William Fox-Pit and Cool Mountain WIN ROLEX

By John on , Filed Under Eventing Nation and , , , , , ,
Check out the USEA photo gallery for more photos from Josh and Leslie.
1. William and Cool Mountain +0 42.8
2. Phillip and Woodburn +0 47.7
3. Becky and Courageous Comet +4 49.2
4. Boyd and Neville Bardos +0 51.8
5. Steph and Port Authority +0 52.0
6. Phillip and The Foreman +8 56.0
7. Karen O'Connor and Mandiba +8 56.5 
(1) William Fox-Pitt had a rail in hand when he started his show jump round but he didn't need it.  Cool Mountain jumped big and listened to William the entire way around for a double-clear.  William adds an [8th] career four-star win (5 Burghley, Badminton, Luhmuhlen, Rolex) to his trophy case.  I don't mean to take away from Cool Mountain--he's a 4* champion now--but he was far from the most talented horse in the field.  Cool Mountain jumped well today and he clearly gives his best effort to William every time, but neither the horse's canter nor his jump are textbook.  All the more credit should be given to William for navigating this horse to the win.  As 'lec' commented, Cool Mountain probably isn't one of William's top three horses.  William's wikipedia
(2) Phillip and Woodburn delivered a fantastic double-clear round to move from 4th to 2nd.  Show jumping has been Woodburn's weakest phase, but Phillip switched him back to a bit after using a hackamore at The Fork, and the new headgear worked beautifully.  Woodburn was calm throughout the entire round, which is the key for this horse.  The icelandic volcano gods smiled favorably on Woodburn by redirecting him to Rolex.  Phillip finished second at Rolex...again, and I bet he was really happy to be answering questions about that at the press conference.
(3) Courageous Comet and Becky Holder had an excellent Rolex, finishing in 3rd place.  Comet felt his way around the entire show jumping course, but only pulled one rail.  Comet belongs in the top 3 of four-stars and it's good to see him there.
(4) The show jumping struggles continued for Kim and Tipperary Liadhnan.  "Paddy" stopped at  fence #4, a stone wall decorated vertical.  It just seemed like Paddy saw something he didn't like about the jump and wasn't going to give it a try.  After the stop, Paddy jumped the next few great but fell apart through the final line and pulled the last three rails.  Kim has had so many great performances at Rolex over the years, but today was not her day.  
(5) As I wrote during the live blog, Boyd finished the weekend with 13.2 jumping penalties combined on 3 horses.  Two of them (Rock on Rose and Remington) were first time 4* horses, and they finished next to each other in 11th and 12th place.  Neville finished a super weekend in 4th on a double clear and made a great case for himself to make the WEG squad.  
(6) We have written about how Steph Rhode-Bosch and Port Authority have been owning the jumping phases of competitions all spring.  They did the same at Rolex and Steph and Port Authority finished their first 4* on their dressage score and in 5th place.  I'm not sure if that's a record finish for a first time pair at Rolex but I'm guessing that it is.  Steph never flinched under the pressure all weekend; she didn't even look nervous when I saw her back in the barns.  Steph has moved up the levels with Port Authority and their partnership is their greatest strength.  This is a young pair to put on a team.  They delivered under pressure this weekend, and we have a great chance to see them riding for Canada this fall.
