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<p class="font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]">The numbers are in. This weekend's CCI4*-S at Carolina Horse Park carries an Elo Field Strength rating of 615 - the highest ever recorded at this venue. Very few events have topped it, coming in as the sixth-highest of any CCI4*-S staged on US soil on record.</p>
<p class="font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]">This weekend's surpasses the previous Carolina record of 605, set in 2024. And while Carolina is no stranger to strong competition &mdash; featuring 3 of the top 10 fields &mdash; this is by far the strongest it has ever been.</p>
<p class="font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]"><img src="https://admin.equiratings.com/assets/8e9c5150-1a89-4682-99fc-23c5601dacdc.png?width=1572&amp;height=1600" alt="Sq U34 the Strongest Cci4 S Fields on Us Soil on Record "></p>
<p class="font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]">&nbsp;</p>
<hr>
<h3 class="font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]">&nbsp;</h3>
<h2 class="font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]">What is Elo Field Strength?</h2>
<p class="font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]">Elo Field Strength is the average <a href="https://news.equiratings.com/stories/what-is-the-equiratings-elo" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Elo rating</a> of the top 20 horses in a competition. It measures not just the headline act, but the depth of a field. A rating of 615 doesn't happen because one or two world-class horses showed up, it happens because the whole field is elite.</p>
<p class="font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]"><img src="https://admin.equiratings.com/assets/c419e6da-32bd-4fb9-bc2a-fe544ae34051.png?width=1988&amp;height=1634" alt="1 F Nr G the Top 20 Horses in the Carolina Field "></p>
<p class="font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]">Leading the way is <strong>Boyd Martin&rsquo;s Miks Master C </strong>(Elo 758), a two-time podium finisher at this venue with previous rider <strong>Liz Halliday</strong>. This marks their first international start of the season, and an important one, with the horse reportedly Badminton-bound in May.</p>
<p class="font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]"><strong>Will Coleman, a&nbsp;</strong>three-time Carolina winner, arrives with <strong>Diabolo </strong>(676) - a solid shot for a fourth win. Among many accolades, their Kentucky CCI4*-S win in 2024 (612 field strength, third-highest on US soil) stands out as proof that they can perform against the very best.</p>
<p class="font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]"><strong>Caroline</strong> <strong>Pamukcu </strong>and <strong>HSH Blake, Phillip Dutton </strong>with the red-hot <strong>Denim</strong>, <strong>Sydney Elliott </strong>and <strong>QC Diamantaire,</strong> <strong>Tamie Smith </strong>with <strong>Lillet 3 </strong>- the list reads like a who's who of US eventing's current elite, with three of the last four Carolina winners also returning.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<hr>
<h2 class="font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]">&nbsp;</h2>
<h2 class="font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]">Why Does Carolina This Weekend Matter for the 2026 Season?</h2>
<p class="font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]">With World Championship selection on the horizon, every combination near the top of this field has a reason to mean business this weekend. This competition is going to be a major moment to set themselves apart from other combinations gunning for Aachen.&nbsp;</p>
<p class="font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]">But the stakes extend beyond selection. EquiRatings' data shows that major four-star performances in the early season &mdash; those that crack the 100 HPR barrier &mdash; is one of the most reliable indicators of major championship results later in the year.&nbsp; With an exceptionally strong field, it is quite likely that the winner will come away with a 100+ HPR.</p>
<p class="font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]"><strong>Miks Master C, </strong>with <strong>Liz Halliday, </strong>posted a 105 HPR at this very venue in 2023 before going on to a Kentucky CCI5* podium and top five at Aachen. A big performance at Carolina this weekend won't just turn heads - it could be the earliest signal of who's heading to the podium in August. <a class="underline underline underline-offset-2 decoration-1 decoration-current/40 hover:decoration-current focus:decoration-current" href="https://news.equiratings.com/stories/the-100-club-why-april-predicts-august">Read more about the '100+ Club' here.</a></p>
<p class="font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]"><img src="https://admin.equiratings.com/assets/63cd1ce4-0021-4c52-a873-060a1ae032ea.png?width=1528&amp;height=992" alt="Zj9z2 Miks Master C S Hpr Trajectory to Kentucky Amp Aachen 2023  (1)"></p>
<p class="font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]">The data says this is the event to watch. The field backs it up.</p>
<p class="font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]"><em><strong>Want to dive deeper into Carolina this weekend? </strong></em>Check out the full <a href="https://usequestrianopen.info/carolina2026" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Form Guide</a> or tune in to the 2026 Carolina International Preview Show - out now on the Eventing Podcast.</p>
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You Need to Watch Carolina This Weekend. Here's Why.

