Update: Oliver and William Both on Flight to Miami

By John on , Filed Under Eventing Nation, Eventing News and Notes and , ,
As we reported yesterday, Oliver Townend and William Fox Pitt have been forced to find an alternative route to Kentucky due to massive flight cancellations in the UK caused by the Icelandic volcano that erupted last week.  Both Willaim and Olliver took equally amazing trips to Madrid, Spain, where they could catch a flight to Miami this afternoon.
According to British Eventing, Oliver took a train to London, and then another from London to Paris.  From there, due to current train strikes (silly European workers) he had to take a taxi the 900 miles from Paris to Madrid.  I'm not sure what taxi's cost in Europe, but in New York that would cost more than the grand slam.
William, who is better connected than anyone whose name doesn't start with 'President' or 'King,' missed the train, but took a private plane to Madrid.  William's website explains that they commandeered a single piston plane owned by James Gibson-Fleming at 4am Monday morning by visual controls.
Willaim and Olliver are now aboard a flight to Miami, according to British Eventing.  They will take another flight to Atlanta tomorrow morning and still another to Lexington Tuesday afternoon.  The horses arrived in quarantine in the US days ago, and they are already at the KHP.
Note: A special thanks to commenter 'lec' for linking to William's site in the comment section, which really helped fill in the details.  When I retire from Eventing Nation, probably sometime after Rolex (joking), lec can take my place.
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Rolex Competitors Preview (part 7/7)

By John on , Filed Under Eventing Nation and , , , , ,

Check out Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7 of EN's Rolex competitor previews.  So far, 15 combinations have advanced to round 2 of EN's collective Rolex pick. You will choose the last three to advance to round 2 in this preview post, and round 2 begins Monday evening.  Rolex Entries List
Holly Hudspeth and Last Monarch: Holly's Website
Do we have any Family Guy fans in the house?  Our fun fact about 'Stewie' is that he is named after the violent and villainous baby on FOX's hit cartoon series Family Guy.  Eventing Nation has had the opportunity to keep track of Holly's path to Rolex through her EN guest blogs, which has been tremendously fun, and I expect the best is yet to come.  Stewie is very energetic *understatement* young little horse, but Holly does a super job managing his emotions.  Holly and Stewie have finished inside the top ten placing in 10 of their 12 advanced level competitions together.  A rider fall at the Jersey CCI3* is their only issue on XC in the last 2 years and their dressage is improving each time out.  I think the tension of the Rolex environment will keep Stewie from showing his best stuff, but a steady weekend will set them up well for making the team next year.
Sara Mittleider and El Primero: Sara's Homepage

Sara was the highest placed young rider at Rolex in '05, '06, and '07 and holds the record as the youngest rider ever to complete Rolex.  However, Sara is older now and pressure is on to ride like the experience she has.  Bred in Idaho, 'Tony' is 2/4 lifetime on 4* cross country courses, collecting a stop at Rolex '05 and retiring at Burghley in '07, but he jumped around Rolex '06 and '07 finishing 14th and 12th respectively.  I expect Tony to jump around on Saturday and a finish just inside the top-10 would be a great weekend overall.

Karen O'Connor and Mandiba: OCET Homepage, Karen's Facebook

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While I am not nearly the gentleman that Mr. Wofford is, I too refuse to discuss in print the rumors that surround Karen regarding her tattoo-so stop sending me emails people!  If and when there is a police report involving the tattoo, we will of course publish that in its entirety.  Mandiba has all the tools to carry Karen to the promised land this fall, but they need to get around this weekend.  The trick this weekend is for Mandiba to be efficient enough around most of the course so that he can have time to study the technical questions, but he doesn't have to be the fastest horse on Saturday to have a very successful weekend.  Karen delivers in the clutch, and this weekend won't be different: top 10 lock.