(7) Speaking of Canadians, Canada finished 4 riders in the top 10.  The US finished 5 riders in the top 10, and of course Great Britain had the other.  David has made a point of investing in Canada's young talent and three of Canada's top 4 finishers were first time 4* horses.  Also, consider that Jessica Phoenix didn't even ride this weekend due to recent childbirth, and she rides two of Canada's best horses.  I fully expect David to win as many gold medals coaching as he did riding.  Welcome to the big time team Canada; let's see how you do with the pressure of some expectations at the WEGs.  Thanks to PlayerHater for asking me to write about this topic.
(8) The Foreman disappointed me by pulling 2 rails.  Phillip is really comfortable with "Chip" but after that show jumping and the hold this morning at the jog, I don't see this horse factoring too much into WEG selections unless a couple of Phillip's other horses run into issues.  Phillip finished two horses in the top 10 of a four-star...again.
(9) I give Karen and Mandiba an A- for the weekend.  They had 2 rails and dropped one place to 7th in the show jumping but they got the job done yesterday, making it two straight big three-days with clean XC rounds.  For a bit of perspective, if Mandiba hadn't lost his shoe yesterday, I'm sure they would have made the time on XC which would have put them into 4th for the weekend.
(10) Several of the riders were complaining about a camera on the jump standard of fence 11.  Allison explained to me that it was an automatic camera with a loud shutter sound that went off repeatedly as the horses were about a stride away from the fence.  When Allison simulated the volume of the shutter sound for me it was about as loud as a talking voice.  Several of the horses, including Arthur, visibly shied at the fence and pulled the rail.  Apparently there were some discussions about turning the camera off, but it was still running for Selena and Colombo and they pulled the rail as well.
(11) I've been griping all weekend about Kyle Carter not putting together a solid three phases at a big event.  Just to spite me, Kyle put together three solid phases this weekend and finished in 13th.  But there's no excuse for Madison Park to score higher than a 55 in dressage.
(12) Two North Carolina horses, Ernie and Stewie, had excellent 4* debuts.  These horses will bring Will and Holly back into the spotlight of US eventing over the next few years.  I can't say enough about how well Stewie handled the environment considering how feisty he has been in the past.  Way to step your game up Stewie!
(13) The California crew had a disappointing weekend.  Hawley Bennet-Awad who rides for Canada but trains in California had a good weekend and finished in 9th aboard the powerful and talented "Ginny."  But, I just scanned the final placings, and someone please correct me if I'm wrong, but I think Debbie Rosen and The Alchemyst were the only other pair that trains primarily in California to finish the event.
(14) There were 7 double-clears in the show jumping (Cool Mountain, Woodburn, Neville Bardos, Port Authority, Anthone Patch, Titanium, and The Alchemyst).  This made the Richard Jeffery's course ride considerably harder than '07 and '09 but easier than '08.   
(15) Other than William, the other non-Canadian international competitors underperformed at Rolex.  Stanislas de Zuchowicz (FRA), Jonathan Paget (NZL), and Capt. Geoff Curran (IRL) all flew a long way to finish outside the top 25.  But, they did all finish.
(16) In general, I want to give the weather a lot of credit for holding up this weekend.  It rained at night, and it's raining now, but the rain held for almost the entire time horses were competing.
(17) While this has nothing to do with show jumping, word is that Phillip's now infamous phone call was to Evie to ask Jan if he should keep going on Waterfront since the horse was giving him a tough time around the course.
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The Word Around Rolex

