Qualifier 7: One of last year's pivotal venues sees Series leaders (and 2025 winners) go head to head.
Boyd won Stable View last April. Caroline won it last September. Now, they're both back again as they sit 1-2 on the Series leaderboard.
Qualifier 7 of the 2026 US Equestrian Open of Eventing heads to Aiken, South Carolina this weekend and Stable View has quietly become one of the most intriguing venues on the calendar. Since the four-star short first ran here in 2018, it has built a consistent record of producing competitive, cross-country-decided results, with a winners list full of names that keep coming back.
Here’s a look at the history, the numbers, and who’s in the mix this weekend.
Who’s Won Here Before?
Several of this weekend’s starters are no strangers to the Stable View podium.
Boyd Martin is the most successful combination in this event’s recent history, winning in April 2024 and April 2025, both times with Commando 3. He brings his two-time winner back this weekend, alongside Cooley Nutcracker.
Lucienne Bellissimo won here in September 2024 with Dyri, finishing on a 30.3, and is back with him this weekend alongside Kitsch Couture HPK.
Caroline Pamukcu and HSH Double Sixteen won the most recent edition here last September and, crucially, made the optimum time on cross country which is a particularly rare feat at the venue. They were the first pair to do so at Stable View since Will Coleman and Off The Record in April 2022. Pamukcu also brings HSH Connor this weekend.
Three previous winners. Six horses between them. The history at this venue is already loaded before you factor in the rest of the field.
What the Numbers Tell Us
A few patterns emerge across the 13 editions of this class.
Eight of the 13 previous winners at Stable View were leading after the first phase, and with a field this strong on the flat, that pattern is likely to hold. The dressage horses to watch are Lucienne Bellissimo and Dyri (6RA of 27.1), Boyd Martin and Commando 3 (28.2), and Caroline Pamukcu with HSH Connor (27.0). Keep an eye too on Isabelle Bosley and Conner (27.0), only in their second 4* but their dressage record at the level below that suggests they could be in the mix. Nobody is expected to threaten Marilyn Little and RF Scandalous’s all-time record of 21.7, but the horses at the top of this list are capable of scores that will put real daylight between themselves and the field.
Show jumping has proven influential at this venue. Nine of the 13 previous winners led after the second phase, but in both 2025 editions the show jumping leader did not win. It is worth keeping in mind on Friday afternoon.
Imperio Magic (Mary Bess Davis) is one of the best show jumpers in the field.
Cross country is where it’s decided. Only 2% of starters have ever made the optimum time at the 4*-S level here. Caroline Pamukcu and HSH Double Sixteen did it last September, the first pair to do so since Will Coleman and Off The Record in April 2022. At a venue where inside-the-time is this rare, the fastest round of the day carries enormous weight.
Who’s in Contention This Weekend?
Boyd Martin and Commando 3 lead the EquiRatings Prediction Centre at 21%. The combination have won here twice already, including last April, and Commando 3 is one of the strongest dressage horses in the field. Boyd also brings Cooley Nutcracker, meaning he accounts for nearly a third of the total win probability.
Lucienne Bellissimo and Dyri sit second at 16%. Bellissimo won this event in September 2024 with Dyri. If the first phase goes to plan, and Dyri’s dressage record suggests it should, Bellissimo will be right in the mix heading into cross country. She also has Kitsch Couture HPK in the field.
Waylon Roberts brings three horses this weekend: Fernhill Salt Lake at 9%, Chevalier at 7%, and Slieve Callan Alpha, a new partnership that began at the end of 2025 and will make their 4* debut together here. Roberts finished third at Bouckaert earlier this season and was the only rider to make the optimum time that day.
Caroline Pamukcu also has two rides: HSH Double Sixteen at 8% and HSH Connor at 5%. HSH Double Sixteen is the defending champion at this venue and made the time last September, which at Stable View is about as strong a calling card as you can carry. HSH Connor, meanwhile, has the best dressage average in the field, giving Pamukcu a strong platform in phase one regardless of which horse leads after Friday.
Further down the table, Mary Bess Davis and Imperio Magic, and Molly Duda and Disco Traveler carry genuine top-ten prospects, a reminder that the depth of this field makes Stable View one of the harder qualifiers to call.
The Fastest Horses in the Field
Cross country at Stable View is where results are made and lost. Only 2% of starters in this class have ever made the optimum time and, on average, a clear-jumping round finishes well over the clock. In a field this competitive, the horses that can eat into that gap are the ones to watch on Saturday.
The EquiRatings Top Speed Percentage measures the share of opponents a horse has outpaced across their three fastest runs.
Fernhill Salt Lake (Waylon Roberts) leads the field at 95%, making Roberts not just a cross-country threat with one horse but potentially three, with Chevalier also sitting at 92% on the speed table.
HSH Double Sixteen (Caroline Pamukcu) is right behind at 94%, and carries an added storyline into Saturday. No horse has ever made the time at Stable View twice, but HSH Double Sixteen made it last September and is entered again this weekend. Will “Six” be the first to repeat the effort?
Mitchell (Kendal Lehari) also sits at 94%, and Conner (Isabelle Bosley), Dyri (Lucienne Bellissimo), and Commando 3 (Boyd Martin) are all clustered at 90%, a reminder that the horses most likely to win this event are also among the fastest in the field.
The broader picture: 70% of the total starters in this class (all time), have jumped a clear cross-country round. Only 2% have done it inside the time. Speed is a genuine differentiator here, and Saturday’s leaderboard will almost certainly reflect it.
The Leaderboard Context
Coming into Stable View, Caroline Pamukcu leads the 2026 Series standings on 145 points, with Boyd Martin (95) and Will Coleman (95) close behind. Pamukcu is on the start list this weekend with two horses; Boyd has two entries too. With Coleman absent, this is a genuine opportunity for the Series leader to extend her advantage, or for Martin to close the gap in a venue where he has form.
Lucienne Bellissimo sits fourth on 80 points, and a strong result with Dyri this weekend would put her right back in the conversation at the top of the standings.
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The US Equestrian Open was born from a strategic Board of Directors decision in 2023 to build a permanent legacy for US Equestrian sport. Its mission is to grow and foster a deeper connection to equestrianism by delivering a premier, unified championship series in the Olympic disciplines. With top-level competition, storytelling, and a dynamic, entertaining experience, the vision is to transform disparate events into a cohesive, narrative-driven season. The series is anchored by core values which include fan-first accessibility, competitive integrity, storytelling, and a dynamic entertaining experience onsite .
The US Equestrian Open spans the three Olympic disciplines—Jumping, Eventing, and Dressage—with USEF contributing $200,000 in prize money to each final to ensure high-stakes competitive integrity. The Jumping Final took place at Wellington International from March 24–29, 2026. Next stop will be the Eventing Final at Morven Park from October 8–11, 2026. The season concludes with the Dressage Final at the Desert International Horse Park from November 11–15, 2026. You can follow along with the qualifiers, the unfolding stories and sport updates at www.
