Nate Chambers is up against six horse-and-rider combinations short-listed for this fall’s Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games, but he kept cool under pressure today at the Richland Park CIC***. Chambers and Rolling Stone II beat out those four-star challengers and plenty of other experienced pairs in the dressage on Thursday (45.9), and they maintained their lead today, Aug. 28, with a double-clear cross-country round in Richland, Mich.

But tomorrow will be an even more stressful test for Chambers, 23, of Vienna, Va. Two weeks ago he was in the lead in an advanced division going into show jumping at the Millbrook Horse Trials (N.Y.), but five rails down dropped him to eighth overall. Tomorrow morning, he hasn’t a rail to spare over Boyd Martin and Remington XXV (47.6).

• Things also went well for those short-listed pairs in the CIC***, one of which is Martin with Remington. They posted a double-clear round. Martin also rode his second potential WEG partner, Neville Bardos, to a clear round with 2.8 time faults; they sit eighth. Karen O’Connor and Mandiba did the same and lie in seventh place. Will Faudree and Buck Davidson rode Pawlow (fourth) and Ballynoe Castle RM (sixth), respectively, to double-clear rounds. Selena O’Hanlon and Colombo, who’ve been named to the Canadian short list, went double clear to hold on to their third-placed standing. Fellow Canadians Jessica Phoenix and Exponential incurred just 3.2 time faults and sit in 12^th place.

• Fourteen more WEG hopefuls from the U.S. and Canada used the advanced divisions as a prep run, and all jumped around clean, with little or no time faults. They’re also dominating the standings, as Allison Springer and Arthur lead in the advanced, test A, division on their dressage score of 29.1. Kim Severson on Tipperary Liadhnan and Becky Holder on Courageous Comet are tied for the lead in the advanced, test B, division on their dressage scores of 29.3.

• Other short-listed pair placings include: Advanced, test A—Phillip Dutton/The Foreman, second (31.4); Phillip Dutton/Woodburn, third (35.6); Amy Tryon/Leyland, fourth (37.5); Ian Roberts/Napalm, ninth (41.3); Holly Hudspeth/Last Monarch, 12^th (43.2). Advanced, test B—Stephanie Rhodes-Bosch/Port Authority, third (31.7); Buck Davidson/Titanium, fourth (35.0); Diana Burnett/Manny, fifth (35.4); Buck Davidson/My Boy Bobby, eighth (37.7); Stephen Bradley/Brandenburg’s Joshua, ninth (38.5); Kyle Carter/Madison Park; 10^th (41.1).

• In the CIC**, Sinead Halpin kept her overnight lead with a double-clear round on Manoir De Carneville, and Phillip Dutton retained second on Jan Byyny’s mount Why Not.

• The new courses that Ian Stark designed for Richland Park this year proved fortuitous for most riders. Longtime Rolex Kentucky CCI**** course designer Mike Etherington-Smith also served as Richland’s go-to designer until he retired this year. Bert Wood serves as Richland’s course builder.

• In the CIC***, only three out of 27 horses incurred jumping penalties. Lisa Barry fell from Kenzo De La Roque at the bounce into the second water complex, fence 9AB. Jessica Hampf and High Society III had a stop at 10, the Leap Frog in the water. Kristen Bond’s Are You Ready ran out at the corner at 21B.

• In the CIC**, eight out of 30 horses had jumping penalties. Callie Judy with Irish Odyssey, Lindsey Solorzano with Enchantez and Phillip Dutton with Vidalia all picked up a stop at fence 18, the first of the double corners. Arden Wildasin and Mandar stopped at the second water complex, and Ellen Doughty on Sir Oberon at fence 6, Jigg’s Launch. Meghan Bailey and Stryker were eliminated after stops at the first, fourth and fifth fences, and Mary Evert and Ariel picked up three refusals at 17, the coffin. Liz Lund fell from Lady Hannah B at fence 19, the second corner.

• Four advanced horses had jumping faults, out of 36. Mary Bess Sigman had a stop at the coffin with Guinness X, and Julie McElhaney and Chanel stopped out there. Robert Meyerhoff retired Smooth Rider after stops at 10 and 13, and Ralph Holstein retired Arctic Dancer two fences from home, at the Picnic Table.