Erin Sylvester and Mettraise moved up from 12th to lead the CCI2* at Bromont.
Erin Sylvester and Mettraise made quick work of Derek Di Grazia’s CCI2* cross-country course at Bromont this afternoon, coming home clear with just 2.4 time penalties to move up from 12th place to take the lead. This Thoroughbred mare is a super scopey jumper and locked on beautifully at 13ab, a combination that caused numerous problems for the riders on the CCI2* course. Buck Davidson and Knight Lion were first out on course in the division and flew around, coming home with the only double clear trip in the CCI2* to move all the way up from 20th to second place. Booli Selmayr and Castle Diamond hold third place after putting in a clear trip with 16.4 time. The horse looked a bit tentative in the middle of the course, and Booli gave him a really smart ride to get the horse around safely.
Buck Davidson and Knight Lion moved up from 20th to second place.
The CCI2* leaderboard changed drastically this afternoon when things didn’t quite go as planned for numerous riders. Overnight leaders Sharon White and Don Sheffield unfortunately had a runout at the skinny at 13b — the fence that caused the most problems on course by far — and dropped to ninth place. Jordan McDonald, who was sitting in second place overnight with Prince Mayo, had two stops on course and retired at the corner at 16b in the arena. Unfortunately, Jordan’s bad luck continued with Glencento, who was sitting in fifth place overnight and had a chance to take the lead as the last horse out on course. They had two runouts at 13b and called it a day. Benita Strini and Sammy Jo also had two stops at 13b and retired, and Jessica Phoenix and Extraordinaire also retired after glancing off 13b.
Booli Selmayr and Castle Diamond stayed in third place with a clear trip.
The second water on the back of the course also caught out several riders. Buck Davidson and Santa’s Keeper, who came into the cross country in fourth place, had a stop at the water and subsequently dropped to seventh place. Jennifer Simmons fell from GV Tuscany at the water and reportedly landed on her feet. Caroline Martin and Petite Flower and Alexandra MacLeod and Railroad Man Jim both had stops at this water complex as well. Anita Nemtin-Gilmour had the only other fall in the division when she popped off Topper just three jumps from home. The other tricky spot on course proved to be the corner at 16b in the main arena, where Jordan and Prince Mayo had their runouts, as well as Abigail Wilson and Fernhill Flag. In all, 10 riders made it home without a jumping penalty, six riders retired on course and two fell from their horses.
Kate Chadderton and VS McCuan Civil Liberty are in fourth place.
The waterlogged footing continued to deteriorate throughout the day, which likely contributed to many of the problems for the CCI2* riders and made the going very heavy. We managed to dodge the rain for most of the day, but a fine mist started about halfway through the CCI2*, and a steady rain was falling by the time Jordan McDonald and Glencento started out as the last pair on course. We just can’t seem to catch a break here at Bromont. Last but not last, I have to give a shoutout to EN’s Got Talent superstars Kate Chadderton and VS McCuan Civil Liberty, who had a super trip to move up to fourth place, and Erin Freedman and Viola, who Samantha and I chatted with while we walked the course yesterday. In an example of EN’s karma at its finest, Erin and Viola rocked it with a clear trip to move up to fifth place. Stay tuned for much more from Bromont!
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