By Leslie on , Filed Under Eventing Nation and ,

Adding to the pressure of competing at the nation's biggest event (and for some, a spot on the team!), competitors must indulge the media in daily press conferences.  Lucky for us, they are friendly and have plenty to say about the weather, the cross-country course, and their amazing horses.

William Fox-Pitt:

"Cool Mountain is a very talented horse on the flat...to produce his best test today, in this atmosphere, is a credit to him, but I think he's got more in him."

On Saturday's test: "Last year the course was a bit tricker but there are plenty of chances to make mistakes."

"If it rains it will be huge."

Allison Springer:

"I've been working really hard to improve myself and my horse in all three phases, and I hope that this weekend we can really put it all together."

"This is a place I've always dreamed to be."

Press conference video from EventingUSA


Oliver Townend:

"The horses were about as good as they could be today, but it's very tough competition we're up against."

Oli's strategy for Saturday: "Go clear inside the time."

Karen O'Connor:

"It takes a village...a lot of people went down that center line with me."


On Mandiba and cross-country: "He feels confirmed.  His experience matches the questions tomorrow."

Phillip Dutton:

[The Foreman] is obviously one of the best horses I've ever had...It's a bonus having him here and I am enjoying it."

Read what else the top riders had to say:

USEF: Dressage Day 1, Dressage Day 2

USEA: Dressage Day 1, Dressage Day 2

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Thursday Dressage Recap from Rolex: Karen and Mandiba Shine

By John on , Filed Under Eventing Nation and , , , , , , ,
Rolex scores at the end of Thursday:
1. Mandiba and Karen (43.7)
2. Courageous Comet and Becky (45.2) 
3. The Foreman and Phillip (47.2)
4. Manny and Diana (51.3)
5. The Good Witch and Jennifer (51.5)
(1) Karen and Mandiba put together a lovely test that featured great movement and technical precision and scored a 43.7 to take the overnight lead at Rolex.  Mandiba showed his experience and was very focused throughout the entire test.  After finishing and leaving the arena, Karen paused to let one of the pony clubbers who was opening and closing the dressage arenas for the riders pat Mandiba on the head (above).  All of the volunteers have done a wonderful job today, and Karen recognized them all with that great gesture.  You should have seen the smile on that little girls face.  
(2) Phillip and The Foreman had a great dressage ride to move into third on a 47.2.  "Chip" looked occasionally a little unsteady in his frame which might have held back their score a touch.  But, no matter what happens tomorrow, Chip will be in great position going into the weekend with his great XC and show jumping skills.
(3) The Canadian squad had an excellent Thursday, with 3 pairs in the top 8.  Manny and Diana Burnett lead the Canadians and are 4th after a great test, especially since Manny looked like he has event more movement to give Diana.  Steph Rhodes-Bosch, also of Canada, leads our field of Rolex rookies and has got to be happy sitting in 7th on a 52.0.  The veteran Canadian pair of Selena O'Hanlon and Colombo are in 8th.
(4) USET Update: Mandiba (sitting 1st) The Good Witch (5th), both on the B-list, got the better of their A-listed counterparts Neville (6th) and Leyland (10th).  Pawlow (9th) and Kheops du Quesnay (14th), also B-listed, had solid days.  Also B-listed, Arthur, Waterfront, Coal Creek, and R-Star are all set to compete tomorrow.
(6) With the lowest score from today set at 43, the door is definitely open for the likes of Oliver, William, Kim, Leslie, Allison, Mara, and Phillip to take the lead when they ride tomorrow.  The top 5 placings are going to look a lot different by 3:30 Friday.
(7) Check back later this evening for more from Rolex, including a post that links to the all the best Thursday Rolex coverage everywhere else online. 
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From Thursday morning's dressage action:
(1) Becky and Courageous Comet had what for them is a disappointing test, scoring a 45.2.  Comet looked tense and distracted and the trot scores reall suffered.  Becky pulled it together for some 8's in the canter work behind 4 very nice flying changes.  Granted, they are in the lead by 6 points, but a good test for Comet would have been 10 points lower.  This leaves the door open for the likes of Oli, William, Mara, and Phillip.  Also, Becky's score has an influence on Eventing Nation's $100 Bit of Britain Rolex Challenge, as many people figured Comet was a lock to break 45.0 and picked him for the dressage portion of the challenge.  As one rider texted me "I wish my bad days were that good."
(2) Madison Park and Kyle Carter had what looked to me to be a very solid test, but the judges gave them a 59.  Parker was relaxed and moving well, but the judges picked apart all four changes and a bobble in the walk work to leave them with some work to do over the weekend.
(3) Phillip and Kheops suffered from being the first ride and the judges were conservative with their scoring.
(4) Napalm and Ian had a great test, showing the hard work they put into the dressage over the weekend.
(5) Boyd and Neville are sitting in good position with their 51.8.  This will be a little ways out of the lead by the end of dressage on Friday, but close enough for Boyd to catch back up on Saturday.
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EN’s Group Rolex Pick: Round 2

