Can Anyone Catch Vaughn and Gino in the Dressage Final Freestyle?

Geñay Vaughn and Gino won Friday's Grand Prix with 69.544%, 2.066 points ahead of the rest of the field. And while that is undoubtedly a boost to their confidence going into tonight's freestyle, that feeling is all they get to carry over from last night.

Tonight's Grand Prix Freestyle at Desert International Horse Park will decide the US Equestrian Open of Dressage Final title. All $200,000 of the Final's prize money is on the line.

The Pair to Beat

Vaughn and Gino have the field's highest Freestyle personal best, 76.415%, and the highest 12-month average, 75.763%. They've also cleared 75% in five of their 11 career Freestyles. That's nearly half their starts, so what constitutes a big day for most of this field is a regular one for Gino.

Behind them, who rounds out the podium depends on which number you trust most. But the names don't change, just the order. Go by personal best, and it's Ali Potasky and INXS (76.325%), Kristina Harrison-Antell and Finley (75.770%), then Devon Kane and Vamos (75.505%). Go by 12-month average, and Vamos (73.901%) moves ahead of INXS (73.625%) and Finley (72.701%). Whichever order you pick, there's barely any space between them. On Friday, Finley, INXS and Vamos finished 2nd, 3rd and 5th in the Grand Prix, only 0.261 points apart.

Friday's Clues

There's no way to know exactly how a horse will score in the Freestyle, but history gives us a decent framework. Across 59 instances in these finalists' careers, the Freestyle has come in an average of 5.28 points above the Grand Prix ridden at the same show.

The jump comes from the artistic marks. Half the Freestyle score rewards music, choreography and degree of difficulty, so it routinely runs higher than the Grand Prix.

In practice, a 68% Grand Prix in this field points to something around 73% in the Freestyle the next day. Why does that matter? Because Friday's leaderboard becomes a rough map of where each combination should land tonight. Gino's 69.544% points to about 74.8%. Behind him, Finley, INXS, Carpe Diem de Massa and Vamos finished within 0.261 points of each other, which puts all four at about 72.5% to 72.8%.

The map is only a starting point, though, and two pairs could land higher than it suggests. A good Grand Prix almost always means an at-or-above-average Freestyle the next day. Vaughn and Gino rode 1.468 points above their career Grand Prix average on Friday. On Gino's own same-show history, that 69.544% points to about 75.3% tonight.

Micah Deligdish and Carpe Diem de Massa were even further ahead of their own form, 2.011 points above their career Grand Prix average. Their career Freestyle average is 69.093%, and their best is only 0.517 higher. Friday's score points to something around 72% tonight. That would be a new combination best on the first night they ride their very own freestyle.

So who wins?

For these finalists, a Grand Prix winner has gone on to lose the Freestyle exactly once. Last year's Final is that cautionary tale. Anna Marek and Fayvel won the 2025 Grand Prix and finished 3rd in the Freestyle, while Ben Ebeling and Bellena went from 2nd on Friday to champions on Saturday. For INXS, Finley, Carpe Diem de Massa or Vamos to do the same to Gino tonight, they'll need to ride close to their best.

Tonight's Setlist

If all this talk of averages, personal bests and season statistics isn't holding your attention, tonight's soundtrack will. The freestyles run from classic soul to boy bands, with two TV series in the mix.

Vaughn's family picked Gino's music, a blend of Barry White, Luther Vandross and Earth, Wind & Fire put together by Terri Gallo. Potasky and INXS ride to a blend of Adele songs, re-orchestrated by Carlos Aguera with a different arrangement for each gait. Kane and Vamos go Latin with "Despacito," "Bailamos" and "Could I Have This Kiss Forever," arranged by Nicole Pendzich.

Michael Klimke's wife, Rebecca, picked the music for Harmony's Dante's Peak, and Boy de Winter made the freestyle.

Two pairs bring the screen with them. Harrison-Antell and Finley ride to the Succession soundtrack, with choreography and music by Karen Robinson and finishing touches from Tanya Hill. Deligdish and Carpe Diem de Massa bring the other, and theirs is brand new.

They qualified for the Final on a freestyle Devon Kane loaned them, and tonight is the first time they'll ride their own, set to music from The Mandalorian and put together by Three Wishes Freestyles. A friend picked the theme because she sees the stallion as the Mandalorian and Deligdish as Grogu. For a horse Deligdish calls "just the sweetest horse," the casting fits.

Cyndi Jackson may win crowd favorite before a score appears on the screen with her arrangement of the Backstreet Boys, *NSYNC and DNCE's "Cake by the Ocean," by Rave Horse Productions.

Nadine Schwartsman's Sia freestyle, by Dylan Mandolesi of Glint Freestyles, carries the most story behind it. A few years ago, a severe heart condition left her unsure she would ever ride again. When she made it back to the ring with Royal Flash R, she wanted a freestyle that told their story, and she tailored the choreography to Roy's strengths. For her, the music is a reminder never to give up. "I cry every single time I ride this freestyle," she told The Chronicle of the Horse earlier this year.

Regardless of who wins, it'll be a fun night to listen to.

The first pair goes down the centerline at 5 p.m. PT Saturday, free on ClipMyHorse. By the end of the night, one of these nine will be the 2026 US Equestrian Open of Dressage Final champion.

More from the Final

Grand Prix RecapVaughn and Gino Win the Dressage Grand Prix by More Than Two PointsRead the recap →

Four to Follow

Geñay Vaughn and Gino →Devon Kane and Vamos →Ali Potasky and INXS →Kristina Harrison-Antell and Finley →

Grand Prix Preview

What Friday Tells Us About Saturday →Watch GuideHow to Follow the Final →