Prince of Oolde and Tip Top Quality Set the Pace on Opening Day of USEA/USEF Developing Horse Championships
Leesburg, Va.—Oct. 9— The future stars of eventing stepped into the spotlight today at Morven Park International, where the 2026 USEF/USEA Developing Horse Eventing National Championships got underway with the dressage phase.
Now in their fourth year, the championships provide an important stepping stone for promising young horses as they progress through the levels of eventing. With 6-year-olds competing at the CCI2*-S level and 7-year-olds at the CCI3*-S level, the competition offers an opportunity for these developing athletes to demonstrate their training, gain international experience, and continue building the foundations for their future careers.
Prince of Oolde Leads the 6-Year-Old Field
Prince of Oolde (Ibolensky x Aurora J) made his presence known in the opening phase of the CCI2*YH-S championship, earning a dressage score of 24.0 with Amber Birtcil in the irons to take the early lead. The 6-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding owned by Cellar Farm Corp, affectionately known as "Noodles" around the barn, arrived at Morven Park following a standout season.
"He's such a professional. He is just so lovely to ride every day, and he is such a showman. He loves to go and perform," Birtcil said. "He's just a horse you can count on 100% every time. I mean, he just shows up. He's so lovely, and he spoils you for every other horse in the world."
A graduate of the USEA Young Event Horse (YEH) Program and the 2025 USEA third place overall finisher of the 5-year-old YEH Championship, Prince of Oolde has continued to impress Birtcil with his development throughout his 6-year-old season. After spending the early part of the year learning the demands of the level, he has grown increasingly confident and consistent in his performances. Noodles has finished in eight of his nine outings this season.
"He's just been really lovely to develop. He was kind of learning at the level the beginning of the year, and I feel like he really has a solid grasp on it," Birtcil shared. "Every day he just shows up, and you just know when you go down center line that he's just gonna sparkle that little bit more."
Just 1.7 penalties behind his stablemate is the Dutch Warmblood gelding Picasso (High Shutterfly x Athene HBC), another promising 6-year-old YEH graduate ridden owned by Cellar Farm Corp. and ridden by Birtcil. The pair earned a dressage score of 25.7 to move into second place, giving the two young horses the top spots on the leaderboard heading into the jumping phases.
While Prince of Oolde has been a consistent performer throughout the season, Picasso has been steadily catching up in his development. Birtcil acquired him relatively late in his 5-year-old year, and he has since followed a similar competitive path to his stablemate, with the two horses frequently finishing near one another in the standings.
"Since then he's kind of caught up to Noodles and what he's doing, and kind of followed along with him this year," Birtcil explained. "He as well is super lovely, really nice to develop. It's really fun to be able to bring two over to do the division, and he was super today. He definitely put forth his best foot. He's not quite as mature as the other one, but today he felt pretty much the same."
The trip to Morven Park marks Birtcil's first appearance at the Developing Horse Championships, with the decision to make the journey from the West Coast driven largely by her ambitions for Prince of Oolde's future. Following this weekend, she plans to give him a short break before targeting the CCI2*-L at Galway Downs, with the ultimate goal of competing at the FEI WBFSH Eventing World Breeding Championship for Young Horses at Le Lion d'Angers in France next year.
"The main reason being that I want to take Noodles to Le Lion next year," Birtcil said of her decision to attend the championships. "And that this would be a really good development for him."
The Belgian Warmblood gelding HSH Van Conquistador (ASB Conquistador x Elite Van De Wellington), ridden by Caroline Pamukcu and owned by Gayle Davis and Sherrie Martin, sits in third place on a score of 28.9 penalties.
Tip Top Quality Continues Impressive Season in 7-Year-Old Championship
For Katherine O'Brien's gelding Tip Top Quality (For Pleasure x Pistache Quality), the opening day of the CCI3*YH-S championship marked another promising performance in what has already been a successful season. With Alexandra Knowles in the saddle, the 7-year-old Belgian Warmblood gelding earned a dressage score of 26.4 to take the lead in the division.
The performance follows several notable results earlier this year, including a victory in the Open Preliminary Championship at the 2026 USEA American Eventing Championships (AEC), where Tip Top Quality finished on his dressage score of 26.9 and a win at the CCI3*-S level at Bouckaert Equestrian in August.
"Oh, he was just perfect. Honestly, he was as good as he could possibly be at this point," Knowles said. "He's only been eventing for a year and a half and he's just a gem. He tries, he doesn't say no. He does what he's asked to do."
Knowles noted that some of the movements that had previously challenged Tip Top Quality, including the rein-back and second simple change, showed marked improvement in Friday's test.
"Those are things that have been a much bigger weakness in the past, and he was just with me today. He was with me the whole time, and it's like he's starting to really understand what's being asked of him, which is super fun."
Although Tip Top Quality has quickly established himself as an exciting prospect in eventing, the discipline was not originally part of his career plans. As a 3-year-old, he went through the Belgian sales with a future in show jumping in mind before eventually finding his way into a show jumping sales program. It was a Facebook post that first caught the attention of Ian Stark, who recognized the horse's potential for eventing.
After Stark took the then 5-year-old cross-country schooling for the first time, Knowles purchased him sight unseen. Nearly two years later, she has watched him transform from an inexperienced event horse into a confident young competitor.
"He had jumped fairly big jumps, but only in the show jumping and maybe a little bit overschooled in the show jumping. So he was a little bit unrideable, weak, but just a really sweet horse. He was kind and just wanted to do the job," Knowles recalled. "I've had him for almost two years, and I've just had the best time with him. He just keeps answering. He really tries not to say no. He sometimes doesn't understand, but he's definitely getting it now."
Morven Park presented a fitting final challenge for the season, allowing Tip Top Quality to compete in a championship atmosphere without the additional demands of a long-format three-star.
"If I could just finish out the year at the 7-year-old three-star, that would be a phenomenal year," Knowles said. "He doesn't need to do a three-long yet. He's not probably ready for it. He doesn't need it. Just let him be, and let him learn here. And the 7-year-old three-star is a great place to see a serious environment, a serious course, but it's not too long."
While Tip Top Quality enters the next phase in the lead, Knowles is far more interested in the experience he takes away from the weekend than his final placing.
"I don't care so much about going fast. I want him to feel that he himself feels big about himself. I want him to feel confident."
Just behind the leader is Anita Antenucci's American Sport Horse Arden Janeway (Jaguar Mail x Freespirit), the defending 6-year-old Developing Horse Champion from 2025. With Sharon White aboard, the now 7-year-old mare earned a score of 30.1 to sit second in her return to Morven Park, this time competing at the CCI3* level.
Cellar Farm Corp.'s Dutch Warmblood gelding Orpheus (Gerardus x Hiewitta), ridden by Birtcil, is close behind in third place on 30.2.
The return of Arden Janeway, Centerfold, and HSH Cruising Spirit, currently in fifth place, is particularly significant, as all three finished among the top five in the 2025 6-year-old championship. Their progression to the 7-year-old division this year reflects the intended purpose of the Developing Horse Championships: providing a pathway for promising young horses to gain experience and advance their competitive careers.
With the first phase complete, the young horses will now turn their attention to the jumping phases, where their continued education and athletic development will be put to the test.
The 7-year-old championship will conclude on Saturday, Oct. 10, with show jumping and cross-country, while the 6-year-old competitors will tackle show jumping before completing their championship with cross-country on Sunday, Oct. 11.
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