The Open Weekly: Bouckaert Restarts the Series, Ward’s Birthday Breakthrough, & Kane Wins TerraNova

Jumping Ward Finally Lands an MLSJ Grand Prix

McLain Ward & High Star Hero won the CSI5* Major League Show Jumping Grand Prix at Tryon International on Saturday night. It was Ward’s first MLSJ Grand Prix win, and it came on his 51st birthday. Coincidentally, it was the 51st MLSJ Grand Prix to run. 

Nick Granat’s 1.60m track had 13 obstacles and 17 jumping efforts. The first 14 starters all had faults. Christian Kukuk & Akarad Tivoli Z jumped the first clear, and six combinations made the jump-off.

Kukuk set the target at 44.30 seconds. Ward was 1.62 seconds faster, stopping the clock at 42.68, and nobody else in the jump-off went under 44.

Shane Sweetnam & James Kann Cruz were runners-up here last year and went second-last in the jump-off. They were quick, finishing in 44.97, but a rail dropped them to fourth.

Mark Bluman & Genial de B’Neville went last. A clear round guaranteed him a podium place, so he rode for it and finished third in 49.52. Mark and Daniel Bluman won the previous two MLSJ Grands Prix. Daniel finished fifth with four faults on Corbie V.V., which ended the family’s run.

Kent Farrington & Greya had one rail in the first round and missed the jump-off. They were the fastest of the four-faulters in 68.12 and finished seventh.

Dressage Kane Wins TerraNova as the Final 18 Is Set

Devon Kane & Vamos won the last qualifier of the season, taking the CDI-W Grand Prix Freestyle at TerraNova on 75.505%. That closes out all 25 qualifiers, and the 18 riders invited to the US Equestrian Open of Dressage Final are now set.

The score is a personal best for Kane and the 14-year-old Westphalian gelding (Vivaldi x Insterburg), 0.040 above the 75.465% that won here in April. It also completes their first back-to-back wins together, after they took Friday's Grand Prix. Vamos' two best freestyles have now both come at TerraNova.

Her floor plan doesn't play it safe. "The floor plan is a pretty high degree of difficulty, going up to a 10 at times," she said. "I love the music, and we both get into a groove. I'm smiling and I sing along the entire time."

Despite her strong success this weekend, Kane didn't see Friday's win coming. "I was completely flabbergasted because the whole weekend I expected Christian to win," she said. The bigger target was weeks away. "This show was my last in preparation for the US Open final, so I wanted to make sure that we were set up for the show there."

Christian Simonson finished 2nd on 73.670% with Fleau de Baian, Heidi Humphries' 16-year-old stallion by Jazz x Ulft. James Koford rode a high degree of difficulty test on Janet Simile's prolific 16-year-old gelding Fire Fly, by Briar Junior, to 3rd on 72.910%. The judge at M had them on top. Eline Eckroth & Daphne were 4th on 67.055%.

US Equestrian Open of DressageFinal Series Leaderboard

Rank	Rider	Points
1	Kevin Kohmann	65
2	Brittany Fraser-Beaulieu	55
3	Devon Kane	54
4	Ashley Holzer	51
5	Christian Simonson	50
6	Frederic Wandres	49
7	Claire Darnell	47
8	Geñay Vaughn	45
9	Ellesse Gundersen	41
10	Jennifer Williams	41
11	Caroline Darcourt	40
12	Charlotte Osborne	39
13	Cyndi Jackson	39
14	Ali Potasky	36
15	Tinne Vilhelmson Silfvén	35
16	Meagan Davis	34
17	Leonardo Antonio Godoy	33
18	Susan Pape	32
Just outside the top 18
19	Nadine Schwartsman	31
20	Micaela Mabragaña	31
21	Camille Carier Bergeron	31
22	Susan Dutta	29

Highlighted: Devon Kane and Christian Simonson, 1st and 2nd at TerraNova.

Kane's win kept Simonson behind her and lifted her from 5th to 3rd on 54 points. Simonson's 2nd place still moved him from 11th to 5th on 50. At the cutoff, Susan Pape holds 18th on 32, one point clear of Nadine Schwartsman, Micaela Mabragaña and Camille Carier Bergeron. These 18 riders will be invited to the Final. If anyone ahead of them declines, those just outside could still get the call.

The Final is Nov. 13-14 in Thermal, California, less than four weeks away.