Random Rolex Thursday Notes, Photos and Videos

Boyd leads the field after the first day of dressage at the Rolex Kentucky Three Day Event on his veteran campaigner Remington.   Gill Watson, esteemed GB Junior and Young Rider Team Trainer and here in Kentucky  as Lucy Jackson’s trainer, saw all the top tests today and  told me she was actually surprised the margin between Boyd’s winning ride and Karen O’Connor’s second placed score on Veronica wasn’t larger.

After laughing about how thrilled she was to win the best turned out lady award at the Trot-up on Wednesday for the first time in 35 years of competing at Rolex, and crediting her friend and fellow competitor Marilyn Little-Meredith for helping her to choose the outfit, Karen addressed her svelte new look, specifically her physique, “I think it’s really hard as you get older to stay fit. It was sometime last fall that I just woke up and I decided that if I’m going to be a player at this level, at this age, I have to do what it takes to be fit and be strong and be ready for everything that’s going to be thrown at you during a four star competition. This Kentucky is very  important to me, the lead-up to London is extremely important to me and I owe it to myself, but to everyone else who puts me out there, my staff and my owners, and David my husband, and everyone who’s put a lot of time and effort into it. If it don’t give it 110%, then shame on me. “

Andrew went early on in the order on Calico Joe and his test was solid enough to keep him in third place when all was said and done this evening. Andrew said that although Calico Joe “has perhaps not had the experience, he’s got a very good mind in the arena and he always tries his hardest.”  He told us at the press conference that they chose Kentucky specifically for these two four star rookies, Calico Joe and Qwanza to see if they’ll be ready for the  London Olympic Games this summer if needed.  He described Kentucky as a decent four star – “the lovely surfaces for the dressage and the show-jumping, the cross-country is big and up to four star standards so it’s a good fit to bring two young ones here.”

Becky Holder sits in fourth place on Courageous Comet, and I chatte briefly to her after her test this morning. Becky told me she’d never been that  early in the draw before on Comet before, the last dressage test he did here was the 2010 WEG, and she said he really missed the crowds, that he felt a bit flat. She was also annoyed with herself for messing with his frame she said, but the whole time that she listed the things she felt she could have improved upon as a rider, she was smiling, and then she shrugged and said it was still fantastic to have him back, and I agreed!

Although James was perhaps disappointed with his test, Gerd Reuter who was helping him told me he was very pleased with James and Jumbo’s Jake, just not so much with the score. I’ve enjoyed watching Gerd help James these last couple of days, he’s very dry, quite terse and demanding but then will frequently  reassure James, “it’s OK, James, it’s good, we love you, we love you, we love you, James!” in a thick German accent, “don’t we?” he’d add, slapping India McEvoy on the back and beaming at them both – if that won’t break the tension right before a test..!

Jolie Wentworth, wearing a yellow rose with her green ribbon to remember Amy Tryon, had Good Knight going beautifully in the second warm-up ring, but the wind had really picked up while she was riding, and by the time she moved into the first warm-up ring the stewards tent in the corner by the chute was flapping and moving and it was pretty much the undoing of him.

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Kadi Eykamp was another rider to wear the green ribbon as a tribute to Amy Tryon, and there will be a memorial service on Friday morning at Rolex. It’s hard to see in this picture but Kadi was also wearing a very special stock pin from the Adelaide Three Day Event which you get on completion – she has SIX, she’s ridden round it on three different horses – Maximum Overkill, Seal and Isabella Rosellini.

Double Rivers Dillon did much better work in the warm-up than in the main arena, but Kadi seemed philosohical about it, “I guess he just needs more ring work in a big stadium, not that he’s scared of the big stadium in any way it’s just what happens when you’re compeiting. He’s been working really, really well and it just wasn’t the test I wanted. I think the mark is fair. His flatwork should be his strong point, and it’s going to come, it just didn’t come today.”

Kristi Nunnink after her test on R-Star left her about half way down the field

Marilyn Little-Meredith’s RF Rovano Rex was very high, and it looked touch and to as to whether he was going to be able to keep a lid on things this morning. The wind was brisk early in the day and storms threatened, but then it passed and just became quite hot and sunny. Captain Mark Phillips helped Marilyn in the warm-up, and then Karen O’Connor came to join him the second she got off Veronica, two rides before her, so that by the time Marilyn rode down the chute trying to calm a decidedly frisky Rex, both of them were walking alongside her dispensing last minute advice!

Phillip Dutton’s daughters watch him ride Fernhill Eagle into 17th place.

Sharon White warmed up under the impressive combined horsemanship forces of Jimmy Wofford and Linda Zang, and although she and Rafferty’s Rules, “Reggie” for short, looked amazing outside, he got a little tense in the arena.

Jackie finally took a break! Jackie Potts and Parklane Hawk enjoying the sunshine. I did get a kick out of seeing the Brits spread out on the small grass patch of their quarantine barn soaking up the rays, albeit fully dressed! I think it was US turned Brit eventer Lauren Shannon who tweeted the other day that she was sunbathing like a true brit – in a puffa! Although on a sunny summer’s day in an English City you’ll find Parks chocka with pasty-fleshed natives baring all in the quest for a tan!

When EN John and I were idly discussing top horses money could or couldn’t buy – basically who is your fantasy event horse – one day last year, I was flabbergasted when he picked Peter Barry’s Kilrodan Abbot as one of his all time favourites, he’d totally slipped under my radar but I began to watch him and John is right, the horse is lovely – not only talented, but far more importantly, completely and utterly honest and a genuine out and out trier, and God loves a trier! I didn’t think about it any more again until Wednesday leaving the Horse Park, and my passenger pointed at him grazing on the verge by the dressage ring across from the European barn and asked, “Is that horse loose?” We peered at him more closely, and confirmed that he was indeed loose, and then spotted Peter, calmly chatting to someone several meters away, keeping a casual eye on him!  Hmm, I thought, and tweeted a little picture and witty remark to accompany it, then thought no more.  Until today….! Chatting to a friend by the stables I saw a loose horse walking back from the cross country course direction towards the stables, and then several yards behind – yes, Peter and a friend calmy wheeling his bike. Luckily, this time I have evidence…

How could anyone not covet a horse like this – I was going to say he’s practically human but he’s much better than that, he’s almost a dog, he’s a horse, he’s the best of all things in one gorgeous plain bay (my favourite) package. Go Kilrodan Abbot and Go Eventing!

PS. Peter Barry won the Rolex watch in the draw at the cocktail party on Wednesday night, and was very goodnatured about showing it off, especially when someone told him, “Better lucky than Good”, and he laughed and agreed, replying, “I hope it lasts all weekend!” I hope so too. Go Peter!

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