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<p dir="ltr"><strong>Ros Canter</strong> is back in the saddle. Just weeks after giving birth, the reigning Badminton and Burghley champion has returned to riding and she's already got her sights set on May.</p>
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<p><strong><a href="https://www.instagram.com/ros_canter_eventing/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">@ros_canter_eventing</a></strong> We are back! Let the road to Badminton commence...</p>
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<p dir="ltr">After completing the 'Double Double' in 2025 &mdash; becoming the first horse to win both Badminton and Burghley twice &mdash; <strong>Ros Canter </strong>and&nbsp;<strong>Lordships Graffalo</strong> return with history in their sights. Six combinations have won Badminton twice. None has ever won it three times.</p>
<p dir="ltr">&nbsp;<img src="https://admin.equiratings.com/assets/86267dcf-a227-4fe7-9912-744b0ad2c1ad.png?width=1188&amp;height=1052" alt="Zp H Ar Combinations Which Have Won Badminton Twice "></p>
<p dir="ltr">A third Badminton title would be unprecedented. But if the numbers tell us anything, it's that breaking this record won't come easy. This is one of the most gruelling competitions in&nbsp; thesport, and to win it you have to beat the most elite combinations in the world.</p>
<p dir="ltr">&nbsp;</p>
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<h2 dir="ltr">&nbsp;</h2>
<h2 dir="ltr">How Hard Is It to Win Badminton 5*?</h2>
<p dir="ltr">Badminton consistently attracts the most competitive fields in the sport. Using Elo field strength (calculated by averaging the Elo ratings of the top 25 horses entered), Badminton appears four times in the top 10 strongest five-star competitions on record.</p>
<p dir="ltr"><img src="https://admin.equiratings.com/assets/a37d29f4-f170-479b-af84-46961ed58f41.png?width=1816&amp;height=1626" alt="Y0 O7t the Top 10 Strongest Five Star Fields on Record "></p>
<p dir="ltr">The 2025 edition ranked as the third-strongest competition in history with an Elo field strength of 719, behind only the 2022 Pratoni World Championships (730) and the 2024 Paris Olympics (720). That's the field <strong>Lordships Graffalo</strong> or &lsquo;Walter&rsquo; to his friends conquered to secure his second Badminton title.</p>
<p dir="ltr">While the 2025 edition ranks among the strongest fields in history, Ros and Walter&rsquo;s 2023 victory was against the fifth highest-rated Badminton field on record. With this victory they achieved the highest HPR recorded at Badminton (111) since records began in 2008.</p>
<p dir="ltr"><img src="https://admin.equiratings.com/assets/8be6db90-d33f-46dc-9f04-d2ad3033ec42.png?width=1548&amp;height=976" alt="Kz N L2 the Top 5 Strongest Badminton Fields on Record  (1)"></p>
<p dir="ltr">&nbsp;</p>
<hr>
<h2 dir="ltr">&nbsp;</h2>
<h2 dir="ltr">Who Might Come to Challenge Ros Canter at Badminton?</h2>
<p dir="ltr"><strong>Harry Meade</strong> has every reason to return. The British rider campaigned five horses at five-star level in 2025 and earned world number one points for his fourth and sixth place finishes at Badminton last year. With that kind of string depth, Meade has the ammunition to mount a serious challenge and he'll be gunning to defend those rankings.</p>
<p dir="ltr"><strong>Oliver Townend </strong>may come back to avenge his 2025 heartbreak. A single showjumping pole dropped him to second place and handed Canter the win. Townend holds the joint-most Badminton starts since 2008 with 20 appearances (tied with <strong>William Fox-Pitt</strong>), and while his string is smaller than usual, it's hard to imagine him sitting out an event this significant. <strong>Cooley Rosalent </strong>is likely his mount, and with a World Championship spot to secure through selection, Townend has plenty of motivation.</p>
