Hope Walden and Lily Langtry through the dew pond and clear within time to move into 9th overnight for Area VIII
Storms and heavy rains rattled through the Bluegrass Friday night, dousing the already saturated footing at the Kentucky Horse Park and ultimately leading to the decision to make some adjustments to the cross country; the jumps at the Head of the Lake were taken out, and the C element of the sunken road was removed from the CCI* division.
Throughout the day the crews were working tirelessly filling wet spots with stone dust, pumping water out of the ditch in the coffin and doing absolutely everything possible to make the conditions as safe as possible.
Camilla Grover-Dodge and Remington keep their lead going into the show-jumping in the CCI* at NAJYRC after a fast, clear XC round. Photo by Samantha Clark.
The CH-J* Division
The top two places on the CCI* leaderboard did not change – both Camilla Grover Dodge on Remington XXV and Morgan Booth on Twizzel jumped immaculate clear rounds within the time to maintain their positions going into tomorrow’s show-jumping, with less than a rail between them.
Third placed after dressage, Area IV’s Mackenna Rold gave the extremely bold and scopey Fernhill Imperial a super ride but 2.8 time faults drops them down to 7th place overnight.
Capitalising on a fast clear and filling the third spot is Area VI’s Madison Temkin and Kingslee who went towards the end of the day and looked to have a great round.
Of the two riders tied for fifth place after the dressage, the lovely grey Paddington and Emily Thompson ran into trouble on course picking up two stops, one at a fairly simple oxer at 8, and one later on course; Madelynn Snoozy and Udealer moved up a spot into fourth with a clear round inside the time.
Area III’s Shelby Brost and Crimson looked very comfortable all the way round and moved up into fifth place, and rounding out the top six is Canada’s Annick Niemuller with FE Black Jack.
Morgan Booth and Twizzel jump into 2nd place at NAJYRC after a clear XC round inside the time. Photo by Samantha Clark.
Area II has a healthy 20 point lead over 2nd placed Area IV, and it was obvious that both these teams particularly and Area VIII also were given clear riding orders to go out and be sensible, cognisant of the conditions.
Morgan Booth was the very last ride of the day on Twizzel and confirmed that she had advice from both Sinead, and her team members who had gone earlier about how the course was riding, “Everyone was laughing at Twizzel in the warm-up and calling him a dragon because he was looking out at the course, running sideways, broncing…and I was just trying to keep a lid on it as best as I could!
“He knew what was coming, he tried to leave the box a few seconds early, he tried to gallop away with me! I let him go to the first two and then he just cruised around, it came up so easy because he’s got such a big stride that it’s pretty effortless for him. We got to the back where the corner is and I felt like I was in knee deep mud and I needed jockey goggles because mud was coming up in my face but he was so good. I wish the Head of the Lake and the Part C of the bank complex had been there because he was looking for it!
“Camilla told me it would be muddy, she told me to pick my line where I can and just let him sort it out, and he’s a mudder luckily and really tough, and nothing really slows him down, including me! It was amazing, I wanted to go and jump a few Rolex fences! You look around and you have to pinch yourself because it’s the Kentucky Horse Park, everyone dreams of riding here when you’re an event rider and I get to gallop around it as a junior and still dream about it for the next ten years. It was the most fun I’ve ever had, he’s such a cool horse! I’m so lucky have to him….no words!”
Camilla Grover Dodge went out much earlier in the day on Remington and rode a mature round on Remington, leaving no room for error and making it all look very easy – it’s been a real pleasure this week to see these two experienced campaigners clearly so delighted to be back in the limelight and absolutely loving every minute. Remington ate up the CCI* XC, looking quite feisty at times for Camilla, although she told me that’s just his way of going, “He was really good; he got a little strong and wild in the warm-up again but once he got out on cross country he was really rideable and just got his game face on.
“The footing was pretty good when I was out there so I was able to keep moving and all the combinations rode just as I walked, and he was just so happy and forward the whole time. He gets headstrong and starts to shake his head if I try to place him too much at a distance but he gets a little better after he gallops some. He was so forward and it was a great course to ride.”
As well as advice from team coach Sinead who warmed Camilla up and gave her some last minute pep talks Camila also got a text from Remi’s former rider Boyd Martin this morning which read, “Good luck mate, ride Remi well!”
