Photo via Wikimedia Commons
We’re less than one week away from the announcement of the U.S. team for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, and with all of the selection trials now complete, we’re ready to make our picks.
As a reminder of how the selection process works, Olympic hopefuls had the opportunity to qualify at one of the 22 events that served as selection trials. The selection period started at Rolex in 2015 and ended this past weekend with Bromont and Bramham.
Horses have been vetted after competitions throughout the selection period, and the final team vet evaluations will be held this Saturday and Sunday, June 18 and 19, in Virginia.
A total of 12 combinations, four team members and up to eight reserves, will be named on Monday, June 20. The mandatory team outing will take place at Great Meadow International on July 8-10, and the entry list for that event gives us a bird’s eye view of which horses and riders are in contention for Rio.
The final team, which includes one traveling reserve combination, will be confirmed on July 18.
Phillip Dutton and Fernhill Cubalawn at The Fork. Photo by Jenni Autry.
EN’S TEAM PICKS FOR RIO
Phillip Dutton and Fernhill Cubalawn: With six horses qualified for the Olympics, Phillip has a slew of choices for Rio. Considering he’s competed in every major team championships for the past 25 years for his native Australia and the U.S., we feel confident in saying Phillip will once again find himself on the U.S. Olympic team.
The question then becomes which horse the selectors will tap. Mighty Nice and Fernhill Cubalawn both finished in the top five at Rolex this year, with Fernhill Fugitive securing a top 15 finish. Phillip’s newest upper-level mount Indian Mill also secured his Olympic qualifier with a fifth-place finish in the Jersey Fresh CCI3*.
Fernhill Cubalawn, a 13-year-old Holsteiner gelding owned by Tom Tierney, Simon Roosevelt and Caroline Moran, will likely edge his stablemates and get the nod for Rio, with his consistent show jumping record emerging as a key factor in that decision.
With two show jumping rounds at the Olympics to determine the team and individual medals, sending strong show jumping horses to Rio is critical for the U.S. Even though Fernhill Cubalawn had one rail down at Rolex in his spring CCI appearance, he still averages clear show jumping rounds over the past 12 months.
“Cuba” can also contribute to a solid final score for the team, as he’s capable of finishing right around that elusive 45.0 mark that is vital for team medal contention. He averages in the mid-to-high 40s on the flat, and if he doesn’t make the time on cross country, he finishes extremely close to it.
Lauren Kieffer and Veronica at Rolex. Photo by Jenni Autry.
Lauren Kieffer and Veronica: Lauren Kieffer all but sealed the deal on a trip to Rio after clinching the USEF National CCI4* Championship with Veronica for the second time in three years. The 14-year-old Dutch mare owned by Team Rebecca also delivered a personal best CCI4* dressage score of 43.9 at Rolex.
This consistent duo has now gone a full calendar year without any blips on cross country. After also completing Bramham CCI3*, Aachen CICO3* and Blenheim CCI3* in good form last year and showing they have maintained that form with a top placing at Rolex, it’s looking extremely promising that Lauren will be named to her first Olympic team.
In addition to having their dressage dialed in, Lauren and Veronica average no more than 5 time penalties on cross country, and the mare hasn’t had a show jumping rail down since 2014. She stepped up yet again at Rolex to jump one of the seven clear rounds, and those springs in her legs would give a huge advantage in the double show jumping format at the Olympics.
Boyd Martin and Blackfoot Mystery at the Wellington Eventing Showcase. Photo by Jenni Autry.
Boyd Martin and Blackfoot Mystery: Boyd Martin has represented the U.S. at two World Equestrian Games, one Olympic Games and one Pan American Games, delivering clear clear cross country rounds each time. His strength in high pressure championship scenarios makes him an important asset to Team USA and the reason he’ll likely find himself representing the U.S. at the second Olympics of his career.