<p dir="ltr"><strong>Tim Price </strong>has had a horse at Badminton every year since 2014, and fresh off his Pau five-star win with <strong>Jarillo </strong>in October, he's very likely to return with multiple rides again.</p>
<p dir="ltr"><strong>Caroline Powell,</strong> the 2023 Badminton winner, is another frequent starter with 16 appearances since 2008. After a breakthrough performance with <strong>High Time </strong>at Burghley 2025 (eighth place), she may look to better last year's Badminton result and prove that 2023 wasn't a one-off.</p>
<p dir="ltr">And then there's <strong>Cassie Sanger</strong>, the young American who was the best-placed first-timer at Burghley 2025 with <strong>Redfield Fyre. </strong>Based with<strong> Ros Canter </strong>in England, she is gaining experience at the biggest events while she's on this side of the Atlantic.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<hr>
<p dir="ltr">&nbsp;</p>
<p dir="ltr">The names on the entry list may change, but the calibre never does.&nbsp; Badminton consistently draws the sport's best riders on their best horses and 2026 will be no different.&nbsp;</p>
<p dir="ltr">Whether <strong>Lordships Graffalo</strong> can make history depends not just on his own brilliance, but on how he measures up against what is shaping up to be one of the strongest fields ever assembled.&nbsp;</p>
<p dir="ltr">Only eight weeks to go.</p>
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Can Lordships Graffalo Do What No Horse Has Done Before?

<p>Twelve consecutive clear rounds at CSI5* 160 level. Only six combinations in the modern era of showjumping have ever reached that milestone. <strong>Nina Mallevaey </strong>and <strong>Dynastie de Beaufour</strong> are one of them&hellip;and they are not done yet.&nbsp;</p>
<p dir="ltr">One more clear round will see them draw level with&nbsp;<strong>Big Star</strong> and <strong>Nick Skelton's</strong> streak of 13 - a partnership that won both team and individual Olympic gold. The company does not get more elite than that.</p>
<p dir="ltr"><img src="https://admin.equiratings.com/assets/e7d74047-72b6-489a-883a-2de0b1a308c6.jpg?width=3543&amp;height=2514" alt="Nina Dinard2025 &copy;m. Froment  Mf Z4987"></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<hr>
<h2 dir="ltr">&nbsp;</h2>
<h2 dir="ltr">Where did Nina Mallevaey&rsquo;s 12-round clear streak begin?</h2>
<p dir="ltr">The run began at Aachen in July 2025 - one of the most prestigious venues in the sport and part of the Rolex Grand Slam of Show Jumping. Mallevaey produced a double clear in the Grand Prix, finishing fifth in a field of the world's best.&nbsp;</p>
<p dir="ltr">What followed was a remarkable sequence of consistency. Third at Dinard. Then Brussels, where the streak announced itself to the world.</p>
<p dir="ltr">At the Brussels Stephex Masters, Mallevaey delivered double clears in both the Nations Cup and the Rolex Grand Prix in the same week. In the Nations Cup, her flawless performance helped France to victory against nine other nations.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Two days later, she entered the ring for the Grand Prix and did it again to win to win Nina&rsquo;s first-ever 5* 160 win. The biggest win of her career and France's biggest five-star Grand Prix in years. Beating<strong> Gregory Wathelet, Harry Charles,</strong> and <strong>Gilles Thomas </strong>in the process, the 25-year-old climbed off <strong>Dynastie de Beaufour</strong> having won both of the week's feature classes without dropping a single rail across five-star competition all week.&nbsp;</p>
<p dir="ltr">Third at Arcadia in November followed by two fifth places at Thermal in December. The clear rounds kept coming.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<hr>
<h2 dir="ltr">&nbsp;</h2>
