Tamie Smith and Danito. Photo by Haley Boothe / Impulsion Media.
It’s a fitting start to competition at the US Equestrian Open of Eventing Final at Morven Park (Leesburg, VA) as we conclude dressage this afternoon with Series winner Tamie Smith and Ruth Bley’s Danito in firm command of this $200,000 CCI4*-L. With the order of go weighted in rank of the Series leaderboard, it was an all out dance battle the closer we got to the end of the day. Tamie eased in front of Sharon White’s leading score of 26.0 on Claus 63 early on in her test and never relinquished it, earning four 9s and a healthy number of 8s on a day when 7.5s and 8s were more the tune of the day. In the end, Tamie and Danito would exit the arena on a Morven Park record of 22.8 and a lead to defend.
Danito is one horse that helped Tamie Smith win this year’s US Equestrian Open of Eventing Series, a season-long pathway of CCI4*-S qualifiers from which a rider’s top six scores are counted towards Series points. At the end of the Series and just before this weekend’s Final, the points leaders are awarded chunks of an additional cash prize — $25,000 in Tamie’s case, with 265 total accumulated. Two of Tamie’s counting results — a win at Tryon International (NC) in May and again at Twin Rivers (CA) in September — came aboard Danito.
In a way that describes Danito’s steady role on Tamie’s string through the years. Many an eventing fan will be well familiar with Danito, who may have floated along in the public eye somewhat in the shadows of the great Mai Baum but has maintained his own string of impressive results dating all the way back to 2019, when he debuted at the four-star level on the podium at Twin Rivers. He’s not had all full seasons at the level in the intervening years, at times due to injuries, at others simply because the pressure was taken off for a spell. Really, the lack of ongoing wear and tear, the intentional application and release of pressure, is a big factor in itself in terms Danito’s longevity.
Tamie Smith and Danito. Photo by Haley Boothe / Impulsion Media.
“I think that’s kind of the theme of my program — I don’t know that it’s rocket science,” Tamie said. The result, in this case, being a 17-year-old horse that’s still pulling scores equal or better than the last time he competed at this 4*-L level (2021 — his last run at this level was at Boekelo that year, where he finished 10th).
“As him and I have both aged, I think we’ve just gotten a little bit more of the feeling of what it’s like to be in the ring and comfortable and just the harmony of it,” Tamie elaborated. “So I think that’s what you’re probably seeing.”
“I’m really particular about paying attention to the horses and knowing when to keep the gas pedal on and when to take it off,” she said of her program in general. “I kind of pride my program on that. We let the horses tell us, and it’s just something I think is really important to do for the horses, for everything they do for us, that we try to listen to them. So as he’s had little things here and there, we’ve backed off and when he’s felt great then we’ve pressed on.”
It was a day when we were truly treated to some quality tests, and our judging panel of Peter Gray (CAN), Bea di Grazia (USA) and Christian Steiner (AUT) were happy to reward what they saw. Both Tamie and second-placed Sharon White with Claus 63 earned scores more than 3 penalties better than their incoming 6 Run Average. Sharon’s 26.0 didn’t quite best her 25.2 from this event last year, but in many ways it was an even stronger test than its predecessor. Sharon credits today’s success with being present — something she’s always been vocal about prioritizing, though like for all of us it’s a challenge to achieve.
Sharon White and Claus 63. Photo by Haley Boothe / Impulsion Media.
“[Claus] was like, ‘I’m just so glad she decided just to be normal!'” Sharon laughed after her ride. “I just went in there and tried to be with him…I’m really thrilled with him.”
Sharon’s coming into this week after a less than ideal summer that saw a knee injury force her to withdraw Claus from Bromont’s 4*-L, which she’d been leading after dressage. But she’s spent the last few months getting stronger in an intensive rehab program and now says her knee is feeling better than ever (she did have one Ian Stark trot Claus up yesterday since running would be a silly way to re-aggravate that knee). She’s also coming in with some business to settle after coming to grief at the coffin last year and losing out on what could have been a podium finish. That’s been somewhat the theme with Claus, who is 14 this year and who’s had some brilliant results at this level and a top 10 finish at Kentucky’s CCI5*, but also some real heartbreakers. Sharon tries to navigate these highs and lows with a sense of curiosity, always believing the big result is in the tank.
