Del Mar's April Qualifier Has The Most Interesting Questions

Five horse-and-rider pairs with averages compressed within four points of each other. No one obviously dominant, and the combination that looks most formidable on paper isn't currently the combination you should trust most. That's the setup heading into this weekend's CDI3* Grand Prix Freestyle qualifier at Del Mar.

Günter Seidel and Equirelle lead the field on both average (72.863%) and personal best (76.615%), but those numbers are rosying the picture a bit. The PB dates to November 2021. They've yet to ride a freestyle this season, having withdrawn from the March freestyle at Del Mar after scoring a 61.391% in the Grand Prix the day before. Their most recent scoring freestyle — a 72.815% at Desert Dressage last December — represents the high end of what this pair has shown recently, and they've dipped into the 66% range on the other end. That's a wide window to make predictions from. A clean, connected ride puts them squarely in podium conversation, but they’ve got to make it down the centerline. 

Kristina Harrison-Antell and Finley are a different kind of question. Her FEI freestyle average of nearly 72% and PB of 75.470% — scored at the US Equestrian Open Finals last November — signal a combination that has been genuinely competitive at this level in recent memory. But the most recent result complicates that narrative: a 68.835% at this same venue in March, fourth of five, and well off her normal range. It may have been a one-off after four months without a freestyle start. It may not. Either way, this weekend starts to answer that. If the mid-72s version of this pair shows up, they are in the conversation for the win. 

Interestingly, the newer partnership of Cyndi Jackson and Florisson might be the most predictable of the class. They won the last Del Mar freestyle at 70.915% — only their second FEI freestyle together as a combination. The first was a 69.465% in February. A modest body of work, but an upward line nonetheless. If they push above 71% this weekend, they are firmly in podium contention and ahead of schedule for a pair still figuring out what they can be. 

Nadine Schwartsman and Royal Flash R finished second in March at 70.835% and have been a steady 69–70% combination over the past year. Royal Flash R has shown the tools for something bigger; whether this is the weekend that materializes is worth watching.

Claire Robinson and Glamour Boy are the only combination without a prior US Equestrian Open freestyle start, but a personal best of 71.090% suggests they're capable of knocking any number of these riders down a placing or two.

Series Standings

Jackson currently sits 19th with 23 points and Schwartsman 27th with 16; a strong result this weekend moves both meaningfully toward the top-18 qualifying band. For Seidel and Harrison-Antell, who have one qualifier start each, this week alone won't change the picture much either way.