Two Continents, One Weekend: Who to Watch in Brussels and the Hamptons
Two CSI5* Grand Prix fields go to work this weekend on opposite sides of the Atlantic, and the 2026 numbers point to two different contests. Brussels is a deep field of 79 combinations, with ten of them sitting above 730 current Elo highlighted by the appearance of the new world champion. The Hamptons is a tighter field of 37, but it is carrying the single highest rated horse of the weekend ridden by the reigning World Cup final winner and world number one. Here is who the form points to.
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Brussels' top 25 by current Elo average out at 728.7, well clear of the Hamptons' 683.1. Overall clear rate tells the same story: Brussels combinations are clearing at 23.4% across their 2026 CSI5* 1m60 rounds against 14.4% in the Hamptons. Brussels is the sharper field on paper. The Hamptons has the outlier.
Ten combinations carry a current Elo above 730 in Brussels this weekend, which is a wide band of quality even before form is factored in. Look closer, though, and the group splits into two very different stories.
| Horse | Rider | Nation | Elo | Clear Rate | CAS | Wins | Podiums | Rounds |
| Albfuehren's Iashin Sitte | Steve Guerdat | SUI | 768 | 57.1% | +4.07 | 4 | 6 | 14 |
| Monaco | Harrie Smolders | NED | 767 | 33.3% | +0.33 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Bond Jamesbond de Hay | Gregory Wathelet | BEL | 763 | 0.0% | -1.48 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Dinozo Imperio Egipcio | Stephan De Freitas Barcha | BRA | 749 | 60.0% | +1.47 | 1 | 1 | 5 |
| Pallieter VD N.Ranch | Piergiorgio Bucci | ITA | 748 | 50.0% | +2.71 | 3 | 5 | 12 |
| Dorette Old | Marlon Modolo Zanotelli | BRA | 742 | 30.0% | +0.37 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| Lorde | Martin Fuchs | SUI | 739 | 53.8% | +3.99 | 2 | 3 | 13 |
| Gangster Montdesir | Richard Vogel | GER | 738 | 58.3% | +4.21 | 2 | 4 | 12 |
| Fringan de Vesquerie | Julien Epaillard | FRA | 736 | 33.3% | +0.76 | 1 | 2 | 9 |
| Pepita van t Meulenhof BR | Daniel Deusser | GER | 731 | 25.0% | +0.50 | 0 | 3 | 12 |
Recently crown world champion Steve Guerdat and Albfuehren's Iashin Sitte lead every meaningful column at once: highest current Elo in the field, four wins and six podiums from 14 rounds, and a positive CAS saying the results are earned rather than gifted by a soft course. That combination of volume and quality makes them the pair to beat.
Two names near the top of the Elo table need a caveat. Harrie Smolders on Monaco and Gregory Wathelet on Bond Jamesbond de Hay both sit inside the top three by current Elo, at 767 and 763, but each has jumped only three or four rounds in 2026 5* competition, and Bond Jamesbond de Hay hasn't managed a clear round yet this season. The rating reflects real quality, but it isn't backed by a 2026 sample large enough to call either horse a form pick this weekend.
The genuine in-form group sits just below that. Richard Vogel and Gangster Montdesir post the best CAS in the entire field, +4.21, from 12 rounds, a sign of a horse peaking rather than one running on accumulated starts. Martin Fuchs on Lorde sits right behind on CAS, and Piergiorgio Bucci and Pallieter VD N.Ranch have turned 12 rounds into three wins and five podiums, the best podium rate of anyone in the field.
Worth a mention outside the top ten Elo bracket: Pieter Devos and Primo DV carry a CAS of +4.26, the single best clears-above-standard figure in Brussels, from a current Elo of 723. Their sample is a 60% clear rate across 15 rounds, one of the busiest and most productive campaigns in the field even without cracking the top ten by rating.
The Hamptons field is smaller and, by the numbers, a bit softer than Brussels. But it is carrying the single best current Elo of the weekend, and it belongs to a horse who was winning a championship Final only months ago.
| Horse | Rider | Nation | Elo | Clear Rate | CAS | Wins | Podiums |
| Greya | Kent Farrington | USA | 782 | 50.0% | +2.42 | 2 | 2 |
| Coriaan van Klapscheut Z | Shane Sweetnam | IRL | 728 | 42.9% | +0.25 | 0 | 1 |
| Playboy JT Z | Charlotte Jacobs | USA | 723 | 18.2% | -1.01 | 0 | 1 |
| Orphea HQ | Nayel Nassar | EGY | 713 | 33.3% | +0.28 | 1 | 2 |
| Carissimo 25 | Aaron Vale | USA | 714 | 20.0% | -0.04 | 0 | 0 |
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Greya
Kent Farrington · USA
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Kent Farrington and Greya are not just the best horse in the Hamptons this weekend, they carry the highest current Elo of any combination across both shows, 14 points clear of Guerdat's Brussels leader. Add two wins and two podiums from ten rounds and there is no realistic case for looking past them.
The chasing group is thinner than in Brussels but not empty. Shane Sweetnam and Coriaan van Klapscheut Z post a positive CAS from seven rounds, a sign of a horse jumping ahead of expectations even without a win yet on the board. Nayel Nassar and Orphea HQ already have a win and two podiums this season, useful proof of finishing ability. Charlotte Jacobs and Playboy JT Z are worth a with numbers suggesting a horse picking up occasional rail trouble on otherwise competitive rounds.
Brussels has a real top group, five combinations with a strong positive CAS on real 2026 volume: Guerdat, Vogel, Fuchs, Bucci and Devos. That points toward a jump-off decided by hundredths rather than a clear leader emerging early.
The Hamptons is a different shape entirely. A 54-point Elo gap between Greya and the next best horse in that field makes Farrington the strong favourite on the data. The interest there is less about who beats him and more about who can post the kind of numbers that make it a genuine contest.