Claire Darnell Enters as Favorite at WEC Ocala CDI3*

The January CDI3* at Ocala’s World Equestrian Center is perhaps not the flashiest stop on the Open calendar, but it has consistently appeared in the early-season plans of riders who go on to have meaningful years. It is also a venue the Series returns to often. This is the seventh Open qualifier held in Ocala across the 2025 and 2026 seasons, making it one of the most frequently used sites in the Series. Only Wellington appears more often.

This year’s January competition draws just four combinations, which limits the points on offer. With fewer than five starters, the winner will earn 15 Open points, reflecting the Series’ lowest points allocation system. 

A Proven Venue for Strong Seasons

Recent seasons have shown a clear pattern at this venue: riders who score well here tend to build from it. Last year’s January CDI3*  was won by Denielle Gallagher, who returned two weeks later and won again. Those results formed a substantial portion of her early-season scoring and contributed to a ninth-place finish on the 2025 Open leaderboard.

The venue has also featured prominently in campaigns that reached the top of the standings. Benjamin Ebeling and Bellena won two Open legs here in 2025, using Ocala as an early scoring base before expanding their schedule elsewhere. More recently, Christian Simonson and Indian Rock won the December CDI at this venue, a result that counted toward the current season and marked the first stop on Simonson’s World Cup Final qualification run.

A Statistical Favorite in a Close Field

Claire Darnell and Harrold S enter the weekend with the strongest statistical profile in the field. The pair has four freestyle starts, averaging 73.569 percent, with a personal best of 77.015. That high score was earned in a class that included Steffen Peters and Anna Buffini, both of whom went on to score over 80 percent, placing Darnell third in what was, at the time, a top-end domestic field.

While that personal best stands well above the rest of this group, Darnell’s average score places her closer to the pack than the headline number alone suggests. She arrives as the most proven combination, but not one insulated from pressure if others deliver clean tests.

Behind her, the remaining three combinations are closely grouped on paper. Charlotte Osborne and Frühlingszauber, Jodie Kelly-Baxley with Grayton Beach, and Sylvia Gugler aboard Vulkano 14 all carry freestyle averages within roughly two points of one another. Osborne and Gugler will each be contesting only their second FEI freestyle with their current mounts.

In a four-horse field, any personal best from that trio would likely secure a podium finish, and a particularly clean test could challenge for the win.

Tune In

The freestyle takes place Saturday, January 31 at 7:40 p.m. ET. Catch the action live on USEF Network, and sign up for free as a fan to stream the action.