Lauren Kieffer and Snooze Alarm: Bio, Facebook, EN guest blogs
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Another member of the O'Connor Event Team, Lauren is Jimmy's pick for the highest placed Rolex rookie, and for good reason.  Lauren has developed as part of OCET into one of our country's brightest rising stars, and I guarantee this is the first of many Rolex appearances for Lauren.  Lauren and 'Snooze,' a 15.3 Chestnut Anglo-Arabian, have grown up together and they bring a quality past performance record to Rolex with only clean XC rides since early 2009, and just 3 rails in their last 7 events.  I bet that time on XC and maybe in SJ will hurt their final placing a bit, but I expect a quality weekend from Lauren and Snooze.
Michele Mueller and Amistad (CAN): Michele's Homepage

Michele and Amistad have had a tumultuous spring, with wins in the advanced at Chattahoochee and Pine Top and a 2nd at Rocking horse, but also a withdraw after a stop on XC at Poplar, and a fall at The Fork.  Their most recent event was the win at Chattahoochee last weekend, and hopefully they can keep the momentum for a quality Rolex weekend.

Amy Tryon and Coal Creek: Team Tryon

Once Phillip, Buck, and Oliver withdrew a few of their horses, it left Amy with the best one-two arsenal in the field.  'Devon' is considerably less experienced than his stable mate Leyland, but his record shows that he should not be underestimated.  Amy  believes (very wisely in my opinion) that horse trials should be viewed as preparation for three-days, so Devon has time penalties at most of his horse trials, but he made the time when it counted at Fair Hill 2008 and won that event.  I expect Devon to have a steady trip around Rolex with some time, but a sub-50 dressage test and a clean show jumping could still put them in the top 10, and certainly the top 20.  

Jennifer Wooten-DaFoe and The Good Witch: Homepage
Jennifer and The Good Witch stormed onto the 4* scene a couple of years ago with an 11th at Pau in 2007, and a 7th at Rolex '08.  After a fall at Rolex last year and a stop at Burghley, they still find themselves on the B-list, but they need a clean round this weekend to stay there. On the upside, this pair has a very good show jumping record and they can make the time on XC.  If they get around, I like them for a top 10 finish.  Yes, I understand that is probably the 15th pair I have said could finish in the top 10, but you get the idea.
Colin Davidson and Draco: Facebook

This is a tough pair to figure out, with 8 withdraws or retires in their last 13 events.  They did win at Poplar Place earlier this spring, but a solid XC ride and a good completion should be their goal at Rolex.

Oliver Towend and Ashdale Cruise Master (GBR): Oliver's Website

Ashdale Cruise Master is Jimmy's pick to win Rolex.  Oliver is one of the best riders in the world, he won two 4*'s last year, he is riding for more money than any eventer in history, and the pair won their last full outing before Rolex, a CIC3* at Burnham Market.  What's not to like?  If I had to nitpick, I would point out that Ashdale was eliminated and had a stop in his two previous four-stars, admittedly with a different rider.  Oliver gives me that feeling that he will finish on his dressage score no matter what, so I like this pair to finish in the top 5, but maybe not to win.  

On a personal note, I had no idea what I was getting into when I started these previews and each one probably averaged 15-20 minutes.  So, we are not going to do Badminton previews, and next year they will be shorter.  I will probably give my top 10, top 3, and a pick to win in the next couple of days.  Go eventing.

EN's Rolex Pick: Remember that you can vote for three combinations, and the top three will advance to the next round. Please vote for the 3 pairs that you think will place highest in Kentucky.

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Sunday Afternoon Volcano Update

By John on , Filed Under Eventing Nation and ,

I never expected to have to use "Volcano Update" as part of a post title.