“I’m fascinated,” she said. “What makes them tick? How can you make them better? How can you make them physically better, mentally better and stronger? And that is all horsemanship. If your horsemanship is good, they’re going to perform better.”
“He is my Thelwell pony,” she described of Claus. “He is absolutely the most athletic horse I’ve ever ridden and he’s so fun to ride, and then mentally he will just disappear for a second or two! I’m really hoping I can keep it together this year but he feels amazing so I’m so happy to be here with him.”
Alyssa Phillips and Rockett 19. Photo by Atalya Boytner for Erin Gilmore Photography.
It’s somewhat easy to forget that Alyssa Phillips has had the ride on Rockett 19 for less than two years, given the string of results they’ve collected in a short span of time. Their campaign at the three-star level, where the 11-year-old gelding was confirmed through the initial production of Sweden’s Louise Romeike, was studded with top finishes. A second place finish at Maryland’s CCI3*-L a year ago would conclude their first season together, and this year has consisted of steady education at the four-star level. They traveled to Rebecca Farm’s 4*-L in July, finishing second there with time on cross country and in show jumping their only added penalties. Now that much more experienced and strong, it won’t be surprising to see Alyssa ask for an even better performance this weekend, and she’s off to a strong start with a 26.4 as her target to finish on.
This score provides some additional validation for Alyssa, who through the shrewd eye of her coach Barend Heilbron discovered that the horse’s teeth had gotten to an uncomfortable length in between dentals.
“I actually was having a few dressage tests at the shows where he was kind of being a little funny in the mouth, and wasn’t his normal self,” Alyssa described. “So then after Stable View, Barend was like, ‘Why don’t we just take a look in his mouth?’ And actually his teeth somehow had gotten pretty sharp, pretty quickly. So I had that taken care of last Wednesday, and it made an immediate difference in the horse — he is so much happier. Today, he trusted the connection in the bridle, and actually was really there for me, whereas the past three shows, he had been a little bit more insecure and hesitant because of what was going on in his mouth. Luckily, Barend was the one that suggested I take a look.”
Lucienne Bellissimo and Dyri. Photo by Haley Boothe / Impulsion Media.
This time last year, Lucienne Bellissimo and Dyri were a year on from a second-place finish in this division, but were instead contesting the CCI3*-S here at Morven Park. The reason? Lucienne had taken things back a few steps after experiencing some growing pains with Dyri, who is now 14. She’d had trouble at both Dyri’s five-star debut and the four-star reroute that followed, so she took the pressure fully off and started, in many ways, fresh. Her efforts were rewarded with a string of wins at lower levels, and eventually a return to four-star that culminated in a win in April. Lucienne’s kept this US Open run fresh as the goal for this fall — the true test to see if her reaffirming work will stick at this larger effort.
She and Dyri are off to a strong start for that mission, earning a 26.6 today for fourth overnight. It’s their second-best score at the level since they stepped back up to it earlier this year, and Lucienne’s got her marching orders.
“[I] came here with the goal of doing a personal best 4*-L result with him,” Lucienne said. “I have huge respect for the strength of the field that’s here this weekend, some very proven competition. So I hope for a confident fast round Saturday, and a happy horse Sunday.”
Laine Ashker and Lovedance. Photo by Haley Boothe / Impulsion Media.
The sole athlete to compete on both the US Open campaign trail for dressage and eventing, Laine Ashker is here this week with her Maryland International 4*-S winner Lovedance and an eye to the future. A personal best four-star score of 26.9 is certainly a good way to kick things off, but truthfully Laine felt the best work is very much yet to come. The biggest improvement, she said, was the decisions “Lottie” made when her tension would rise.
