James Alliston and Tivoli won the CCI*** at Galway Downs. They're shown here at Twin Rivers. Photo by Taren Atkinson.
Go-ood morning Eventing Nation! I hope you all enjoyed your weekend, and all the coverage from Galway Downs. I personally enjoyed the article Kate wrote about blanketing, as my wookie got clipped this weekend, and spent the first days of the fall with a blanket on. I opted for a high trace clip, as I usually do, and my lack of patience and my horse’s alleged ignorance on the concept of ‘standing still’ left my boy with a pretty hack job. That’s okay though, maybe it will give my instructor something else to focus on, and he won’t even notice that Plaid is above the bit and lacking impulsion.
Weekend results:
Monday News:
James Alliston went one-two in the Galway Downs CCI** with Tivoli and Jumbo’s Jake. James continues his dominance over the West Coast highlight; he reversed the order in May in the CIC*** when he won with Jumbo’s Jake and placed second with Tivoli, and won this competition in 2011 with Jumbo’s Jake. [Galway Results]
Lauren Billys won the CCI** with Ballingowan Ginger, and hopefully enough money to buy some Dubarrys. She moved up from 3rd after Dressage after leaders Barbaro and Over Easy encountered problems on the cross-country. [Galway Results]
Will Coleman won the Virginia CCI*, yes I know that’s not neccessarily the most breaking news. However, he did it on a horse named McLovin. If you’ve never seen Superbad, go rent it so you know why this is funny. [Virginia HT Results]
An absolutely fascinating article by Jon Pitts, where he examines what it takes to be a top rider. I found myself reading so many points out loud to my significant other, and wanting everyone in my life to read this, so no one will ever ask me, ‘doesn’t the horse do all the work?’ My favorite? ‘Elite riders show an ability to process information at an immense rate similar to that of Formula 1 drivers, which is something that sets them apart.’ [An Eventful Life]
Wise Dan won the most compelling race yesterday of the Breeder’s Cup card, the Breeder’s Cup Mile. This is sure to help in his Horse of the Year campaign. The biggest run of the race came from 2011 Kentucky Derby winner Animal Kingdom, who endured a nightmare of a trip to come storming up the backstretch to finish second. [USA Today]
Fort Larned, a 9-1 outsider, won the Breeder’s Cup Classic in a flat out battle to the wire with Mucho Macho Man. The Bill Mott-trained colt led wire to wire, and held off a challenge from the Bob Baffert colt to upset the richest race in America. 9-5 favorite Game on Dude finished a disappointing seventh. [ESPN]
Clayton Fredericks gave his first interview on Canadian soil at the Toronto Winter Fair, where he competed in the indoor eventing challenge. Clayton placed fourth with Wild T’Mater. [Horse Junkies United]
Live in England? Then you’re lucky enough to know when you can compete next year. British Eventing has released the fixture list for 2013. [British Eventing]
Black Beauty is given a re-read by NPR’s Backseat Book Club on All Things Considered. Jane Smiley, author of Horse Heaven shared her thoughts with the radio program. ‘Black Beauty was born at a time when horse power fueled almost everything: wars, agriculture, transportation, construction and factory work. Horses pulled barges. They hauled coal and granite. And they were also seen as a measure of wealth; the way one rode atop a stiffly controlled horse could convey style and stature. All of this meant horses were both exalted and often pushed past the point of exhaustion.’ [NPR]
Waylon Roberts and Evil Munchkin (why would you ever name a horse that?) won Indoor Eventing at The Royal.
