Thursday Dressage Sets the Tone for Friday's Best

The opening day of dressage at the series final delivered a few surprises, with the overall field performing slightly worse than expected. The average difference versus the average scores came in at +1.4. We saw Phillip take the lead while also setting the tone for what we can expect tomorrow on his other ride Possante.

Top Three Lead the Way

1. Phillip Dutton and Denim topped the leaderboard with an impressive 27.5, marking Dutton's best 4*-L test on US soil since Mystery Whisper at Jersey Fresh in 2012. This score came in 3.1 points better than expected to be the standout performance of the day. It's a spectacular start to the final for the man who led the series for so long, and tomorrow he rides Possante, who's gone sub-25 in two of his last three four-star starts.

2. Elisa Wallace and Lissavorra Quality sit in second place on 33.3 - coming in 1.6 points better than expected. Wallace delivered her second-best 4*-L score and the horse's second-best test at the level in their 12th 4* start. 

3. Ryan Wood and Cooley Flight round out the top three on 33.4, also scoring 2.5 points better than expectations. Wood will be pleased with a big performance.

Looking Ahead to Friday

All eyes will be on tomorrow's sessions, where three of the lowest predicted scores will take center stage. Due to the running order going from the lowest to highest placed in the series, we have a stacked Friday filled with some of the biggest names in the field.

1. Miks Master C (Boyd Martin, 11:00 AM) brings the field's best 6RA of 25.9. This new partnership has only completed two tests together, scoring 27 and 27.9, but the horse went as low as 20.1 with previous rider Liz Halliday-Sharp in 2023. Can Boyd unlock that potential or will it take more time to gel?

2. Possante (Phillip Dutton, 1:42 PM) comes in with a 28.8 6RA. Possante has gone sub-25 in two of his last three four-star starts including his 24.5 just three weeks ago at Plantation Field. This 12-year-old could give Dutton a real shot at maintaining an overnight lead. 

3. Off The Record (Will Coleman, 11:49 AM) arrives as a joint-favorite with a 30.3 6RA. Earlier this year, the Aachen winner demonstrated their class with a venue-record 21.8 at Kentucky, though followed that with a 35.6 at Aachen. Expect something between those extremes. Coleman will be looking to bounce back after a disappointing test with Very Dignified today, who scored 5.3 marks worse than expected. While this is an educational run for the relatively new combination, it has likely put 'Dora' out of contention for the weekend.

With Friday's dressage featuring the field's strongest predicted performers, the leaderboard could look very different by tomorrow evening.

Stay Connected with the US Equestrian Open

The final of the US Equestrian Open is running at Morven Park in Leesburg, Virginia from the 9th-12th of October. It is the culmination of the series that has been running at CCI4*-S competitions in the US over the past year. With $200,000 on the line in prize money, it is going to be an exciting and competitive competition.

If you want to know more about the US Equestrian Open:

• Follow the Instagram page: @usequestrianopen
• Listen to the podcast: The US Equestrian Open Podcast
• Check out the website: usequestrianopen.org