By John on , Filed Under Eventing Nation and , , , , , , ,
Welcome to round 3 of EN's group Rolex picks, whereby we have selected 3 combinations from each of our preview posts to move on to round 2.  This is a bracket style competition, and at the end we will have a collective EN pick as the result of our voting in polls throughout the bracket.  
Note: We will also have a separate contest where everyone can enter their own Rolex picks, per the suggestion of PlayerHater.  One member of Eventing Nation will win this contest outright, and they will have the distinction of beating the best and the brightest in the eventing community.  We might have a prize for this contest, depending on if I have time to find a company to sponsor it.  More about that later.
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19 Rolex pairs from our preview posts advanced to round 2:
From preview part 1 & 2: Boyd and Neville (25%), Bonnie and Merloch (23%), Leslie Law and Mystere (19%) 
From preview part 3: Phillip and Kheops (30%), Kim and Tipperary (35%), Hawley and Gin & Juice (13%)
From part 4: Allison and Arthur (30%), Will and Pawlow (28%), Mara and High Patriot (17%)
From part 5: Will and Twizzel (14%), Phillip and Chip (34%), Boyd and Remington (23%)
From part 6: Stephen and Joshua (20%), WFP and Cool Mountain (18%), Becky and Comet (19%)
From part 7: Oliver and Ashdale Cruise Master (28%), Karen and Mandiba (23%), Amy and Coal Creek (19%)
Judge's save: Woodburn

This is a very strong list, and I think any of these combos has a shot to win Rolex.  Except, I still don't think there is any chance of Will riding Twizzel less than three weeks after breaking his collar bone, but if they did ride at Rolex, I would put Will and Twizzel in my top 5 for sure.  They have looked great this spring.  

In an effort to foster discussion, here are the best 5 dressage, XC, and show jumping pairs, in my opinion, based on watching the horses this spring and staring at their records for hours for the previews.  

(In no particular order)

Best 5 Pairs at Dressage: 

Becky and Comet: obvious
Mara and High Patriot: best dressage rider in the field
Kim and Tipperary: Jimmy said they would be top 3 after dressage
Will and Twizzel: looked extremely polished in the training sessions and at The Fork 
Leslie and Mystere: consistently good


Best at Cross-Country: 

Phillip and Chip: 2/2 double clears at four-stars

Phillip and Woodburn: best gallop in the field
Oliver and Ashdale Cruise Master: because Oliver is riding
Boyd and Neville: veteran, tough, hard working horse
Will and Pawlow: meshing at just the right time


Best at Show Jumping: 

Stephen and Joshua: 8 SJ penalties since 2003
Phillip and Chip: one rail in last 8 rounds
WFP and Cool Mountain: great SJ rider
Allison and Arthur: looked super at jumping training sessions
Karen and Mandiba: gotta like Karen on Sundays


Coal Creek, Gin & Juice, and Remington all have solid all around games.  I also was close to putting Chip and Ashdale Cruise Master in the best dressage group, and Mystere almost made the top show jumping group.  


Everyone gets three votes again this round, and the top three from each group will move onto round 3.

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Oh, I almost forgot-subk requested a preview for Woodburn, but I am very tired so this is going to be short: Wodburn's dressage is improving, but he has a tendency to get tense and lose his cool.  Best case scenario for Phillip is to get Woodburn in a time slot where there will be a small crowd.  Woodburn is absolutely automatic on XC, with a tremendous gallop.  Show jumping is a liability for Woodburn with the over-under at one rail.  Look for Phillip to ride fast in the early part of the show jumping and steady Woodburn toward the end as Woodburn tends to get more tense as the round progresses.  I think Woodburn will win a 4* someday, and that day could easily come in a few days, but he might need a rail in hand and I'm not convinced that this XC course is going to give that to him.

Oh, I almost forgot, Eventing Nation is new to the world of Twitter, but we plan to learn on the fly at Rolex and the goal is to integrate Twitter into our Rolex coverage.  www.twitter.com/eventingnation

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Also, check out the 3D3W interview with Will Faudree over at the Chronicle.
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Woodburn Entered at Rolex

By John on , Filed Under Eventing Nation and , , ,
The Rolex entries list now shows that Woodburn is entered at Kentucky with Phillip.

Phillip's Equisearch blog announced this morning that the Icelandic volcano that has grounded flights in the UK and wreaked havoc with WFP's and Olliver's travel plans has also prevented Woodburn from traveling to England for Badminton.  This gives Phillip 4 rides at Rolex which requires FEI approval.

