The ENCAA Bracket Battle continues today with the 1 vs 8 seeds from the Davidson Region and the Aussie/Kiwi Region. Winsome Adante seems nearly unbeatable, as dominant as he was during his career. Ready Teddy stands to have a tough challenge as well if he makes it to the Elite 8. Vote for your favorite to send them on! Sing your praises or grunt your grumbles in the comment section…noteworthy comments may be rewarded with extra votes toward a horse of your choice.
RESULTS FROM YESTERDAY:
No surprise, (1) Biko rolled over (8) Wilton Fair 192-37. Commenters had a good point, that Biko’s legacy may be overrated…but the USCTA named him “Horse of the Century” for a reason, and most EN voters agreed. Biko advances to face the winner of (4) Prince Panache vs. (5) Mr. Maxwell. It’s not going to be easy!
(1) Toytown survived a strong rally from (8) Glenburnie to escape the first round 122-104. There must be some loyal Ian Stark fans on here! Good to see Glenburnie get some support he deserves, even if it came up a bit short. Toytown moves on to meet either (4) Ringwood Cockatoo or (5) Get Smart.
DAVIDSON REGION
If Biko was the American horse of the 90’s, Dan is certainly the horse of the 00’s. Partnered with Kim Severson, he kicked off his domination with a win at Blenheim CCI***, then went on to win Rolex CCI**** a remarkable three times (’02, ’04, and ’05). Winsome Adante was a member of the Gold Medal team at the 2002 WEG (6th individually), and won Individual Silver/Team Bronze at the Athens Olympics in 2004. Once again he represented the U.S. in the 2006 WEG, and closed out his career with a third place finish at Badminton CCI**** in 2007.
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8. BALLY COR
Ridden by Tad Coffin, the extraordinary mare Bally Cor was a key piece in the USET’s eventing success in the 1970s. She won Team and Individual gold at the 1975 PanAms, Team and Individual gold at the 1976 Montreal Olympics, and Team bronze at the 1978 World Championships at Lexington. As if her own record weren’t enough, Bally Cor produced Jim Stamets’ Bally Mar, the 2001 USEA Mare of the Year (later ridden by Karen O’Connor). In 2004 Bally Mar was inducted into USEA’s Hall of Fame.
AUSSIE/KIWI REGION
1. READY TEDDY
Ridden by Blyth Tait, Ready Teddy represented New Zealand in the 1996 Olympics at the age of 8…and won Individual Gold, Team Bronze. In 1998, Teddy did it again, winning Individual Gold and Team Gold at the WEG in Rome. He also won Burghley CCI*** in 2001.
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8. DARIEN POWERS
A beautiful gray who always seemed to go round with his ears up, Darien Powers was a powerhouse on the Australian Olympic Team. Darien won two Olympic gold medals as part of the Australian teams in 1996 and 2000, and broke the Olympic eventing dressage score record at Sydney.
