horses-two-weekends-why-tamie-smith-is-the-series-favorite" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here.</a>
<img src="https://usef-admin.fly.dev/assets/5b0cb64b-8068-48b4-999a-c15a2fc2b2c2.jpg?width=4000&amp;height=2667" alt="Tamie Smith Lillet 3 05449">Tamie Smith &amp; Lillet 3 on the way to winning Carolina CCI4*-S. Photo: Liz Crawley Photography
<h2 class="font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]">&nbsp;</h2>
<h2 class="font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]">Course experience: Sydney Elliott and Dan Kreitl</h2>
The two horses below Lillet 3 on the prediction centre bring something the favorite can't claim: a proven track record in this specific class.
Sydney Elliott &amp; QC Diamantaire arrive with a 12% win chance having competed at the Kentucky Horse Park four times with two of those appearances being in the CCI4*-S. They finished third in 2023 and eighth in 2024 with a double clear on both occasions. That kind of consistency over a course of Kentucky's standard is not something to overlook.
<img src="https://usef-admin.fly.dev/assets/447bcae5-293e-488e-b18f-1d3cb098a595.png?width=1536&amp;height=748" alt="M6 Hq I Qc Diamantaire S Record at Kentucky Horse Park ">
On a 11% win chance, Dan Kreitl and Carmango have a strong record at this venue, finishing fourth in 2022 and fifth in 2023. In 2022, they led the class after cross-country before an unlucky show jumping phase dropped them out of the medals but they came back the following year and jumped clear, proof that this course holds no demons for them.
After missing the entire 2025 international season, they returned at the TerraNova qualifier with a convincing third-place finish, starting on a 21 in the dressage. That mark is the lowest four-star dressage score recorded globally in 2026 so far.
<img src="https://usef-admin.fly.dev/assets/3ed71fed-7af3-4d79-85e0-aa3e0fcc4ed0.png?width=1536&amp;height=536" alt="S Jyyv Carmango S Record at Kentucky Horse Park ">
These two combinations account for the only horses in this field with a top-five finish at this competition. That track record earns its place in any preview, win chance aside.
&nbsp;
<div style="text-align: center; margin: 20px 0;"><a style="display: inline-block; background-color: #1a5fa8; color: #ffffff; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-weight: bold; padding: 14px 28px; border-radius: 6px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://usequestrianopen.info/kentucky4s2026" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Learn more about Kentucky in the Fan Guide</a></div>
<h2 class="font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]">Quick Access Links:</h2>
&nbsp;
<ul>
<li>Results: <a href="https://www.kentuckythreedayevent.com/results" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Results Link</a></li>
<li>Start Times: <a href="https://www.kentuckythreedayevent.com/entries-and-ride-times" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Start Time Link</a></li>
<li>Live Stream: <a href="https://www.clipmyhorse.tv/en_EU/events/18573/2026-defender-kentucky-three-day-event-the-kentucky-international-csi5" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Live Stream Link</a></li>
<li>Watch Kentucky for free with a USEF memberships: <a href="https://www.usef.org/membership/join-renew" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Get a free Fan membership</a></li>
</ul>
<img src="https://usef-admin.fly.dev/assets/797de4a4-a9fd-4ef8-8f83-7253791613fc.png?width=4048&amp;height=577" alt="Us Open Blog Inserts">
<h3 data-path-to-node="9">Join the Conversation</h3>
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<h3 data-path-to-node="6">Go Beyond the Article</h3>
Catch the latest insights and expert interviews on the&nbsp;<a href="https://sites.libsyn.com/559710" target="_blank" rel="noopener">US Equestrian Open Podcast.</a>&nbsp;
The Mission of the Open The US Equestrian Open was born from a strategic Board of Directors decision in 2023 to build a permanent legacy for US Equestrian sport.
Its mission is to grow and foster a deeper connection to equestrianism by delivering a premier, unified championship series in the Olympic disciplines.&nbsp;
With top-level competition, storytelling, and a dynamic, entertaining experience, the vision is to transform disparate events into a cohesive, narrative-driven season. The Series is anchored by core values which include fan-first accessibility, competitive integrity, storytelling, and a dynamic entertaining experience onsite.

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Tamie Smith is set to take the Series lead

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Tamie Smith is set to take the Series lead

West Coast contenders deliver in the Cosequin® Lexington CCI4*-S

Tamie's on top and Sharon surges in the Cosequin® Lexington CCI4*-S

WEC Preview: Wandres Could Lose the Lead And He’s Not Even There

Who wins the Cosequin® Lexington CCI4*-S?

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