Top Canadians in the $73,000 class were Tiffany Foster, 5th with Figor, and Mario Deslaurier, 10th riding Bardolina 2.

The AOs have long been a part of the hunter world; debate rages regarding whether the existing rules are outdated as to who can participate.

The victory marked a triumphant return for the German rider after a four-year absence from WEF; Tiffany Foster 5th with Northern Light.

Three Canadians finished in the top 10 in the $37,000 class, led by Mario Deslauriers and Bardolina 2, who placed second.

WEF 4 started out with an incredible sweep by the American rider; top Canadian was Erynn Ballard and Nespresso Van’t Laekhof, 3rd in Sec. A.

Tiffany Foster and Brighton grab 6th place in the CSI3*; all WEF feature classes are available to watch for free both live and on-demand.

A total of 84 combinations contested the opening round, looking to punch their ticket into Sunday’s $137,000 NetJets Grand Prix CSI3*.

This time the Irish rider takes the $6,000 1.45m Jumper class with Sweet Tricia; top Canadian is Tiffany Foster and Hamilton, who placed 7th.

WEF 3 kicked off with a field of 121 in Wednesday's split feature class; top Canadian is Erynn Ballard, who placed 6th in Sec A with Ronja.

Canada's Vanessa Mannix places 5th with Catinka in a starting field of 78 entries over a track set by course designer Oscar Soberon.