I have received word that Oliver Townend and William Fox-Pitt are leaving England today with a "mad travel plan" to avoid all of the massive flight delays and cancellations caused by the Icelandic Volcano.  This probably means they will miss the final day of the Belton Park event, a major Badminton prep. Flight bans for the UK have been recently extended to 0600 GMT Monday (1AM EST).  I wonder how high "I have a really important horse show in Kentucky this week" ranks on an Airliner's list of priorities for delayed passengers.  Check back later this evening for our final (thank God) preview group of Rolex competitors.
Update: lec, who knows her stuff, has commented that "WFP and Ollie are driving to Barcelona,Spain and then hoping to get a flight to the USA."  buena suerte
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Rolex Competitors Preview (Part 1/7)

By John on , Filed Under Eventing Nation and , , , ,
*As a quick bit of entry news, Oliver Townend has withdrawn Carousel Quest from Rolex, and now only has ODT Master Rose and Ashdale Cruise Master entered.
Check out Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7 of EN's Rolex competitor previews. 
Now, here is part 1 of our Rolex competitors preview, in no particular order and with all due respect:

Laine Ashker and Anthony Patch: Blog, Twitter, Facebook, About Laine

Starting at the very top of the Rolex entry list, we have Laine Ashker with Anthony Patch.  Laine rides out of central VA, and our fun fact about Laine is that she can speak both Spanish and Arabic.  Anthony Patch, a 16hh TB gelding, brings a strong jumping resume to his first 4*, with only 20 XC penalties and 16 SJ faults in 10 advanced or higher events since the end of 2008.  Anthony Patch has never won an advanced level event, and I'm not expecting him to break his maiden at Rolex, but his record shows that he's ready to deliver a strong weekend performance.

Kyle Carter and Madison Park (CA): Bio, Madison Park's Record

Our fun fact about Kyle is that he is a loving father.  I have liked Madison Park (16.2 Bay Gelding) from the first time I saw Kyle riding him in Florida a few years ago.  Since then, Madison Park has become an international veteran, competing at the Pan Ams, Rolex (twice), the Olympics, and Burghley.  While Kyle got around the first three of those without any XC penalties,  he collected a stop last year at Rolex and was eliminated at Burghley, but those are the only issues in the last 10 advanced competitions for Kyle and Madison Park.  Madison Park has a lot of talent, but sometimes struggles with putting together three great phases in a row, and his dressage and show jumping often leaves me wishing for more polish.  If he does put all three phases together, look out.

Captain Geoff Curran and The Jump Jet (IRL): Interview, Profile

I must confess that before I started looking at the Rolex entries I knew absolutely nothing about Geoff Curran.  That said, I've pieced a few things together.  Our fun fact about Geoff is that his favorite band is Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band.  Geoff earned his title of 'Captain' while serving in the Irish Defense Forces for 9 years.  Geoff is 30 years old, and has considerable experience, having represented Ireland at both the 2006 WEGs and the 2008 Olympics.  Geoff and The Jump Jet (16.2 Irish Sport Horse G) finished 18th at the Pau CCI4* in 2009.  Not sure what to expect from this pair, but from reading about Geoff, he seems like a hard worker and a likable guy.

Boyd Martin and Neville Bardos: Fanpage, Homepage, Blog

Wow, so many places to go with the fun fact...I guess lets go with pointing out that Boyd purchased two 4-star horses in a package deal at a bar for less than $7,500.  Actually, lets get this out of the way right now: it's sometimes hard for me to judge the perception of the general eventing public, but if you don't think of Boyd as one of the best riders in the US who is going to be a perennial 4* and USET contender, if for no other reason than he gets horses around the XC, then you should probably start.  Neville Bardos, last year's Fair Hill CCI3* champion, takes the stage at Kentucky as a savvy, veteran horse.  Neville has show jumping penalties in 6 of his last 8 events, and is not a flashy mover, but expect a clean and fast XC round to put the pair in contention come Sunday.


Chelan Kozak and Tasman Sea (CAN): Homepage, Blog, About Chelan, Facebook

You man not think black and pink are a good color combination, but you will get to see them Saturday at Rolex when Tasman Sea (16hh NZL TB G) leaves the box.  I don't know Chelan personally, but I hear good things and her blog entries always have a lot of personality.  I don't expect the Chelan and Tasman to be in contention on Sunday, but I'll be rooting for them.

