Judges Meredith Smith Taylor and Scott Hofstetter have set a lovely, flowing track for the first round of the Maclay. There aren’t any gimmicky jumps or lines, and the course demands a forward, positive ride.

The course starts out with a single oxer, then riders jump another single oxer out of the corner, then turn back in a sweeping, wide rollback to a triple combination along the long side of the ring.

The triple is vertical-oxer-vertical, and the one-stride distances are a bit long. Then riders have to jump another oxer out of the corner, and ride a bending line of eight strides to a Swedish oxer. They then turn back in another wide rollback to the left to a fan jump.

From the fan jump, they turn right in another sweeping rollback to the ASPCA wall, then another bending line of six strides to the left to a skinny vertical. Then they go up the long side over an oxer-vertical in-and-out of two strides to a short four strides to another oxer. They finish with a long gallop around the ring to another oxer.

The course invites forward, bold riding and riding off the eye, since there aren’t many set lines. The fences are all straightforward and natural. The fan jump, with short standards, is the only one without any filler, and it’s a bit airy.