<h2 dir="ltr">How has Nina Mallevaey performed at Wellington during the streak?</h2>
<p dir="ltr">WEF has given Mallevaey and <strong>Dynastie de Beaufour </strong>two more chapters of this story. At WEF Week 5, they jumped clear for third place in the Grand Prix. It was their 11th consecutive clear, a milestone reached by only eight combinations in modern history.&nbsp;</p>
<p dir="ltr">At WEF Week 7, a clear first round followed by a pole in the jump-off still produced a fifth-place finish in one of the strongest fields in the world.</p>
<p dir="ltr">&nbsp;</p>
<hr>
<h2 dir="ltr">&nbsp;</h2>
<h2 dir="ltr">How rare is a 12-round clear streak at CSI5* 160 level?</h2>
<p dir="ltr">Twelve consecutive clear rounds at CSI5* 160 level is one of the rarest achievements in modern showjumping. Only six combinations have ever reached that milestone.&nbsp;The list includes Olympic champions and some of the most dominant partnerships in the sport, including <strong>Nick Skelton </strong>and<strong> Big Star, Rolf-G&ouml;ran Bengtsson </strong>and <strong>Casall ASK, </strong>and <strong>Peder Fredricson </strong>with <strong>H&amp;M All In.&nbsp;</strong></p>
<p dir="ltr">Now <strong>Nina Mallevaey </strong>and <strong>Dynastie de Beaufour</strong> have joined that group and they are still adding to the run.</p>
<p dir="ltr"><img src="https://admin.equiratings.com/assets/d41ac077-7435-4527-8b2b-3f859f00853a.png?width=1030&amp;height=1146" alt="Wef 26   Grid Posts"></p>
<p dir="ltr">&nbsp;</p>
<hr>
<h2 dir="ltr">&nbsp;</h2>
<h2 dir="ltr">How good is Dynastie de Beaufour compared to the world&rsquo;s best horses?</h2>
<p dir="ltr"><strong>Dynastie de Beaufour </strong>currently sits on an EquiRatings Elo of 779, the highest-rated French horse and the sixth best globally. Her rider is not far behind in the rankings. Mallevaey is currently seventh on the Longines FEI World Rankings, the highest-ranked female rider on the planet, sitting above some of the biggest names in the sport.</p>
<p dir="ltr"><a href="https://www.equiratings.com/top-horses/jumping-current" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://admin.equiratings.com/assets/c873eaf5-3435-4824-8fd7-77088eb6bf23.png?width=1858&amp;height=1095" alt="Screenshot 2026 03 09 145016"></a></p>
<p dir="ltr">&nbsp;</p>
<hr>
<h2 dir="ltr">&nbsp;</h2>
<h2 dir="ltr">What record could Nina Mallevaey equal next?</h2>
<p dir="ltr">If they jump clear once more at WEF Week 12, they will equal the 13-round CSI5* 160 clear streak achieved by Skelton and <strong>Big Star, </strong>one of the most famous partnerships in modern showjumping history. It would move <strong>Nina Mallevaey </strong>and<strong> Dynastie de Beaufour </strong>even deeper into the rarest company in the sport. And with the way this partnership is performing, the streak may not stop there.</p>
<p dir="ltr">&nbsp;</p>
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Twelve Clears and Counting for Mallevaey and Dynastie de Beaufour

<p dir="ltr">The EquiRatings Elo rating is a data-driven objective horse rating system that tracks how strong a horse&rsquo;s results are over time. Traditional ranking only focuses on who finishes at the top of the leaderboard on a particular day while the Elo analyses career competitiveness.</p>
<p dir="ltr">It measures:</p>
<ul>
<li dir="ltr">A horse&rsquo;s long-term consistency</li>
<li dir="ltr">How competitively a horse is performing</li>
<li dir="ltr">The quality of opponents it is beating</li>
</ul>
<p dir="ltr" role="presentation">Higher ratings reflect better performance against stronger opponents.&nbsp;</p>
<p dir="ltr" role="presentation">&nbsp;</p>
<hr>
<h2 dir="ltr">&nbsp;</h2>
<h2 dir="ltr">How is Elo calculated?</h2>
<p dir="ltr">It works like this:</p>
<ul>
<li dir="ltr" role="presentation"><strong>Points Exchange: </strong>Points are exchanged after each competition; you gain more points for beating higher-rated opponents and lose more for losing to lower-rated ones.</li>