While Shamwari 4 has the potential to deliver the best statistical performance on paper of all of Boyd’s Olympic hopefuls, the horse never quite returned to form after a heroic performance at the grueling 2014 World Equestrian Games, when he secured an eighth-place finish as the top U.S. horse. Shamwari 4 had a tough go at Rolex this year and is also not entered at Great Meadow.
So we look to Kentucky-bred Blackfoot Mystery instead as Boyd’s likely Olympic mount, which would thrill off-track Thoroughbred fans the world over. “Red” turned many heads in his impressive four-star debut at Rolex, finishing sixth with a gutsy fast and clear cross country round at the tail end of a very wet day in Lexington and then pulling just one rail in what has been his toughest phase.
Red, a 12-year-old Thoroughbred gelding owned by the Blackfoot Mystery Syndicate, would ideally need to pull out a dressage score in the 40s to deliver a competitive performance for the team, and he’s been spending time in dressage boot camp this summer with the one and only Silva Martin to fine-tune his flatwork. All signs points to a strong showing in Rio for Boyd and Red.
Clark Montgomery and Loughan Glen at Bramham. Photo by Libby Law Photography.
Clark Montgomery and Loughan Glen: While Clark and Loughan Glen finished the 2015 season as one of the top combinations in the world, they’ve continued to battle the heavy stigma of lackluster cross country performances in years past. After a sixth-place finish at Luhmühlen CCI4* and winning Blenheim CCI3* last year, plus three clear runs at tough CICs this season, Clark and Glen have done more than enough to prove they are ready for the Olympic stage.
Not only should we want this pair on Team USA, we need them. Clark and Glen are the only U.S. combination that average in the 30s in dressage, and they can finish on that score. They also average clear show jumping rounds, and they have not had a blip on cross country in more than a year. Glen flew home 20 seconds inside the time on cross country this past weekend at Bramham, where he finished second on 40.5 in a strong Event Rider Masters CIC3* class.
Clark and Glen, a 13-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding owned by Jess Montgomery, Kathryn Kraft, and Holly and William Becker, are statistically Team USA’s best chance at securing an individual medal. A performance worthy of the podium would also go a long way to clinching a team medal for the U.S., an honor that has eluded Team USA since the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens. Clark and Glen more than deserve to go to Rio, and we sincerely hope they get that chance.
Maya Black and Doesn’t Play Fair at Rolex. Photo by Shannon Brinkman.
EN’S PICKS FOR RESERVE COMBINATIONS
Maya Black and Doesn’t Play Fair: Only one traveling reserve combination will be named for Rio, and Maya Black and Doesn’t Play Fair have a very strong shot at that slot after a stellar 2016 season. They finished no lower than third in their last three FEI appearances: second at Carolina International CIC3*, first at The Fork CIC3* and third at Rolex.
“Cody,” an 11-year-old Holsteiner gelding owned by Dawn and Jon Dofelmier, is another horse that can hit the low numbers in dressage, and he is averaging 43.6 in his last three outings. They have been fast and clear all season, hitting the optimum time twice this year and accumulating no more than 4.4 time penalties overall.
Their show jumping has been a work in progress, and their last two runs saw a clear round at The Fork on the way to taking the win and one rail down on a very tough show jumping day at Rolex. If Maya and Cody were called up to compete for Team USA in Rio, they would definitely contribute to a strong team performance.
Sinead Halpin and Manoir de Carneville at Rolex. Photo by Leslie Threlkeld.
Sinead Halpin and Manoir de Carneville: Sinead and “Tate” are once again a part of the Olympic conversation after a solid spring campaign. They finished ninth in a massive CIC3* division at Carolina International in March and secured the fourth top-10 CCI4* finish of their career at Rolex. The 16-year-old Selle Francais gelding owned by the Manoir de Carneville Syndicate proved he’s still got it.
Lynn Symansky and Donner at Rolex. Photo by Leslie Threlkeld.
Lynn Symansky and Donner: Donner is the only U.S. horse that earned qualifying scores at three CCI4* events during the selection period. He’s a shining example of the heart and grit off-track Thoroughbreds bring to the table in this sport.