Madison Temkin and Kingslee move up to 3rd place after XC at NAJYRC with a fast clear round. Photo by Samantha Clark.
We’d like to claim all the credit for Madison Temkin’s brilliant ride as EN Karma – she was the featured up and coming rider at Galway Downs last November but I think we have to say that Madison and her mother who coaches her should be very proud of themselves; also Hawley Bennet-Awad who found her horse Kinglsee last June, and of course the village that helps any rider reach the top.
Madison, just fourteen years old, groomed here last year and said if anything it’s easier riding! “It’s less stressful than I expected; last year we did quite a bit as grooms so having our own grooms to help us, as well as our parents, our chef and co-ordinator…it’s all running pretty smoothly! The top three was always a goal but mostly I wanted to finish on my dressage score and represent Area VI well and get around.”
Area VIII’s Rivertown Lad and Mary Peabody Camp – one of the standout rounds of the day. Photo by Samantha Clark.
Coach for Area VIII Cathy Weischoff and I chatted briefly yesterday about whether she thinks her team has an advantage being on home ground and being so familiar with the Horse Park, and we couldn’t decide either way which seems borne out by today’s results.
“Yes and No, I still think that because it’s NAJYRC it’s such a big deal for these kids to be here that I don’t think it’s a huge advantage at all. Maybe mentally it’s not such a big deal for our riders to be at the Kentucky Horse Park, but I still think that because of what the competition is it’s not that much of an advantage. Possibly our horses handle the weather and the footing better than say horses from California, but you could say the same for horses from Virginia or somewhere like that.
“I think NAJYRC is still super for the 1* kids, and I’d love to try and change the 2* age to 25, and if the kids are moving on to bigger and better things by then – great, but it still opens the door, I know of four or five kids who would still be here competing in the 2* at NAJYRC if the age was 25. I think it cuts them off a little bit early in this country, and I know it’s an FEI thing and that’s global, and how do you accommodate everybody, that’s the question?”
Alexis Murray and My Principle were the only fallers and were both reportedly up and none the worse for wear, and two other riders fell off but are also fine. On the whole the course rode very well, with mistakes fairly well-spread out around the course. There were 38 clear jumping rounds, nine of those had time faults, and five pairs had one or more stops. More pictures will be up on the EN Facebook later tonight.
The CCIYR2* Division
Nicole Doolittle and Tops jump beautifully round but add time to their leading dressage score to slip into 2nd place overnight at NAJYRC 2015. Photo by Samantha Clark.
Nicole Doolittle was first out on course this morning on the lovely grey Tops and in pole position but an unfortunate hard peck on landing after Fence 3 shook her confidence and after that she rode fairly conservatively, racking up 20 time penalties to slip into second place.
Moving into pole position after cross country with a quick clear round – Diane Portwood and Cinerescent for Area III. Photo by Samantha Clark.
Her Area III team mate Diane Portwood cruised round inside the time on her grey OTTB Cinerescent to take over the lead, and she commented that although she too was careful in some places due to the wet footing she was always fairly confident that her speedy little mare would make the time.
Paige Pence and Class Action jump clear round the CCI** XC for Area VIII. Photo by Samantha Clark.
Paige Pence from Area VIII listened to Diane talk about her nippy TB with a rueful smile for she accrued 18.4 time penalties but laughingly said that was absolutely as fast as ‘Dan’ (Class Act) could go as he’s naturally lazy and needs persuading that he’s out on a 2* XC course and not hacking!
Madison Gallien and Beau Voyageur. Photo by Samantha Clark.
Please do watch the press conference videos for more from these three charming ladies, as well as from the CCI* team and individual standings, and also spare a thought for Madison Gallien who missed out a fence on Beau Voyageur in the latter part of the course in the 2* division and so was pulled up on a technical elimination – we’ve all been there at some point and hopefully she’ll never do it again but it’s still miserable to have it happen here.
The weather has been classic Kentucky summer which probably could be anything but today has been hot and humid, damn hot! Huge props to all the grooms, the support teams, the volunteers and the riders, especially the jump judges – anyone who’s been outside all day today and everyone Lily and I bumped into has been wonderfully friendly and sweet #kentuckyproud!
Let’s hope the horses and their teams get some rest tonight, and we’ll look forward to an exciting conclusion the NAJYRC tomorrow. Many thanks for joining us here in Lexington today, and massive congratulations to Team USA up in Canada – Go Eventing!
