The Open Weekly: Maryland, Rotterdam & Holzer Holds

Eventing Maryland and the Numbers Game

The next eventing qualifier lands this weekend at the Maryland International, back on the East Coast and the thirteenth of twenty on the calendar. The CCI4*-S field counts 21 entries, headlined by Lucienne Bellissimo & Dyri. Bellissimo sits fifth in the Series standings, and Maryland is a clear chance to climb. She brings a second ride in Kitsch Couture HPK, and Caroline Pamukcu lines up fourth in the standings with King's Especiale. There are 40 points on the table for the winner.

The points matter because the chase at the top has tightened into a numbers problem. Tamie Smith leads on 235 with all six counting slots filled, 20 clear of Will Coleman. Every contender's card is already full, so the only way up the table now is to beat a score you already own, not add a fresh one.

That rule favours Bellissimo this weekend. Her two weakest counting scores are a 10 and a 5, so almost any decent placing improves her card. A 7th or better starts adding points, and a win at this field size is worth 40, lifting her from 175 to 210. Pamukcu has a harder climb. Her floor is a 15, so she needs 5th or better just to gain a single point.

Both have the string depth to chase results across the run-in. We ran the full math on every realistic path the chasers have left last week. Read it here.

A full Maryland preview follows later this week.

Current Leaderboard of the US Equestrian Open of Eventing

#	Rider	Points
1	Tamra Smith	235
2	William Coleman	215
3	Boyd Martin	190
4	Caroline Pamukcu	185
5	Lucienne Bellissimo	175

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Jumping USA Second in Rotterdam

The US team finished second of ten nations at the Longines League of Nations in Rotterdam, the result decided by a jump-off after the Americans and Great Britain both completed on eight penalties. Robert Ridland's side anchored their challenge on Marilyn Little & La Contessa, who jumped clear in both rounds. Great Britain took the win, Switzerland third.

Those two clears continue a remarkable run. Little has jumped 10 clear rounds from 15 at 5* 1.60m in the last twelve months, a 67% strike rate at the height of the sport, the Rotterdam pair of trips included. On Sunday she was the best-placed American in the Grand Prix, adding a single time fault to finish 12th.

It is the kind of consistency that travels. Little & La Contessa shared a joint-second 5* Grand Prix finish at WEF Week 9 earlier in the year, a podium against the world's best on the road to the Rolex US Equestrian Open Final. La Contessa keeps turning up clear when it counts.

Dressage Holzer Leads into the Break, but Not by Much

Ashley Holzer leads the dressage standings on 51 points with Hawtins San Floriana, but the margin is slim. Twenty-three qualifiers are done, two remain, and just six points cover the top five. Frederic Wandres sits second on 49, ahead of Claire Darnell (47), Devon Kane (46) and Geñay Vaughn (45).

Wandres is the biggest unknown in that group. He closed his AGDF campaign in March and will compete across Europe through the summer. If he returns to the US before 2027, it is likely only for the Final, and even that is not certain.

Two names further down are worth watching. Christian Simonson sits tenth on 40 points from only two qualifiers, winning both, with two scoring slots still open. A podium at Devon or TerraNova lifts him above Holzer. Isabell Werth holds the season's highest single freestyle, 82.660% from her one Wellington start, but series rules require a minimum of two qualifier appearances. Without a return, that score does not carry her to the Final.

The cut line tells its own story. Eighteenth place is shared: Susan Dutta and Kristina Harrison-Antell are tied on 29, and both would be invited to the Final if the standings held, since ties at the cutoff expand the field. The two 29s are not equal, though. Dutta has four counting scores and can only climb by beating her lowest, a 6 from AGDF 10. Harrison-Antell has three, so a fourth qualifier adds rather than replaces. Hers is the easier card to improve.

The series now pauses. Dressage at Devon on September 22 is the next chance to move.

Current Leaderboard of the US Equestrian Open of Dressage

#	Rider	Points
1	Ashley Holzer	51
2	Frederic Wandres	49
3	Claire Darnell	47
4	Devon Kane	46
5	Geñay Vaughn	45

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