We will have much more later today, but this immediately makes Phillip the clear rider favorite to win Rolex, whether on Woodburn or another horse.  If you ever spend some time around Woodburn, you will quickly realize he is an obnoxiously athletic animal who seems destined to win a 4*.  Consequently, we will use our American Idol Eventing Nation judge save to automatically advance Woodburn to round 2 of EN's Rolex picks.
Note: Credit for breaking this story goes to roki143 on the COTH forum, and KL for sending us the heads up.  I also have to agree with blazing saddles that the real surprise here is that Phillip has a blog.
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Rolex Competitors Preview (5/7) and Weather

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, and vote in today's poll as Eventing Nation works our way toward a collective Rolex prediction.  So far the riders who have made it onto the next round are: Allison, Will Faudree, Mara Dean, Phillip and Kheops, Kim, Hawley Bennett-Awad, Boyd and Neville, Bonnie, Leslie Law.

The 10 day forecast for Lexington predicts showers throughout Rolex weekend.  Considering that it seems like meteorologists are wrong over 50% of the time, I take this as mild to strong good news at this time.

I am hearing chatter that the Icelandic volcano eruption that has grounded many European flights is interfering with the travel of several Rolex officials.  No word yet on European riders or horses, but Oliver Townend's and WFP's horses are already in the US for certain.  Most news reports suggest that our friends in Europe are able to find ways around the flight cancellations by taking different routes.
Finally, I have heard the faintest rumor that their might be a last minute rider change on one of the Rolex horses, so we will keep you posted about that over the next couple of days if there is anything to it.  Now, onto our preview:

Will Coleman and Twizzel: Homepage

Will and Twizzel are one of the USA's best pairs, and they are as likely as anyone right now to make the WEG squad, except for Phillip and Buck.  That said, if Will rides XC at Rolex, I will go streaking on Sunday.  Will broke his collar bone 12 days ago at The Fork, he had surgery to repair the break.  Even if he could, I can't think of any reason why Will would run at Rolex rather than waiting for the Luhmuhlen CCI4* in mid June.  I am even more confident saying this because word in the barns is that Will has already received an 'OK' from the USET to run at Luhmuhlen.  Will placed 5th at Luhmuhlen last year with Twizzel, and they should still be considered favorites to make the WEGs.

Phillip Dutton and The Foreman: Homepage

Continuing our discussion of how Phillip makes the time on XC better than anyone else, one of the things Phillip helps teach his students is to save a second before, over, and after each jump.  Saving a second before the fence means improving the length of time it takes to collect from gallop to the suitable canter for the obstacle, saving a second over the fence mean taking a smart line, and saving a second after the fence means galloping away efficiently.  If you can save three seconds over every fence on a course with 30+ elements...do the math.  When you watch Phillip ride this weekend, observe how close he gallops to the ropes, and the efficient lines he takes with his horses.

Phillip has such a great relationship with 'Chip' that you will really get to see all of Phillip's time saving techniques on display with this horse on Saturday.  Chip hasn't competed in a 4* since 2005, but in that year he completed both Rolex and Burghley with a grand total of 4 jumping penalties for both events and finished 2nd at each.  Chip is also perhaps the best show jumper in the field with one rail in 8 previous rounds.  Oh, and Chip hasn't had a stop since 2003.  Oh, and he dropped a 24.7 at Southern Pines in the best dressage test I have ever seen him have.  Chip is Jimmy's runner up pick for Rolex, but we have to consider that Ms. Jones threatened Jimmy not to jinx the horse.  I haven't been threatened yet (maybe my picks are considered the anti-jinx when you factor in EN Karma), but I'll hold off on making my final pick until later.  For now, let's just say that if Chip competes through the weekend, he's as close to a lock for a top-3 finish as you will ever find.

Kristi Nunnink and R-Star: Bio

Our fun fact about Kristi is that she is coached by Derek Di Grazia out in California.  Kristi and R-Star (16.2 Greg Holsteiner M) are another west coast pair making their Rolex debut, and they are perhaps the best of that bunch.  R-Star is just 8 years old, but shows great potential, with clean rounds in her last 16 XC rides and a quality show jumping record.  I think Kristi will take her time around the XC to give this young mare a good experience, but they are a pair to keep an eye on for the future.

