Marc Donovan and Mr. Dick Thompson starting the show jumping timer generator, photo by Seema Sonnad
It’s a beautiful day for cross-country in Unionville, Pennsylvania for the Plantation Field CIC3*, CIC2*, CIC*, and preliminary through advanced horse trials. Many of North America’s top pairs are competing at Plantation on the road to their autumn three-day at Fair Hill, Galway, or elsewhere. Plantation Field is all the more important in the CIC divisions because it is one of the only remaining qualifying possibilities for the aforementioned three-days. Poplar Place in Georgia and Woodside in California are the only remaining CIC3*’s this autumn. That’s a long way of saying what we already know–today at Plantation matters not just for today but for the rest of the 2011 competition season.
Corss-country is already underway at Plantation with the CIC2*, CIC3*, intermediate, and advanced levels to follow this afternoon. In the CIC2*, Buck Davidson and the super jumping The Apprentice lead with a 50.0 before the cross-country. Will Coleman trails closely in 2nd and 4th with Vancover and Obos O’Reilly. Susan Beebee and Wolf are in 3rd in the CIC2*. Will Coleman leads the CIC* on Ole Boy after a double-clear cross-country ride in that division this morning. Boyd has two falls at the same jump in the CIC*, but thankfully he’s fine and will be back at it this afternoon.
Boyd Martin and Remington are on the war-path to Boekelo and they top the CIC3* by 5.1 points before the XC. Show jumper and eventer Marilyn Little-Meredith and her recently purchased RF Rocano Rex are competing in their first CIC3* on their way to the Fair Hill CCI3* and they are impressively in second. Karen O’Connor is third with Veronica, Jan Byyny and Inmidair are 4th, and Michael Pollard is 5th with Jude’s Law.
The horse trial divisions have show jumped this morning before their afternoon cross-country. Michael Pollard and DV8 jumped a clear round to extend their dressage lead to 6 points. Anisa Tracy and Tigger VIII are in second, Colombo is 3rd, and Ying Yang Yo is in 4th as part of his comeback with Boyd.
Hannah Burnett and the Pan American Games squad member Harbour Pilot are leading the Intermediate-A on a 22.4 after the show jumping. Nina Ligon and Butts Leon are in second in that division with a 26.8. Clarissa Wilmerding and Luna are winning the Intermediate-B by 0.4 ahead of Jennie Brannigan and Indie. Tipperary Liadhnan had just one rail in the show jumping and sits in third.
Plantation has one of the hardest show jumping settings that I can think of on the east coast. It is built into a grassy hill and if the footing is anything but perfect horses can pull a lot of rails in a hurry.
The stage is set, good luck to all of the horses and riders at Plantation and throughout Eventing Nation today and go eventing.