<li dir="ltr" role="presentation"><strong>Rating Updates:</strong> A horse that consistently beats higher-rated opponents climbs steadily. One that underperforms against weaker fields gradually declines.</li>
<li dir="ltr" role="presentation"><strong>Focus on Quality:</strong> It rewards strong performances in tough fields, not just placings, giving a better picture of true competitive strength.</li>
<li dir="ltr" role="presentation"><strong>Predictive Power:</strong> Higher Elo ratings correlate with a greater probability of future success, making it a key indicator for predicting outcomes.&nbsp;</li>
</ul>
<p dir="ltr"><strong>The result: </strong>ratings naturally converge toward each horse's true competitive level. A young horse that strings together strong performances against quality fields rises quickly. An aging champion that starts finishing mid-division sees their rating adjust accordingly.</p>
<p dir="ltr">&nbsp;</p>
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<h2>Elo in Eventing</h2>
<p dir="ltr">In eventing, every horse starts their international career on an EquiRatings Elo rating of 300. As the number changes throughout their career, it identifies horses who are consistently performing well against good opponents.&nbsp;</p>
<p dir="ltr">The <a href="https://www.equiratings.com/top-horses/eventing-current" target="_blank" rel="noopener">current top Elo-rated</a> event horse is <strong>fischerChipmunk FRH </strong>on 933. The <a href="https://www.equiratings.com/top-horses/eventing-all-time" target="_blank" rel="noopener">all-time record</a> is an Elo of 973 reached by <strong>La Biosthetique-Sam FBW</strong> in 2017. Both horses are ridden by Germany&rsquo;s Michael Jung.</p>
<p dir="ltr"><a href="https://www.equiratings.com/top-horses/eventing-all-time" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://admin.equiratings.com/assets/e6071688-28d4-42d6-a282-1a0bc72a64f2.png?width=2043&amp;height=861" alt="Screenshot 2026 03 03 174552"></a></p>
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<h2 dir="ltr">Elo in Jumping</h2>
<p dir="ltr">In show jumping, every horse begins their international career with a rating just over 500.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Like in eventing, the changing numbers identify horses who are performing well. However, given the frequency at which the horses compete in this discipline, and the varying competitions and series, it creates a far greater and more relevant list.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Ridden by Sweden&rsquo;s<strong> Henrick von Eckermann</strong>, <strong>King Edward</strong> is <a href="https://www.equiratings.com/top-horses/jumping-current" target="_blank" rel="noopener">currently the highest Elo-rated</a> jumping horse on 813. He also holds the<a href="https://www.equiratings.com/top-horses/jumping-all-time" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> all-time record</a> of 822, achieved in 2024.</p>
<p dir="ltr"><a href="https://www.equiratings.com/top-horses/jumping-all-time" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://admin.equiratings.com/assets/cd02ea6c-da05-489f-ae8b-bda34652149c.png?width=2049&amp;height=1087" alt="Screenshot 2026 03 03 174519"></a></p>
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<h2 dir="ltr">Elo within the EquiRatings Ecosystem</h2>
<p dir="ltr">The Elo rating is just one of EquiRatings' metrics. Understanding how it differs from other metrics helps clarify its purpose:</p>
<ul>
<li dir="ltr" role="presentation"><strong>Elo</strong>&nbsp;tracks long-term consistency and ranking providing an overall assessment of a horse&rsquo;s competitive level across time.</li>
<li dir="ltr" role="presentation"><strong>HPR (High Performance Rating) </strong>measures the quality of one specific performance - essentially "how impressive was that particular ride?"</li>