Debbie Rosen and The Alchemyst: Homepage

Wow, the west coast is really showing up at Rolex this year!  Debbie and The Alchemyst have a stop at their only advanced competition this spring, the CIC3* at Galway, but they jumped around Rolex '09 to finish in 25, and a similar placing this year would be a quality weekend.

Boyd Martin and Remington XXV: Fanpage, Homepage, Blog


Our fun fact about Boyd is that he likes the Hilltop Hoods.  Jimmy jokingly doesn't give Remington much of a chance at Rolex this year, but that's the story of this horse's career.  Two years ago I thought Remi would make some young rider a very nice first prelim horse, but Boyd has shown once again that he can find the 4* hidden deep within a horse.  It's the Thomas story and the Neville story all over again; a nightmare for any owner who spends $150K to buy a superstar for their pro.  Remington hasn't stopped in 31 starts with Boyd, and he was 6th at both the Jersey and the Fair Hill CCI3* last year.  Fine, sit there and tell me that the horse doesn't have the jump, tell me he's a little slow, point out that it has a couple of suspect show jumps on its record: I won't argue with you.  But the horse has guts, and with Boyd that's good enough for a top-10 even with some time on XC.

(note: I'm not sure if anything in this Hilltop Hoods video is explicit lyrics because I can't understand what they are saying, but it's entirely possible)

Selena O'Hanlon and Columbo (CAN): Facebook

After a tough 2008 with a stop at Rolex and two stops at the Olympics, Selena and Columbo had a quality 2009, finishing just within the ribbons at Rolex.  With her experience and consistency of late, Selena should win the 'Crosby trophy' as the highest placed Canadian at Kentucky this year, with a shot at the top 10 if they pick up the pace on XC, eh?  Our fun fact about Selena is that she and her mom make a great team at the events.

Michael Pollard and Wonderful Will: Bio

Michael bought Wonderful Will from Mike Winter around the time Mike moved to England last year.  Wonderful Will gives me the impression of controlled (sorta) chaos on XC, but his attacking style suits Michael and they had a great looking XC round at The Fork.  Rolex will be Michael's first three-day with Will, but I'm expecting good things.

Ashley MacVaugh and All's Fair: Homepage

Our fun fact about Ashley is that she placed 5th individually at the Pan Ams in 2003 with All's Fair.  All's Fair is probably the most experienced horse in this field.  All's Fair has finished 4 Rolex events ('03, '04, '06, '07), jumping around 3 of those cleanly and finishing in 18th, 20th, 20th, and 29th respectively.  All's Fair also finished Burghley in '04 with one stop.  The 18 year old Thoroughbred will give Ashley yet another run at Rolex this year and let's be sure to give the veteran horse a special cheer along the way for being with us at Kentucky for so many years.

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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Rolex Entries: Buck and Phillip Withdraw 5 Horses

By John on , Filed Under Eventing Nation and ,

The past few days have seen some significant withdraws from the Rolex entry list and, with a couple of additions, the official number of Rolex entries sits at 59.

(1) Phillip's list of entered horses has shrunk from 6 to 3, with Woodburn, TruLuck, and Connaught all being removed from the entry list.  Phillip's three remaining horses are The Foreman, Kheops, and Jan's Waterfront.  Woodburn is still on the list of accepted entries at Badminton.  
(2) Buck's entered horses have shrunk from 3 to 1, with Ballynoecastle RM and My Boy Bobby withdrawing their names.  Buck still has the beautiful Titanium set to go.
What all of this means:
-I won't get into dealing with each of these withdraws specifically, but we have discussed before that the USET has a history of giving proven pairs a pass at Spring three-days to save them for the international competitions (think WEGs), sometimes particularly in cases where soundness is a concern.  My Boy Bobby (3rd Rolex '09), Ballynoecastle (clear Rolex '09, Burghley '09), Connaught (1st Rolex '08), and TruLuck (4th Burghley '09) all fit the profile of proven horses with proven riders.  
-This also means that 5 of the top 10 horses in the field have withdrawn, really opening things up for other hopefuls, and making a Grand Slam (no we are not talking about the Denny's breakfast platter) for Ollie all the more likely.
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As an additional note, Ashley Adams has withdrawn Vaunted from Rolex due to soundness concerns, and you can read about the decision on Ashley's blog.  In this period right before four-stars quite a few entrants are typically going through issues with staying sound.  Many riders are having lots of long conversations with the vets followed by sleepless nights.  We applaud Ashley for making a good horsemanship decision in the lovely Vaunted's best interest, and I appreciate that Ashley has given a public glimpse into one of the toughest decisions a rider will ever have to make.  We wish Ashley and Vaugn, and all of the remaining Rolex entrants the best of luck moving forward.
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Allison and Arthur Leading The Fork CIC3*