The 13-year-old Thoroughbred gelding owned by the Donner Syndicate had a strong spring overall, most notably finishing third at Carolina International CIC3*. While Lynn and Donner did not have the Rolex they hoped for, looking at their performances as a whole across the selection period reveals the strength of their partnership.
Buck Davidson and Petite Flower at Rolex. Photo by Leslie Threlkeld.
Buck Davidson and Petite Flower or Copper Beach: Buck Davidson will almost certainly find his name on the reserve list, though there’s a question as to which horse will be named. Petite Flower had a lower number of runs during the selection period than other top horses, though she did deliver a strong performance at Rolex to finish ninth. The 14-year-old Thoroughbred mare owned by Caroline and Sherrie Martin also trends toward clear show jumping rounds.
For being only 10 years old, Copper Beach has quite a lot of experience, having completed four CCI3* events and one CCI4*, all with clear cross country rounds. The Irish Sport Horse gelding owned by Sherrie Martin and Carl Segal hasn’t jumped a clear FEI show jumping round since Richland Park last season, so that’s a phase where he can’t match Petite Flower’s prowess.
Phillip Dutton and Mighty Nice at The Fork. Photo by Jenni Autry.
Direct reserves for team horses: The team riders who have additional horses qualified — Phillip Dutton, Lauren Kieffer and Boyd Martin, if we’ve picked correctly — will likely take three of the eight total reserve slots.
Phillip Dutton has both Mighty Nice and Indian Mill entered in the mandatory outing at Great Meadow. Considering HND Group’s Mighty Nice has a stronger show jumping record and a longtime partnership with Phillip, it’s likely we would see him named as a direct reserve for Fernhill Cubalawn.
Lauren Kieffer and Meadowbrook’s Scarlett at The Fork. Photo by Jenni Autry.
For Lauren Kieffer, both Meadowbrook’s Scarlett and Landmark’s Monte Carlo would be strong direct reserves for Veronica. Scarlett, a 9-year-old Holsteiner/Thoroughbred mare owned by Marie le Menestrel, already has team experience, having boosted the U.S. to a gold medal at the Pan American Games last year. There is a question mark surrounding her performance at Jersey Fresh, where she came a bit undone in the dressage and was not accepted at the final horse inspection.
Landmark’s Monte Carlo, a 10-year-old Irish/Thoroughbred gelding owned by Jacqueline Mars, had an impressive performance in the first two phases of his four-star debut at Rolex before a green show jumping round knocked him down the leaderboard. This one is a close race, but we’d likely give the edge to Meadowbrook’s Scarlett for the reserve slot.
Boyd Martin and Welcome Shadow at Jersey Fresh. Photo by Jenni Autry.
If Blackfoot Mystery is named as Boyd Martin’s team horse, Welcome Shadow will likely be his direct reserve. The 11-year-old Irish Sport Horse mare, who formerly served as a hunt horse with the Millbrook Hunt for owners Craig and Gloria Callen, continues to improve on her final finishing scores at the level, most recently finishing second on 46.3 in the Jersey Fresh CCI3*. She has strong potential to be a key team horse for Boyd in the future.
Final slot: If we assume three slots will go to direct reserves for the team horses and that the above names are also listed as reserve combinations, that would leave one final reserve slot. There are a number of pairs gunning for that final slot after solid 2016 seasons, which truly shows the depth of Team USA in this Olympic cycle.
Will Faudree and Caeleste at Carolina International. Photo by Jenni Autry.
We could see one of several combinations taking the final reserve slot. Will Faudree and Caeleste, Allie Knowles and Sound Prospect, Kurt Martin and DeLux Z and Elisa Wallace and Simply Priceless are just a few of those names. You can take a look at EN’s Olympic Power Rankings and the Great Meadow entry list to see other pairs that might be in the conversation for the reserve list.
Now it’s your turn to weigh in, EN. Who do you think will be named to the U.S. Olympic team? Let us know in the comments below, and keep it locked on EN as we count down to the official announcement on June 20.