<li dir="ltr" role="presentation"><strong>ERQI (EquiRatings Quality Index)</strong> focuses on risk management, calculating the probability of a horse completing cross-country safely based on historical data.</li>
</ul>
<p dir="ltr">Each metric serves a distinct purpose. The Elo Rating reveals sustained excellence, HPR isolates individual brilliance, and ERQI assesses safety profiles.</p>
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<h2 dir="ltr">&nbsp;</h2>
<h2 dir="ltr"><strong>Did you know?</strong></h2>
<p>At EquiRatings, we rate every single horse and every single performance in international eventing. Whether you&rsquo;re seeking a young prospect with championship potential or a proven performer ready for the next step, data-driven insights help reveal future stars long before the rest of the world catches on.</p>
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What is the EquiRatings Elo?

<p>Look back over the past decade and a clear pattern emerges: for most horses, victory in the Week 9 Grand Prix is not the final chapter, it is the first big line on the r&eacute;sum&eacute;. &nbsp;Eight of the last ten winning horses were taking either their first‑ever CSI5* Grand Prix when they crossed the timers in Wellington, with Daniel Bluman&rsquo;s Ladriano Z the lone exception as a proven five‑star champion returning to win the class twice.&nbsp;</p>
<p>From Carrabis Z in 2016 to Portobella van de Fruitkorf in 2025, Week 9 has consistently crowned combinations who were still writing the opening pages of their top‑level story.&nbsp;</p>
<p><img src="https://admin.equiratings.com/assets/6bca0e89-9583-41f7-9b7d-5aa627ed8465.jpg?width=1080&amp;height=1350" alt="Wef 26   Grid Posts"></p>
<h1>When a First Win Becomes a Beginning</h1>
<h3>Luciana Lossio and Lady Louise Jmen: Defying the Odds on Debut</h3>
<p>When Luciana Lossio rode through the in‑gate for the Week 9 Grand Prix in 2024, she and Lady Louise Jmen were not just chasing their first CSI5* win, they were jumping their very first CSI5* 160 Grand Prix together, full stop. In a sport where only around 4% of international horses ever reach that level, simply appearing in this class is rare; converting that debut into a victory is almost unheard of.&nbsp;</p>
<p>Only 47% of horses that attempt CSI5* 160 will ever jump a clear at the height, and just 1% manage to win on their five‑star 160 debut, which gives some sense of the statistical improbability of what Lossio and Lady Louise Jmen achieved. Against that backdrop, their clear, winning performance did more than upset the form book, it perfectly captured Week 9&rsquo;s reputation as the place where brand‑new five‑star partnerships announce themselves to the sport.</p>
<h3>Emilie Conter &amp; Portobella van de Fruitkorf: From Breakthrough to Belgian Backbone</h3>
<p>When Emilie Conter and Portobella van de Fruitkorf won the Week 9 Grand Prix twelve months later, it was also framed as a breakthrough: a first CSI5* Grand Prix victory for a young rider&ndash;mare partnership stepping out against one of the strongest fields of the season. That result has since proved to be a starting point rather than an end point. In the twelve months that followed, Portobella has become an integral part of the Belgian set‑up, helping Team Belgium to three podium finishes in five‑star team competitions at LLN Ocala, the Nations Cup of Aachen and the Nations Cup of Sankt Gallen.&nbsp;</p>
<p>Along the way, they underlined their big‑occasion credentials with a clear round in the Rolex Grand Prix of Aachen, one of the most prestigious 160 tests in the sport. Back in Wellington this winter, Conter and Portobella have picked up exactly where they left off, opening 2026 with a Top 10 finish in the $500,000 Fidelity Investments Grand Prix during WEF 5 and reminding everyone that last year&rsquo;s Week 9 win was the launch of a top‑level career, not a one‑night surprise.</p>
