Washington, D.C.—Oct. 29

Elizabeth Benson could only improve her hunter phase placing by moving up one spot, so she did just that. Finishing yesterday’s hunter phase of the Washington International Equitation Classic in second place, Benson, 17, entered the ring this afternoon after seeing 33 of her competitors tackle the jumper course set by Michel Vaillancourt, as the riders returned in reverse order. Her scores of 92, 91.5 and 87.5 gave her the round’s highest score of 90.33, and she sits in the top spot going into tonight’s work-off phase.