“In the past couple rides, she’s been super rideable – and it wasn’t that she wasn’t rideable [today], she just had a little more tension,” Laine explained. “But honestly this time last year, or even the year before, had she felt that tension, she wouldn’t have been able to work through it. So the progress is there – I was still able to ride her out to the hand, she wasn’t curled in her neck and so I was thrilled – thrilled to bits with her.”
This weekend is the 10-year-old KWPN mare’s first 4*-L, so that will factor in when it comes to how competitive Laine chooses to be. It’s such an interesting nuance within our sport — pardon me while I go on a tangent here — and while this isn’t at all me accusing other disciplines of considering their horses less, I think the challenging thing about big money purses in eventing is the fact that these riders only have THIS shot to make the run count for the long term. They can’t just go back next week, or even the next day, for another shot like they can in jumper world. They may run two of these Long formats a year, so each one had better count. Sometimes, it can’t be about chasing the money. I’d argue that, in equestrian sports, one should never be chasing the money – not if it sacrifices the horse, in any way. Will Coleman, for all of the storylines about his “need for revenge” and “the second that lost him the title” in 2025, isn’t here for the money either. Off the Record will be as competitive and fast tomorrow as Off the Record chooses to be, and I think while that isn’t an uncommon sentiment, it’s very much a necessity in our sport.
Back to Laine: this mare is 10, and she’s one for the future. “So tomorrow, my goal is to have a clear round. She’s not the quickest horse, and it is her first Long, so it’ll be a big test [and] how quickly and economically I can get around the course. I feel very confident that the mare can do it.”
Here’s a look at the top 10 at the conclusion of dressage — a very different picture from what we saw yesterday, as anticipated, though our Thursday leaders Kim Severson and Cooley Corraghy Diamond hung on to a top 10 spot:
And now we look ahead to cross country tomorrow. What’s on tap for the riders? Well, it’s another true-blue Derek di Grazia flavor out there, with an optimum time of 10:09 and terrain that’s enough to compete with the toughest four-stars in the world. It’s mostly a steady climb upwards for the bulk of the course, before the horses get a chance to catch their wind back after making their way to the Morven Park Mansion. Here’s a look at the terrain of this year’s course, courtesy of CrossCountry App:
Like any good cross country course, the challenge of it isn’t isolated to one singular fence (though a couple of them stand to be potential bogeys), it’s the cumulative effect and the subtlety that will test the core of every rider’s training program.
“It’s very much all right there, but one little mistake could have you have a stupid run out, which is what makes makes it exciting,” Tamie Smith said. You can take a look at the full fence-by-fence preview on CrossCountry App here.
Riders will have the benefit of near-perfect going tomorrow thanks to the beautiful fall weather in Virginia this week. “It’s really up to [the riders] to be able to figure out how to answer all the different questions that are being asked,” Derek di Grazia said. “They are different questions as they go around the course. I always say, you’re not finished until you’re finished, so you really have to stay with it the whole way.”
Meg Pellegrini and Falcon Crown Z lead the CCI4*-S. Photo by Atalya Boytner for Erin Gilmore Photography.
We’ll get to see for ourselves as the course is unveiled to us in action tomorrow. We’ll begin with the CCI4*-S, which I’m not covering in full this week but is currently led by Meg Pellegrini and Falcon Crown Z on a score of 27.2. Both the 4*-S and 4*-L will run in reverse order of dressage standing; the 4*-S will begin at 9:30 am EST and will be followed by the US Open 4*-L at 11:00 am EST. Tamie Smith and Danito will be the final pair out of the start box at 1:20 pm EST. A full order of running and live scores for each division can be found here. Additional live streaming of the other divisions can be found for free on the Morven Park YouTube channel here.
Read up on the USEA/USEF Developing Horse National Championships’ Friday action
Morven Park Fall International + US Equestrian Open of Eventing Final (VA): [Website] [US Equestrian Open] [Start Lists & Scores] [Free General Admission + Hospitality] [EquiRatings Prediction Center] [Eventing Manager – Code PCTD to join EN’s league!] [ClipMyHorse.TV Live Stream] [CrossCountry App XC Maps] [EN’s Coverage] [Volunteer]