<h1><br>From breakthrough to serial winner&nbsp;</h1>
<p>&nbsp;<br>Week 9 has also played a different role for riders who were already established but still on the cusp of something bigger. &nbsp;</p>
<h3>Abdel Sa&iuml;d &amp; his Week 9 Double</h3>
<p>Now riding for Belgium, Abdel Sa&iuml;d is the only rider in the past decade to have won the Week 9 Grand Prix twice, and he did it by giving two different horses their first taste of five‑star glory. With Pegasus Bandit Savoie in 2021 and Arpege du Ru in 2022, Sa&iuml;d rode both horses to their first‑ever CSI5* Grand Prix victories under the Wellington lights, adding to a five‑star record that already included his 2016 World Cup win in Verona with Hope van Scherpen Donder.&nbsp;</p>
<p>Pegasus Bandit Savoie confirmed that breakthrough by winning another CSI5* Grand Prix later that same year before continuing his career under France&rsquo;s Ines Joly, while Arpege du Ru went on to add further big‑tour results to Sa&iuml;d&rsquo;s r&eacute;sum&eacute;. Taken together, his Week 9 record reads less like a pair of isolated Wellington upsets and more like the calling card of a rider who repeatedly turns talented, relatively unproven horses into five‑star Grand Prix winners.</p>
<h3><br>Daniel Coyle &amp; Cita: a first win that unlocked eight more</h3>
<p>When Daniel Coyle won the Week 9 Grand Prix in 2018 with Cita, it was the first CSI5* Grand Prix victory of his career and an early sign that he was ready to live in five‑star company. Since that night in Wellington, he has added eight more CSI5* Grand Prix or World Cup wins across North America and Europe, including major titles such as the Longines FEI World Cup legs in Toronto, Leipzig and Amsterdam with Legacy, the Grand Prix of Rotterdam and Thermal, and the $1,000,000 ATCO Queen Elizabeth II Cup at Spruce Meadows with Incredible.&nbsp;</p>
<p>That body of work has carried Coyle into the elite bracket of the sport; as of the latest Longines FEI Jumping Rankings, he now sits inside the world&rsquo;s top 10 riders. Looking back, his Week 9 breakthrough reads like the first clear indication that a future Top 10 rider was being forged under the Wellington lights.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h1><br>A Proven Winner with a New Partner</h1>
<p>The Week 9 roll of honor is not only about first‑timers. Daniel Bluman and Ladriano Z are proof that seasoned five‑star winners can make this Grand Prix their own, having lifted the trophy twice together and setting the benchmark for repeat success under the Wellington lights. Their double adds an important counterpoint to the recent trend of emerging partnerships taking breakthrough wins here and shows that experience can be just as decisive as momentum.&nbsp;</p>
<p>Although Ladriano Z has since retired from top‑level sport, Bluman arrives in 2026 with another serious contender in Corbie V.V., who has jumped clear in eight of his last nine five‑star Grand Prix and World Cup starts. With that kind of current form, Bluman looks well placed to chase a new chapter in his Week 9 story, this time with a different horse.</p>
<h1><br>The Next Chapter in a Two‑Track Tradition</h1>
<p>Put together, the last ten years of Week 9 tell a nuanced story. This is a Grand Prix where first‑time five‑star winners regularly launch themselves onto the big stage, yet proven championship horses can still come back and win it again. As another edition approaches, the question is not whether history will repeat itself, but which version of the Week 9 script, breakthrough or confirmation, will play out under the lights this time.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>For more insights in the five-star during WEF Week 9 visit the Fan Guide here.</p>

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