Ward Wins in Wellington (Again)

Rolex US Equestrian Open Final | Wellington, Week 12 | Countdown: 4 Weeks

Four weeks out from the Rolex US Equestrian Open Final and the 2026 challengers are becoming more clear. High Star Hero produced yet another McLain Ward Wellington win in what has been a difficult week after the loss of Imperial HBF.

"My team has rallied and put their heads down - it's been a grind, and I'm proud of them, proud of the horse, and proud to bring this home tonight."

The Winter Equestrian Festival has now crossed its halfway point and Saturday night's CSI5* $500,000 Modon Grand Prix helped sharpen the focus around the key challengers for the final. 

Only five combinations made it through to the jump-off. The spread of nations they represented—USA, Colombia, Ireland, Germany, France—told its own story about the international character of Week 7 at WEF.  The US Equestrian Open of Dressage the night before was won by Germany’s Isabell Werth and the top six placings were shared across six different nations.

The Winner: McLain Ward & High Star Hero

Ward went first in the jump-off, set the target, and nobody caught him. His time of 39.14 seconds proved untouchable despite the best efforts of four who followed. He took an extra stride to the final fence and still won which bodes well for US fans hoping to see High Star Hero's raw footspeed in a month.

"You always feel pressure, and all these guys are super-fast riders with very fast horses — I knew they were going to risk everything to win," said Ward afterwards. "I had to do what I thought was the winning plan, and the horse responded beautifully."

This was the fourth time Ward has won the WEF Week 7 Grand Prix — his previous three victories all came with HH Azur (2016, 2017, 2020). (Note: HH Azur remains the highest rated horse over the last 15 years in the US - they reached a peak Elo of 784 aged 12 in 2018. Greya is closing in on this).

McLain attributed his pattern of strong Week 7 results to a deliberate seasonal strategy: 

The man with more top level Wellington wins than any other rider will arrive at Week 12 with momentum, with a number of his horses in form, at a venue that he knows how to win. He will be one of the main hopes of keeping the Open title on home soil. 

Mark Bluman & Landon de Nyze

Second place went to a pair with no 5* 1.60m jump-off record - because Saturday night was their first 5* Grand Prix together. Bluman and Landon only became a combination in December, less than two months ago, and this was already their third top-three finish (two wins at 155 level since taking over the ride from Daniel). 

They came within half a second of Ward. 

Landon de Nyze—a 13-year-old son of Comilfo Plus Z x Quadrillo—was previously ridden by his brother Daniel Bluman and before than Kent Farrington (with whom he won team gold and individual silver at the 2023 Pan American Games for the USA). 

"I've never ridden a horse like this one in my life," said Bluman. "I come from Colombia, and it's not a country with a horse background, so to be sitting here with people that I grew up watching riding horses, it means the world."

Very few 160 partnership debuts produce results this quickly. He has two wins at 155 level (4* and 5*). Nothing about Saturday night suggested this 160 debut was a ceiling.

Shane Sweetnam & James Kann Cruz

A podium felt almost routine for the Kentucky-based, Irish combination. Their jump-off conversion borders on statistical anomaly: 18 clears from 21 rounds (86%), translating into 19 podium finishes from those jump-off appearances. Lets that sink in - 21 jump offs at 5*160 level and now 19 podium finishes. 

The 13-year-old Irish Sport Horse (Kannan x Cruising) is in impressive form. "He hasn't knocked a fence in a Grand Prix since Dublin (August), and that's ridiculous," said Sweetnam. "I'm blessed to have a horse that good - he really loves his job."

Like Bluman, he was disappointed not to win. He was candid about his own role: 

Shane Sweetnam is loved in Ireland as a reliable, humble, and supremely talented, rider. There is huge belief that he knows exactly where to find more for the final. When this pair make it to a jump-off at this level, a top-three finish has become the expectation. Now, time for the win.

Dont Miss: Richard Vogel & Gangster Montdesir

Vogel and Gangster Montdesir posted the fastest jump-off time of the night (37.34 seconds) but had four faults to go with it.They finished fourth. They won the season's opening 5* Grand Prix at Week 5 - the $500,000 Fidelity Investments CSI5*. 

Gangster is only just turned 10. Their 5* 160 record now reads: five starts, five clear rounds, two wins (the first coming in Lyon last October). 

Vogel also expressed exactly why this venue matters to his preparation: "Wellington is our home in the winter months. It's my fifth circuit here, and it has always been good to us, good to our horses. Every year, we can step up a couple of new, younger, exciting horses, and Gangster is the one this year."

History says that riders who win the Week 5 Grand Prix at WEF have historically gone on to exceptional seasons - Farrington and Greya's 2025 victory preceded a nine-win year; Fuchs and Clooney used their 2019 success as a springboard to seven 5* Grand Prix. The pattern around this class is hard to ignore, and Vogel has backed up the Week 5 trend this weekend. 

Nina Mallevaey & Dynastie De Beaufour

Mallevaey finished fifth in the Grand Prix with four faults in the jump-off at 39.53 seconds.
The top-ranked u25 rider in the world and the breakout star of 2025 has continued an unbelievable run of form with Dynastie De Beaufour.

This was their TWELFTH consecutive clear jumping round at CSI5* 1.60m, becoming only the fifth horse since 2010 to reach this run of consecutive clears. If she is clear next time out, she joins Big Star who made it to 13 in-a-row. 

The absence of last year’s winner Kent Farrington from the Grand Prix start list this week is also significant. Farrington, the world No. 2, is a name whose entry will reshape the complexion of any field they enter. If Farrington and Greya canter into the ring at Week 12, they will be carrying the weight of their elite record on their shoulders.

The broader point is this: the US field for Week 12 is not Ward and a supporting cast. It is Ward, Farrington, Kraut, Keenan, and a bench of depth that few nations will match. The international field will arrive with serious credentials. So will the Americans.

The Rolex US Equestrian Open Final takes place during WEF Week 12, Wellington, Florida. Four weeks remain.