Jorst and Vaughn Vault Into Finals Contention with Coastal Wins

Charlotte Jorst and Geñay Vaughn each claimed victory in this week’s doubleheader at Qualifier 17. Both riders, who began the week outside the top 18 cutoff for a Finals berth, are now comfortably inside the qualifying cutoff. With the final spring qualifiers approaching, every point now carries weight.

TerraNova: A Nail-Biter Finish

At TerraNova, Jorst and Zhaplin Langholt topped the Grand Prix Freestyle with a 74.085%—just shy of their personal best and nearly three percentage points above their season average. The polished, confident ride earned the highest individual judge’s mark of the day from the judge at B. Benjamin Ebeling and Bellena narrowly missed the win with a 73.985%, making this one of the closest finishes in series history. Devon Kane and Vamos secured third place with a 72.705%.

Pacific Coast: Vaughn Makes History

On the West Coast at Pacific Coast Dressage, Vaughn and Gino returned from their World Cup Finals debut to win with a 74.040%. The pair has now won all three of their series starts—the first rider in the series to win three legs—and extended their California winning streak to eight. Günter Seidel and Jack took second with a combination-best 73.510%, and Kristina Harrison-Antell and Finley placed third on 72.715%.

Leaderboard Shifts as Vaughn Climbs Ten Places

Kristina Harrison-Antell climbed from sixth to second overall with 86 points after another consistent top-three finish. She displaced Germany’s Evelyn Eger, who had held onto second place for weeks. However, the biggest positional jump this week belongs to Vaughn, who rose ten places—from 19th to ninth—after her Pacific Coast win.

Günter Seidel moved into a tie for seventh with 64 points, rising eight places. His combination-best performance with Jack helped secure his Finals position within the top 18.

Vaughn’s jump into ninth (60 points) now puts her solidly inside the Finals cutoff after beginning the week outside the qualifying zone. Devon Kane also moved up, now sitting 10th with 59 points following her TerraNova podium finish. Charlotte Jorst advanced from outside the cutoff to 12th place with 55 points, creating a comfortable margin above the line that should hold through the season.

Benjamin Ebeling remains just outside the cutoff but could clinch a Finals berth with another podium finish at WEC in two weeks.

The Road Ahead

Only two qualifiers remain this spring: the Mid Atlantic Dressage Festival in Lexington, Kentucky (May 15), and the Ginny Rattner Memorial Dressage in Oregon (May 29). After that, the series pauses until late September. The remaining schedule favors East Coast riders, especially those based in Florida, offering more scoring opportunities for competitors like Ebeling, Kane, and Jorst. Riders near the cutoff—or those aiming to improve their prize money standings—will need to capitalize on the final spring starts before the Finals in November.

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