Jessica Phoenix and A Little Romance at Red Hills. Photo by Samantha Clark.
Vittoria Panizzon and Merlot’s Magic pulled a rail in the show jumping today at the CCI2* WEG Test Event at Haras du Pin, but still clinched the win on a 45.6 over Andrew Hoy and Cheeky Calimbo, who also pulled a rail to finish second on a 46.1. France snuck one pair into the top five, with Maxime Livio and Qalao Des Mers jumping double clear to finish third on a 47.9. Chris Burton and Graf Liberty pulled a rail while Kevin McNab and Casperelli jumped clear; they finished in fourth and fifth, respectively, both on a 48.1. Liz Halliday, the sole American competing in the test event, finished in 12th place with HHS Cooley, jumping clear and adding two time penalties today. Jessica Phoenix and A Little Romance finished in 26th place in the mare’s first international event.
The WEG Test Event not only gave the organizers an opportunity to work through any potential logistical issues they might face next year, but it also afforded an excellent preview of the types of technical questions we’ll see from course designer Pierre Michelet at the World Equestrian Games. Pierre also designed the course for the Pau CCI4* this October, and David O’Connor has lined up a large contingent of U.S. riders to compete in France this fall in order to gain exposure to Pierre’s courses. This effort to learn as much as possible about how Pierre’s WEG course will ride next year will play a critical role in how Team USA ultimately fares in Normandy. Go World Equestrian Games!
