How 0.4 of a Penalty Decided the First US Equestrian Open Eventing Final
With the 2026 Final returning to Morven Park in October, here is a look at how the first one played out.
The Final carried a $200,000 prize pot, the largest ever offered at CCI4*-L, shared across the placings rather than handed to one rider. The money did what it was built to do. Morven Park drew an Elo field strength of 520, the second strongest CCI4*-L assembled on US soil on record and 54 points clear of the same venue a year earlier. Field strength averages the Elo of the top twenty-five horses in a competition, so the jump measured depth, not one or two marquee entries.
The EquiRatings Prediction Centre named two joint favourites on 19% win chances: Boyd Martin and Miks Master C, and Will Coleman with Off The Record. The two the model picked finished first and second.
Martin came in with one title already. On the Wednesday, after the first horse inspection, he collected $25,000 as the inaugural Series champion on 260 qualifier points. Four days later he had the second.
Phillip Dutton and Denim led the first day of dressage on a 27.5. But the Friday afternoon session mixed things up when Coleman and Off The Record scored 25.1. It wasthe lowest dressage mark ever recorded at Morven Park's CCI4*-L and Coleman's best at the level. Sharon White and Claus 63 scored a personal best for 25.2. Martin and Miks Master C went into third on 25.9.
0.8 of a penalty separated the top three going into cross country. At a venue where the clock decides things, that is close enough to be no lead at all.
Derek di Grazia set 5,778 metres and an optimum time of 10:09. Three horses beat it. Coleman came home in 10:04 on Off The Record and Very Dignified, crossed the timers at exactly 10:09. He became the first athlete to make the time twice in a Morven Park CCI4*-L.
The third was the round of the day. Pamukcu and HSH Double Sixteen were the fastest in the field and climbed from seventeenth to fifth.
The track took the two riders sitting directly behind Coleman. White and Claus 63 picked up 20 jumping penalties from second. So did Tamie Smith and Kynan from fifth.
After a missed flag penalty was resolved, Martin moved to second overnight by adding just 2.8 time penalties.
Christopher Barnard built the final track in the Grand Prix Arena with a tight time and a triple combination on the closing line. Martin jumped clear on Miks Master C and finished on 28.7. Coleman, last to go, had only a 3.6 penalty margin, so he needed the clear round.
He had it until B of the triple. One rail, four faults, 29.1. Martin became the first name on the perpetual US Equestrian Open trophy by four tenths of a penalty, and took the MARS American Bred Talent Trophy with it.
Coleman took second and third. Very Dignified jumped clear and finished on 35.4, the only horse in the field to complete the weekend without adding a single penalty to her dressage score. She moved from sixth to third on the final day by standing still while others has poles fall, in her first CCI4*-L with Coleman.
What the numbers tell us|
Winning margin
0.4 of a penalty
One rail at B of the triple combination, on the last line of the last round that mattered.
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Inside the time
3 of 27
Coleman rode two of them. Speed was the currency at Morven Park and almost nobody had it.
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Finished on dressage
One horse
Very Dignified went 35.4 to 35.4 and climbed from sixth to third without adding a thing.
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After dressage
0.8 covered three
25.1, 25.2 and 25.9. Two of those three ended the weekend outside the top nine.
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The Prediction Centre named the two who finished first and second. It could not have named the fence.
The 2026 US Equestrian Open Eventing Final returns to Morven Park in October, with $200,000 on the line again. Will Coleman and Off The Record return to have a second attempt at the title.
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