The Open Weekly: Pamukcu, Kenny, and Darnell Take Wins Across the Disciplines

A weekly update across dressage, jumping, and eventing, covering results, early leaderboard shifts, and the next Open qualifiers.

By USEF Media

March 10, 2026

Eventing: Pamukcu and HSH Connor Win at Bouckaert as the Series Leaderboard Tightens

Next Qualifier: Carolina International | Countdown: 1 Week

Bouckaert has always been a course that is tight on time. Of 207 starters in the event's history, just 2% have ever beaten the clock on the cross country and this weekend was no exception. The fastest time of the day belonged to Tamie Smith and Ferrie’s Cello, who still added 14.8 time penalties. No one even got close. Although, this may have been partly by design for some combinations - an early-season run to build fitness, test strength, or a steady step on the road to Kentucky.

Caroline Pamukcu & HSH Connor

Caroline Pamukcu and HSH Connor took the win of the first 2026 eventing qualifier. Fourth after dressage on 29.8, third after show jumping, and then incrementally faster cross country than the combinations ahead of them. It was a win built on accumulation rather than any single defining moment.

It was HSH Connor's ninth consecutive show jumping clear, a run that stretches back to 2023 without a pole down. It was also their first win at the four-star level together and Pamukcu's eighth CCI4*-S career win, across five different horses.

Pamukcu also finished 4th with HSH Double Sixteen and 6th with King’s Especiale, moving her onto 80 points and into a tie with Lucienne Bellissimo who led the Series over the winter break.

Boyd Martin & Commando 3

Boyd Martin and Commando 3 led after dressage on 26.4 and held that position through show jumping, only slipping to second when cross-country time penalties proved costlier than Pamukcu’s. It is still a strong result and the start of a season that will likely see them on the road to the World Championships in Aachen. Martin also placed fifth with Cooley Nutcracker and seventh with Fetiche Des Rouges which puts Boyd second in the Series standing.

Buck Davidson & Cooley Candyman

Third place went to Buck Davidson and Cooley Candyman. Their 30.5 dressage score was their standout moment of the weekend, scoring a full three marks better than their 6RA of 33.5. Of Cooley Candyman’s 14 top-level starts (CCI4* and CCI5*), this ranks as his joint second-best test. That dressage performance is what kept them in contention on a weekend when the jumping phases offered very little room to gain ground.

Carolina International is only a week away. With over 25 entries, increased Series points are on offer and Bellissimo, Pamukcu and Martin are all in the field. The gap at the top is now zero and it’s very unlikely to stay that way.

Jumping: The Final Five-Star Before the Final

The US Equestrian Open Final: Wellington, Week 12 | Countdown: 2 Weeks

Three CSI5* Grand Prix have now been contested at Wellington this season. Three different winners from three different nations. Germany's Richard Vogel and Gangster Montdesir opened with a win in Week 5. McLain Ward and High Star Hero won for the US in Week 7. And on Saturday night, Darragh Kenny and Eddy Blue claimed Week 9 for Ireland - the last five-star of the WEF season before the Rolex US Equestrian Open Grand Prix in Week 12.

Darragh Kenny & Eddy Blue

Darragh Kenny (alamy)

Darragh Kenny and Eddy Blue had been placed at this venue before but Saturday night was their first outright Wellington Grand Prix win together. It was also their second CSI5* Grand Prix victory as a partnership, having won the World Cup of London in 2024.

The jump-off margin was fine: 41.77 seconds against a target of 41.92. Kenny left a stride out in the first line, a calculated risk with a horse he trusts implicitly.

He’s Been Second and Third Here [at Wef] and Placed in a Lot of Five Stars, but to Finally Win One Here Is Really Deserving for the Horse—he’s an Incredible Athlete. (1)

A Rare Tie for Second

The jump-off produced something that almost never happens at this level. Marilyn Little and La Contessa set the target at 41.92 seconds as the pathfinder. Six rounds later, Thaisa Erwin and Hialita B crossed the line in an identical time. A dead heat for second place. It is the first time in nearly four years that a CSI5* Grand Prix produced a tie for second place. The last occasion was Hamburg 2022, where André Thieme and Michael Pender matched each other in second.

Iw Wellington Nations Cup 334

For Marilyn Little and La Contessa, it was a first CSI5* podium together, though the underlying form has been building. This pair have jumped clear in each of their last five five-star Grands Prix.

He’s Been Second and Third Here [at Wef] and Placed in a Lot of Five Stars, but to Finally Win One Here Is Really Deserving for the Horse—he’s an Incredible Athlete. (3)

For Thaisa Erwin, it was a landmark on two counts. Not only a first five-star podium with Hialita B, but the first time since 2010 that an Australian rider has stood on a WEF five-star Grand Prix podium.

He’s Been Second and Third Here [at Wef] and Placed in a Lot of Five Stars, but to Finally Win One Here Is Really Deserving for the Horse—he’s an Incredible Athlete. (4)

All three competitors who finished on the podium confirmed they are aiming for the Rolex US Equestrian Open Grand Prix in Week 12. The form lines are close. The final is just two and a half weeks away.

He’s Been Second and Third Here [at Wef] and Placed in a Lot of Five Stars, but to Finally Win One Here Is Really Deserving for the Horse—he’s an Incredible Athlete. (2)

Dressage: Darnell and Harrold S Find Their Form at WEC

Next Qualifier: Wellington AGDF 10 - CDI-W | The Final: Desert Dressage, Thermal CA (November)

Claire Darnell and Harrold S won Saturday's freestyle at WEC in Ocala with a strong showing. Darnell posted 74.315%, topping four of five judges and sitting second only from the judge at B. It's her best result of the season, and the closest she's looked to the 77% version of herself we've been waiting to see this season. The class finished with three combinations after withdrawals in both the Grand Prix and the freestyle, but that doesn't diminish what Darnell and Harrold S put on the board.

Screenshot 2026 03 10 120205

The fight for second and third came down to five hundredths of a point. Leonardo Antonio Godoy and Marques Do Lis took second at 70.390%, with Charlotte Osborne and Fruhlingszauber at 70.340% in third. Osborne's only judge win came at B, where she edged out the rest of the field with a 70.975%. On the leaderboard, Godoy moves to fifth with 33 points, a significant jump for a partnership that now has three of four counting starts. Osborne climbs to a tied eighth on 29 points.

For Darnell, the win moves her to 35 points on the season, drawing level with Brittany Fraser-Beaulieu for third overall. The Series heads to Wellington next week for the final CDI-W qualifier, where names like Ben Ebeling and Kevin Kohmann are expected on the entry list.