By John on , Filed Under Eventing Competition Coverage, Eventing Nation and , , , , ,
Leslie Mintz took a ton of lovely photos of the dressage, check them out at EventingUSA.

Allison and Arthur delivered a great test today and lead the CIC3* by 4.1 points over Mara Dean and Nicki Henley.  In the advanced division, Mara, Phillip, and EN's own Hannah Burnett are tied for the lead on High Patriot, Connaught, and St. Barths respectively.  The second half of the dressage for the CIC3* and advanced starts Friday morning.  

A few notes from the several hours of today's dressage action that I managed to watch:
(1) I know I have mentioned this before, but Mara Dean is a really fantastic dressage rider.  Not to take anything away from High Patriot, but that horse's movements start one point lower than St. Barths' and two points lower than Connaught's, and Mara tied both of them.  She rode the test to near technical perfection and probably got a 9 for rider.  
(2) Speaking of Connaught, he looks as energetic as ever and ready for Kentucky.  His enthusiasm led to a couple bobbles, such as head flipping in the walk, but the changes were mostly calm.  That horse makes up for everything by absolutely pouring on the movement and athleticism.  Does Connaught look dressage ready to repeat his '08 performance at Kentucky?  Absolutely.  His stablemate TruLuck sits in 5th in the CIC3*.
(3) I will let Hannah and Holly write about their weekends, but both had very good dressage tests today.  Hannah came out of the arena (after dropping a 27.3 mind you) and the first thing she said is that she was disappointed in her shoulder-in.  That mentality, of always trying to be better is why she and Nike are tied with a Rolex champion right now.  Holly looked polished as always, and should win the best dressed rider award (if they give one) in her navy blues.
(4) 5 Rolex entrants hold the top 5 spots in the CIC3*, and 6 hold the top 6 spots in the advanced.  
(5) In the CIC3*, Mystere Du Val had a super test that probably deserved a lower score.  If Mystere Du Val gets around, he almost always medals with his extremely strong dressage and show jumping.
(6) I would be remiss not to give credit to Mother Nature for providing amazing weather today; sunny and in the high 70's.  The main goal was not getting sunburnt, at which I failed.  Maybe it's because of the weather, or maybe it's because I was in a good mood, but everyone I spoke with seemed to be in a great mood today.
(7) In addition to Mother Nature, the volunteers and organizers did a wonderful job today.  The Fork does one of the best jobs of any event at getting the community involved  A local boy scout troop is providing much of the volunteer support this weekend, I need to remember to get the troop's name so I can give them a proper shout-out tomorrow.
The XC is being aerated as I write; the footing is awesome.  Tomorrow we will have the culmination of the dressage along with a XC preview in the afternoon, and we will have much more from The Fork.  Go eventing.  
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Events This Weekend: Crunch Time

By John on , Filed Under Eventing Competition Coverage, Eventing Nation and , , , , , , , ,
The Fork CIC3*: Homepage, Weather, LIVE SCORES, Ride Times
For US team hopefuls, if the WEGs are the Super Bowl, then The Fork is wild card weekend (that's the first round of playoffs for our readers who think of footballs as being made of pentagons and hexagons).  For all the other competitors, The Fork is a really big, really tough, and really exciting event.  The facilities are immaculate as always, and the organizers are doing a terrific job getting everyone settled into the barns.  Dressage begins on Thursday with David giving the test ride on Riddle Master.  I'd normally feel bad for the first rider to go after David, but it's Phillip on TruLuck.

45 of the 72 current Rolex entries are entered in the CIC3* or Advanced this weekend, which means we will get to see all but a couple US Rolex horses in action together.

