5 storylines to follow at Tryon this weekend

1. No combination has ever finished on their dressage score

Across 122 starters at Tryon since 2020, not one has finished on their dressage score. The cross country time has never been beaten, and the jumping phases have caught out plenty. It is worth watching the speed horses (Off The Record, Dyri, Shanroe Cooley, QC Diamantaire) on Sunday. If any horse manages to make the time, they will become the first ever at the venue.

2. Two horses arrive on long showjumping streaks

Kynan and Fernhill Bertus arrive at Tryon with the longest incoming clean SJ streaks in the field. Both have nine international rounds in a row without a fault. Both also rank at the top of the adjusted SJ average, meaning those streaks have been built on difficult courses, not easy ones. Watch Friday to see if either makes it ten.

 

3. Fernhill Bertus: The eight-year-old the data already loves

This is Fernhill Bertus's first CCI4*-S start. He arrives as the second-highest rated eight-year-old in the world by EquiRatings Elo — behind only last year's Le Lion d'Angers champion, Brookfield Danny de Muze — with a completely flawless record across nine international starts. Not a single jumping fault, cross country or show jumping, in any of them.

Madison Temkin, 25, produced three top-10 finishes from four runs aboard him in 2025. In 2026, their one international start (Stable View CCI3*-S) resulted in a podium finish. Everything about this combination suggests a horse ready for the step up. Everything about this combination suggests a horse ready for the step up and a big result this weekend could put Fernhill Bertus top of the global eight-year-old rankings. Watch closely.

 

4. Off The Record: Don't miss him

At 31% win chance, Off The Record heads into Tryon as the statistical favorite. At 17, with Aachen on the horizon, this is his first international run of 2026 - a confident, clean outing may matter more than the result this weekend. But go watch 'Timmy'. He is one of the most consistent horses the US has ever produced, and these opportunities to see him compete don't come around often.

 

5. Four of the top five are here and the points are big

Four of the top five on the Series leaderboard — Tamie Smith (205 pts), Will Coleman (170 pts), Boyd Martin (160 pts), and Lucienne Bellissimo (140 pts) — are all in the Tryon start list. With 31 starters confirmed, 50 points are on offer for the winner, the maximum available at any qualifier, and exactly the kind of weekend that impacts Series positions.

The predictions back it up. Will Coleman & Off The Record lead on win chance at 31%. Lucienne Bellissimo & Dyri sit at 20%. She also brings Kitsch Couture HPK. Tamie Smith holds three entries — Danito, Kynan, & Spiro P — giving her the highest combined probability in the field. Boyd brings Shanroe Cooley (5%) and Fetiche Des Rouges. 

Fifty points. Four title contenders. This qualifier is likely to have a huge impact on the leaderboard.