Feel free to continue the discussion and commentary in the comment section, but please help us uphold Eventing Nation's standards of politeness and discretion.

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(Other) Events This Weekend Results and Rain in the UK

By John on , Filed Under Eventing Competition Coverage, Eventing Nation and , , ,
We are spending a lot of time covering The Fork because it is such a big prep event, but, of course there were other important events in the US and around the World this weekend.
FENCE (NC) Results: Tucker XIV and Shannon Quigley won the OP at the FENCE horse trials in Tryon, NC this weekend.  The 3 month stretch of events within 1 hour of Aiken every weekend is winding down as the snowbirds start to head home or prepare to head home via Kentucky in a few weeks.
The Pine Hill (TX) results have not been posted as of Monday morning, but will be posted here soon. 
CDCTA (VA) Results: US eventing's migration up the east coast continued this weekend at CDCTA, where Tiffany Catledge and Allforit added just 4.4 XC time to their dressage score of 29.6 to win the OP-A, and Wendy Masemer jumped from 2nd to 1st to win the OP-B.
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In England, bad weather is destroying the Spring competition season.  Pipps Cuckson writes that 7 out of 8 events this weekend were canceled due to bad weather in the UK.  British Eventing's website is announcing cancellations left and right, and the cancellations are starting to interfere with Spring three-day preparations.  Fortunately the Burnham Market CIC3* was able to run this weekend.
Burnham Market CIC3* Results: Oliver Townend and Rolex entrant Ashdale Cruise Master won the CIC3*.
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In New Zealand, Megan Jones (AUS), last years FEI World Cup eventing champion won the second leg of this years WC at Kihikihi (Red Hills was the first) and will take her lead in the standings home to Sydney next month for the third leg.  FEI press release
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22 Days Until The First Horse Inspection: Early Entry Notes

By John on , Filed Under Eventing Nation and , ,
Thumbnail image for rolexcrowd.jpg
hey, that looks familiar

We are just over three weeks away from what Lauren deemed "The Three Day That Shall Not Be Named," are you getting excited?  While most competitors still have one last major obstacle waiting in North Carolina, the Rolex entries have closed and it's time to take an early look at the Rolex entries.

Total entries: 69

Notes: The entries are up from the starters of the three previous years.  2007 had 44 starters (33 USA), 2008 had 42 (32 USA), and last year 50 horses started Rolex. (28 US),   

Certainly, less than 69 horses will start Rolex for a variety of reasons.  Injuries are most likely in the last month before three-days; I have heard estimates from top vets that as many as 30% of horses withdraw due to injury in the last month before four-stars.  

Additionally, several of the horses are cross-entered at Badminton, inclusing WFP's Cool Mountain, Woodburn, and OT's Carousel Quest and Master Rose.  

By nationality: 45 USA, 9 CAN, 5 GBR, 1 AUS, 2 IRL, 3 FRA, 2 ARG, 1 ECU, 1 NZL

Notes: 65% of 2010's entries are US pairs, which is right on the average percentage from the three previous years: 2007 (75% US riders), 2008 (76%), 2009 (56%).

7 riders have multiple horses entered: Oliver Townend, Jose Ortelli, Boyd Martin, Phillip Dutton, Mara Dean, Buck Davidson, Amy Tryon with 20 horses between them.  
Phillip Dutton has 6 horses entered: Connaught, The Foreman, Woodburn, Tru Luck, Waterfront, Kheops Du Quesnay.  No one on the planet has a stronger string of horses than that right now, although odds are not all of those horses will make it to Rolex.  There's no way Phillip will be allowed to run 6 horses, probably 4 will be the max, after all when Ollie asked how many he could bring, 4 was the answer.  Although, PD has 7 entered in The Fork this weekend and will probably look exactly as skilled riding the last on Saturday as the first.
There are 2 former 4* champion horses entered (Connaught and Carousel Quest), and 7 former 4* or individual Olympic champion riders (PD, WFP, Leslie Law, Boyd, Karen, Kim, Oliver).  If I missed one because the entry list is starting to look hazy, please let me know in the comments.
This is an ongoing series, and just a beginning to the discussion, so please keep it going in the comment section.
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Friday Notes and News

