The jumping team is home from the Highlands Cup at Silo Ridge in Amenia, New York, and Annie Bishop joins Charlotte and Emma Blumencrantz to hear all about it. It was Emma's first show as an official member of the EquiRatings team, and she walked in past her own photo on the winners' wall from last year's 1.30m Open. We talk about what makes the show different off the field, from personalised hats and branded cookies to the art gallery and sports cars, and why being there in person adds something a livestream can't. Then it's on to the sport: Spencer Smith's win in the qualifier, Charlotte's call on Mark Bluman coming true in the 5* Grand Prix, a quicker side to James Kann Cruz, and the young horses we think we'll be talking about for a long time.

Key Discussion Points

• The Highlands Cup experience: hospitality, the winners' wall, and a first-time spectator who followed the Grand Prix with an EquiRatings form sheet in hand.
• The qualifier: Spencer Smith and Keeneland set the target first in the jump-off and nobody matched them. McLain Ward and First Lady chased hard, and Christian Kukuk's tight line on the 10-year-old HK Carrera left marks in the sand.
• HK Carrera stepping up: clear in the qualifier first round and clear inside the time allowed in the Grand Prix, after a season of quieter production.
• James Kann Cruz: fresh all weekend, not the smoothest first round, but the fastest in the Grand Prix jump-off. Is a new gear coming, and what does that mean for the Greya rivalry?
• Kent Farrington's depth: Greya in a national class, Descartes stepping in, and an 8-year-old winning the 2* Grand Prix.
• The Grand Prix: Charlotte picked Mark Bluman and Landon on the preview pod despite a tough qualifier. They nailed the double that caught out so much of the field.
• The rest of the podium: Jessica Mendoza second, one week after winning a 5* Grand Prix in Barcelona on a different horse, and Natalie Dean third with Akota for their first 5* Grand Prix podium together.
• Charlotte's bet on an all-female 5* Grand Prix podium in 2026, and why Nina Mallevaey and My Clementine got close to making it happen this weekend.
• Ones to watch: Rene Dittmer's Caldwell, Alessandra Volpi's Magic, and two first-time 5* pairs in the qualifier.

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Charlotte and Emma Blumenkrantz preview the 2026 Highlands Cup Grand Prix, recorded on site in the Hudson Valley after three days at the show. The Grand Prix doubles as the 50th ever Major League Show Jumping Grand Prix, and the field is loaded: the EquiRatings Prediction Centre favourite chasing an Elo milestone, a nine-year-old with a perfect podium record, a Greenwich rematch, and two New Yorkers riding on home soil. Plus a quick chat with Grand Prix qualifier winner Spencer Smith and the hosts' own podium picks.

Key Discussion Points

• The favourite. James Kann Cruz and Shane Sweetnam top the EquiRatings win chance ratings at 17%, a rare figure for any Grand Prix favourite. The pair also lead the field on jump-off, podium and clear rate tables.
• The Elo race. James Kann Cruz sits on 790 Elo, three points behind King Edward, who jumps the Oslo World Cup the same day.
• McLain Ward on a mission. Second in the Grand Prix qualifier and second in the Major League team class with the Roadrunners. Sixth in this Grand Prix last year, a big Elo climb since, and still chasing a first ever Major League Grand Prix win.
• The Greenwich rematch. Daniel Bluman and Corbie V.V., the only double clear in Greenwich two weeks ago, return alongside runners-up Kent Farrington and Descartes. A Bluman win would be only the second back-to-back Major League Grand Prix win (after Jordan Coyle and Ariso) and would tie Farrington's record of five.
• Descartes. The nine-year-old has reached the jump-off in four of five five-star Grands Prix and podiumed every time, including a win in Lexington.
• Mark Bluman and Landon. Not yet a year together, already a five-star Grand Prix winner in Calgary, and looking for a first Major League Grand Prix win.
• Home soil. Lillie Keenan and Kick On hold the second highest win chance. Richard Vogel, adopted by the show as a local, brings a younger string led by Quizas.
• The qualifier. Spencer Smith and Keeneland won Friday's qualifier with the only double clear, going first in the jump-off. Christian Kukuk and HK Carrera finished third.
• The defending champion. Rene Dittmer won here last year on Corsica X and returns with Cody, fourth at this year's World Cup Final.
• Fresh five-star winners. Beat Mändli and Qoachella, who won the World Cup leg in Michigan on their first five-star Grand Prix start, look to prove it again.

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With Sam Watson off in eventing, Charlotte stages a takeover of the Flair Overview Show, joined by Diarmuid Byrne and Emma Blumenkrantz to unpack six huge weeks of show jumping. The panel covers Steve Guerdat's World Championship gold in Aachen, German dominance from Aachen to Spruce Meadows, Ben Maher's Rolex Grand Slam win, and the rivalry between Kent Farrington and Shane Sweetnam on the North American circuit. Along the way, Diarm springs a surprise quiz on Charlotte and Emma using their own FEI records.

Key Discussion Points

• Guerdat completes the set: Steve Guerdat and Dynamix de Belhême win individual World Championship gold after a dramatic final Sunday that saw Harry Charles climb from outside the top 50 to the podium. Guerdat now holds World, European, Olympic and World Cup Final titles ahead of a hero's return to Geneva.
• Thibault Spits' breakthrough: Was Spits' silver medal with Impress-K van't Kattenheye a surprise, or were the numbers pointing to it all along? The panel also looks at Belgium's rise as the strongest team behind Germany.
• German depth: Team gold in Aachen, Nations Cup dominance at Spruce Meadows, and a pipeline of young horses that keeps riders well-horsed through retirements and injuries.
• Nina Mallevaey's Major League upset: Diarm's moment of the summer, when Nina beat both Greya and James Kann Cruz in the Traverse City jump-off on the same night as the Spruce Meadows Nations Cup.
• Farrington vs. Sweetnam: Repeated head-to-heads across the Hamptons, Traverse City and the World Cup qualifier. The panel thinks the next generation, Descartes and Gotjanne, may be the more interesting rivalry.
• Spruce Meadows drama: Ben Maher fulfils Sam's bingo-card prediction with a Rolex Grand Slam win, Richard Vogel and United Touch S miss out on history and the bonus, and Lillie Keenan comes within a rail of the biggest win of her career.
• Longevity: Yuri Mansur and Vitiki's Grand Prix win at 18 prompts a debate about whether Casall Ask gets the recognition his record deserves.
• Aachen 2026: Venue, field, storylines across three disciplines. The panel calls it one of the best championships in memory.

This show is very kindly supported by FLAIR Equine Nasal Strips.
Achieve Equine, LLC develops innovative equine products like the FLAIR Strips. Founded by Jim Chiapetta and Ed Blach, both equine veterinarians, the company focuses on enhancing horse respiratory health and performance. They conduct rigorous research to ensure the efficacy and safety of its products, aiming to support the health and safety of horses and riders. Achieve Equine emphasizes strong relationships, data-driven decisions, and effective solutions in the equine industry. Stayed tuned for what's next from Achieve Equine.

🎙️ Your Hosts: Charlotte Smet & Sam Watson. The EquiRatings Jumping team who live in the numbers, the predictions, and the storylines shaping the sport.

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