Leslie Law and Billy Wiz
Sharon White has to be thrilled with her new ride Under Suspection, who scored 43.9 to move into second place in the CCI2* at Fair Hill. As Brian O’Connor put it, Sharon “rocked the orange” this afternoon, and this performance is a very good indicator of how her partnership is forming with this horse. Pippy joined Sharon’s program this spring after coming over from Dirk Schrade’s barn in Germany. Leslie Law and Billy Wiz also put some pressure on Boyd Martin and Pancho Villa — who still hold the lead after the third group of riders — with a lovely test for a score of 44.2, which moves them into third place. This horse has been very competitive at this level since moving up in the spring, and he most recently finished in fourth place at the Plantation Field CIC2*. This is a really cute horse, and I’m looking forward to seeing more of Billy this weekend.
Amanda Wilson and Shame on the Moon
I’m familiar with Amanda Wilson’s lovely grey Cool Decision, who she’ll be riding in the CCI3* this weekend, but this is the first time I’ve seen her equally stunning grey Shame on the Moon. This mare is super cool and a fantastic mover, and she handled the hustle and bustle of the main arena at Fair Hill — where the Young Event Horse Championships are going on in the neighboring ring — with poise. They scored 49.7 to sit in equal sixth place with Ryan Wood and Fernhill Classic and Colleen Loach and Freespirit. We also saw a lovely test from Allie Knowles and Sound Prospect, who scored 50 to move into ninth place. This horse is a familiar face over on the West Coast, where Tessa Beckett previously had the ride, and this is the first time I’ve seen the horse in person. They had a super, consistent test, and I imagine Allie is pleased with that score considering she’s only had the horse since July.
Allie Knowles and Sound Prospect
I have to give a shout out to Jenny Caras, who handled Fernhill Fortitude’s naughty antics with a very patient attitude. He’s a really lovely horse, and putting in consistent dressage tests will just be a matter of getting Forty to focus on the task at hand; they scored 56.9. Kudos to Jenny for having a good attitude about it! We’re now about to head into the fourth and final group of the day, with Lizzie Snow and Ringfort Tinkaturk kicking things off at 3 p.m. The weather is still fantastic here at Fair Hill, with temperatures in the low 70s and overcast skies keeping things comfortable. This is either a sign of a very good weekend yet to come, or it’s giving us a false sense of hope. Fair Hill is notorious for having terrible weather, after all. Stay tuned for the final report from the first half of CCI2* dressage at Fair Hill.
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