Field Set for $750,000 Rolex US Equestrian Open Grand Prix Following Two Intense Qualifying Competitions at Wellington International

Tonight's highlight competition will begin with the first horse on course at 8:15 p.m. and the inaugural winner of the US Equestrian Open Jumping Final crowned at the conclusion of the evening. The event will stream live for free on USEF Network, as well as air on ESPN3 and ESPN Player.

Numerous world-class combinations including Paris 2024 Olympic individual gold medalist Christian Kukuk (GER), reigning world number one-ranked Henrick Von Eckermann (SWE), and U.S. stalwarts Kent Farrington, Laura Kraut, and McLain Ward will all contest the highly anticipated feature class of the season. Several young and upcoming talents such as Alex Matz (USA), Mimi Gochman (USA), and Alessandra Volpi (USA), will also throw their names into the pot, as they look to secure one of the biggest wins of their career under the lights.

Ben Maher (GBR) and Point Break were victorious in the first qualifying opportunity of the week, notching a major win in the $116,000 Adequan WEF Cup Challenge, besting a jump-off of 16 combinations to secure their spot in Saturday evening’s main event. Kent Farrington (USA) and Touylana stopped the timers in 38.75 seconds to finish second overall, while Daniel Coyle (IRL) and Legacy booked their spot in the final with a third-place finish. The top 30 combinations from the class secured a starting position for the Grand Prix on Saturday.

The final qualifying opportunity finished this afternoon in the International Ring, with the $62,500 Bainbridge Companies 1.50m Classic CSI5* determining the remaining combinations who would move forward to contest the Grand Prix. Abdel Said (BEL) and Calvaro earned their ticket, topping the speed class in 62.71 seconds to take the win. Combinations who were not previously qualified via Thursday’s class and finished inside the top ten of the 1.50m Classic were booked into the finale class, while the remaining four slots were allocated to the next four best finishers from the WEF Challenge Cup.

In total, 14 different countries will be represented in tomorrow’s highlight event. The start list for the class is determined by the order in which combinations qualified into the class, meaning Nayel Nassar (EGY) and Esi Ali will lead off the evening as the first combination, while Ben Maher and Dallas Vegas Batilly will conclude the first-round.

The US Equestrian Open Jumping Final is the first major discipline Final for the new championship concept launched in 2024. The US Equestrian Open Series is designed increase viewership and fan participation around the three Olympic equestrian disciplines of dressage, eventing, and jumping, while building a stronger mainstream presence and championship-like product for top horse and athlete combinations in the U.S. and on the road to the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games. 

The US Equestrian Open Jumping Final is the first of the three finals to be hosted as part of the new innovative US Equestrian Open Series. The next final will be the US Equestrian Open Eventing Final hosted at Morven Park International in Leesburg, Va. from October 9-12, followed by the US Equestrian Open Dressage Final to be hosted at Desert International Horse Park in Thermal, Calif., from November 13-16. The US Equestrian Open is proudly supported by Great American Insurance Group (GAIG), the official equine insurance agency of the US Equestrian Open Series.

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Learn more about the US Equestrian Open by visiting the US Equestrian Open microsite, powered by EquiRatings, to follow all of the qualifying and story-telling action throughout the year.

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The US Equestrian Open Series is proudly supported by industry-leading technology, utilizing data-driven insights and real-time results to enhance the fan experience. In collaboration with EquiRatings, the premier data and analytics firm in the industry, and Black Horse One, one of the pre-eminent technology and scoring providers across the equestrian disciplines, the US Equestrian Open is revolutionizing the way audiences view, interact with, and follow equestrian sport.