Some key questions for the weekend:
(1) Which of Phillip's horses looks particularly strong?  Connaught is making his 2010 competitive XC debut and this weekend is his first major event since Rolex '09.  Only Kheops and The Foreman are sitting out.
(2) How do the horses handle the predicted 84 (F) degree Saturday highs around the hilly terrain?  Rolex tends to either burn or pour, and we will get an early look at fitness levels on Saturday.
(3) Who looks like they are riding to win, and who looks like they are riding to not pick up a stop?
(4) Do the veteran stars such as Courageous Comet and Northern Spy look past their prime or great as ever?
(5) How do Mandiba, and Neville rebound after their recent XC issues?  The pressure is definitely on.
Best of the Blogs: Boyd's Fork preview
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Pine Hill (TX): Homepage, Ride Times


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A special thanks to Lee Ann, Geoff, and Della for responding to Anon's request for info about Rolex entrant Peter Atkins.  Read their answers here

Lastly, be sure to vote in the final matuchup of our Bracket Battle as Dan and Podge face off for all the marbles.  Charisma leads as of Wednesday night by the slimmest of margins.  Be sure to read the comments before you vote, they are awesome.
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The USET at Rolex

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

One thing is clear: the Team is sending its riders to Rolex.  In the past, the USET has sometimes elected to send horses to spring 3*'s, but if you want to ride in Kentucky this fall, it looks like you're going to have to ride in Kentucky this spring.  Even though the WEG track will look very different from Rolex (except for a few shared elements), it makes sense to give the horses a feel for the environment and setting.  The WEG course will also be bigger than Rolex, so we might as well see who can handle 4* size and technicality now.

All 6 A-listers are entered at Rolex (4* results since '07):

Will C. and Twizzel (5th Luhmuhlen CCI4* 09)
Buck and BallyNoe Castle RM (11th Burghley 09, 15th Rolex 09)

Boyd and Neville (9th Rolex 08)
Phillip and TruLuck (4th Burghley 09, 9th Rolex 07)
Phillip and Woodburn (12th Rolex 09, 9th Rolex 08)
Amy and Leyland (14th Burghley 09, 13th Rolex 09)


11 out of 14 B-listers are entered:

Stephen and Brandenburg's Joshua (10th Rolex 09, 4th Rolex 08)
Phillip and Waterfront (24th Rolex 07)
Buck and My Boy Bobby (3rd Rolex 09)
Phillip and Connaught (7th Rolex 09, DQ Olympics, 1st Rolex 08, 2nd Rolex 07)
Phillip and Kheops du Quesnay (none, unless he did one before PD got him)
Will F. and Pawlow (none)
Kristi Nunnink and R-Star (none)
Karen and Mandiba (E Burghley, 44th Olympics)
Allison and Arthur (E Burghley 09, 14th Rolex 09, 13th Rolex 08)
Amy and Coal Creek (none)
Jennifer Wooten-Dafoe and The Good Witch (31st Burghley 09, MR Rolex 09, 7th Rolex 08, 11th Pau 07) 

As a trivial experiment, taking the highest placed horses at 4*'s would yield a four horse team of Connaught (1st Rolex), My Boy Bobby (3rd Rolex), Brandenburg's Joshua (4th Rolex), Twizzel (5th Luhmuhlen) because PD isn't allowed to take 2 horses.  Thankfully, that's not how selection works...I think.

If riding around a four-star in front of tens of thousands of people isn't enough pressure, consider that a team spot is on the line, a position which represents an incredible personal achievement, big sponsorships, recognition for the horse, and, most of all, that red jacket.   The WEG selectors will take countless factors into consideration, but their memory of how each pair looked at Rolex, around the biggest course, on the biggest stage, on the WEG facilities, will surely have a huge impact on their selections.  

The current training list is from last fall, and the next official word we will hear from the Team will come sometime after Rolex when they release a long and short list.
*Note: the Rolex entries are changing daily, for example, Remington XXV was added today.  The official closing date was a few days ago, but obviously the organizers are flexible.  We will keep everyone posted of any significant changes.
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