By John on , Filed Under Eventing Nation, Eventing News and Notes and , , ,

The Ram Tap T3DE has been canceled due to insufficient entries.  This is a setback for the Classic Series, but one that is overshadowed by the strong success of other T3DE's, such as Waredaca last fall.


Ashley Adams has withdrawn from The Fork.  Ashley has some of the best blog entries of any rider; she is open, straightforward, and honest with her fans.  She talks openly about soundness concerns which (shocker) nearly every 4* hopeful is dealing with right now, and she isn't afraid to let her emotions be known.  Ashley's blog today is a great representation of the problems/emotions/concerns that are racing through the mind of almost everyone entered at Rolex right now.

Dubai is spending insane amounts of money on the racing industry.
Rain is threatening the Gatcombe Park Horse Trials, but BE says it's going ahead as planned.  This is significant because H&H reported that Gatcombe would be Carousel Quest's first run back before Rolex, and a cancellation would push that first run incredibly close to Kentucky, if it isn't already incredibly close.
Local Morven media: "dressage may best be described as a 'horse ballet'"  Right, 'dressage' is to 'horse ballet' as 'NASCAR' is to 'vehicle waltz'.
Courtney King-Dye has been moved to a rehabilitation facility.
Best of the Blogs: Steph Rhodes-Bosch Poplar recap, Alex enters Badminton
Good News Friday: Zenyatta brings joy to autistic child.
News of the Weird: Firefighters saved two horses from river after a sex crazed amorous stallion jumped in the river to save his girlfriend, which, incidentally, sounds a lot like my prom night.
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Oliver Townend Enters Carousel Quest At Rolex

By John on , Filed Under Eventing Nation, Eventing News and Notes and , ,
Oliver Towned has entered Carousel Quest in Kentucky as part of the final stage to win the Rolex Grand Slam and its $350,000 prize.  
In a March 9th interview, Townend stated: "We decided a month ago that it probably wasn't in Carousel Quest and Flint Curtis' best interests to travel to the other end of the world at this stage in their life and their career."

However, Townend's previous choice, Ashdale Cruise Master fell last weekend at Lincolnshire.  Townend claims that Carousel Quest's Rolex entry was sent in before the fall, and stated that "Carousel Quest is just on such unbelievable form."  

Carousel Quest has not run since the pair's disastrous showjumping at Pau, but is set to run the advanced intermediate at Gatcombe.  Rolex would be Carousel Quest's 4th Four-Star in less than a year.  Townend also has OTD Master Rose entered.  

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ER Episode 68: British Everything

By John on , Filed Under Eventing Nation, Random and , ,

This week's show has a British flavor with reigning World Champion, Zara Phillips, Rolex Grand Slam Challenger, Oliver Townend, British Eventing Chief Executive Mike Etherington-Smith plus Karen Dixon pays tribute to he multi-medal partner Get Smart. Listen in. Eventing Radio Episode 68 - British Eventing:

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Listen Now, Download or Subscribe:


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Need to Know Wednesday

By John on , Filed Under Eventing Nation, Eventing News and Notes and , , ,
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photo courtesy of becca

Oliver Townend had a 'fireside chat' with the media.  Full interview, H&H recap


Zara Phillips gave a very candid description in the H&H about Toytown's soundness and her WEG prospects.  

Ecogold has posted photos of Boyd's Aiken winter training farm.

The FEI has established a timeline for developing their new drug list.
Best of the blogs: Ashley Adams Red Hills recap
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