Buck Davidson, Ballynoecastle RM and Kathleen Blauth-Murray. Photo by Sally Spickard.

Welcome to the day after Rolex, when we’re all nursing a hangover from lack of sleep, information overload and too much Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Ale. Or is that just me? Rolex is big in any year, but it’s that much more important in a WEG year, and every member of the USEF Eventing Selection Committee was on hand in Kentucky to watch our top team contenders. Here’s a look at some key facts and figures and how those fit in to the big picture of North American eventing.

We always like to give a shout out to the most impressive moves up the leaderboard at Rolex. Buck Davidson earned himself a spot in the top four for a second consecutive year thanks to finishing on his dressage score with Ballynoe Castle RM, who was also named Best Conditioned Horse. Their double clear yesterday moved them up from 11th to third place in the final phase. Marilyn Little was also a big mover on show jumping day, rocketing from 10th to the top five thanks to her double clear with 9-year-old RF Smoke on the Water.

Sinead Halpin and Manoir de Carneville last competed at Rolex in 2011, where they placed third, one spot below this year. Their jumping improved this weekend, however, as they finished on their dressage score; they had 4.4 time penalties on cross country in 2011. The difference in their final placing came from being tied for 11th after dressage this year, whereas they were eighth after dressage in 2011. That said, it was a fantastic performance across the board, and Sinead and Tate easily win the award for best cross-country trip.

Marilyn had a very impressive weekend with two horses finishing in the top six. The next best performances with multiple mounts came from William Fox-Pitt with two in the top nine and Buck Davidson with two in the top 12. While RF Demeter pulled a rail, the sixth-place finish is a major improvement from last year when they were eliminated on cross country. Show jumping continues to be a challenge for Demi, but she and Marilyn are clearly heading in the right direction.

The U.S. finished seven pairs in the top 10, which is up from five pairs last year. Seven Americans finished in the top 10 in 2012, and just three U.S. pairs finished in the top 10 during the year of Mary King’s total domination in 2011. For Team Canada, Selena O’Hanlon earned the highest placing with Foxwood High in a very impressive four-star debut for the horse to finish in 10th place. Hawley Bennett-Awad and Gin & Juice followed in 16th place.

The path to winning Rolex has followed the same pattern in recent years. The Rolex winner has been placed second after the dressage in the past three years, and show jumping has not proved to be as influential in picking the winner as we might expect. In the past four years, the overnight leader after cross country has gone on to clinch the win.

An American has not won this event since Phillip Dutton and Connaught in 2008, and the last rider developed in the U.S. to clinch the win was Kim Severson, who win with Winsome Adante in 2002, 2004 and 2005. A British rider has won Rolex five times since the event became a four-star, while the U.S. has won six times; New Zealand and Australia have three wins a piece.

Now to look ahead to see how this weekend could impact the WEG team. It’s notable that only one horse and one rider from America’s last international team in London competed at Rolex this year — Phillip Dutton and Mr. Medicott. And while it’s still very early in the season, this weekend played a big role in making and breaking certain combinations’ chances at going to Normandy.

Sinead wasn’t the only one who felt her dressage test was better than her score reflected, and the judges were very tough across the board this year. So while Sinead and Tate’s final score of 51.7 is higher than the ideal — mid-40s is about right for being competitive on the four-star international stage — that shouldn’t affect their chances at making the team. On the contrary, I think they’re the only pair that has undoubtedly secured a spot on the team at this point. Pack your backs, Tate!

Buck Davidson thought Ballynoe Castle RM put in the best dressage test of his career, and he was another rider who thought the score of 51.7 should have been lower. They finished third ahead of Sinead and Tate, as Buck and Reggie were closer to the optimum time on cross country, and the horse looks better than I’ve ever seen him. Before this weekend, I wasn’t sure how a Pierre Michelet course would suit him, but Reggie looked very strong on Saturday across a course with a French feel, as William described Derek di Grazia’s track.

Indeed, Reggie is getting better with age, and the horse has now completed 34 FEI competitions in his career. His third-place finish this weekend is the horse’s best four-star performance to date, and with the status of horse’s like Mr. Medicott up in the air right now, Reggie has made a very strong case that he should be considered for the WEG team. It doesn’t hurt either that the horse has an absolute heart of gold and will give everything he has and then some.

While the show jumping remains a concern for RF Demeter, she also remains a very strong contender for making the team. Show jumping just happens to be Marilyn Little’s speciality, and I imagine she’ll be working very hard to get that dialed in. The mare looked very good this weekend, and Marilyn and Demi have definitely put themselves at the top of the list of possible combinations heading to Normandy thanks to their sixth-place finish.

Lauren Kieffer and Veronica have undoubtedly put themselves in the running for the team with an incredibly consistent performance this weekend to be crowned the new National Champions. This was the mare’s first four-star completion, and they have yet to complete an overseas event together, but we’d be fools to discount them after seeing how good they looked this weekend.

After Boekelo last year, many questioned whether Trading Aces had what it took to be a four-star horse, but Oscar has soundly put those doubts to rest after making the time easily with Phillip Dutton in the irons at Rolex in place of Boyd Martin, whose broken leg is still healing. The horse has now won two cars in the past two months — a Mercedes at Red Hills for winning there and a Range Rover this weekend for hitting the optimum time. Between Oscar, Shamwari 4 and Otis Barbotiere, Boyd has four very strong contenders for WEG.

With Rolex behind us, we still have four more major selection trials — Badminton, Jersey Fresh, Bromont and Luhmühlen — that will play key roles in determining the fate of combinations like Clark Montgomery and Universe, Tiana Coudray and Ringwood Magister, Lynn Symansky and Donner, and Phillip with Mighty Nice and Mr. Medicott. We’ll be there to bring you every moment of the action as we count down to the World Equestrian Games.

Go Eventing.

William Fox-Pitt and Bay My Hero. Photo by Alec Thayer.

William Fox-Pitt and Bay My Hero entered the Rolex stadium as the overnight leaders and last to jump. After Lauren Kieffer and Veronica delivered a fantastic double clear trip to thunderous applause, William couldn’t afford a single rail, and he proved why he’s the best in the world by rising to the occasion to deliver the clear he needed to clinch his third Rolex victory on 44.0. He’s now pulled just one total rail in his last five Rolex appearances combined — talk about legend status. Lauren and Veronica finished second on 46.7 and are the new USEF National Champions. Buck Davidson and Ballynoe Castle RM achieved what they set out to do this weekend, improving on their fourth-place finish from last year by finishing the weekend in third place on 51.7. The entire top five jumped double clear, with Sinead Halpin and Manoir de Carneville finishing in fourth place, also on 51.7.

Marilyn Little followed next with both her rides RF Smoke on the Water and RF Demeter in fifth and sixth place on scores of 52.5 and 55.3, respectively. Smoke was held this morning at the final horse inspection but came out this afternoon to jump a fantastic clear, which is an impressive showing for such a young horse. The horse is 9 years old, and Marilyn held up nine fingers to the crowd as they cheered after her trip. RF Demeter had one rail, which is a significant improvement from their last four-star jumping effort. Jan Byyny and Inmidair pulled one rail to finish in seventh place on 56.7, and Phillip Dutton and Trading Aces had one rail and one time penalty to finish eighth on 57.5. William Fox-Pitt and Seacookie TSF jumped clear to finish 10th on 59.1, and Selena O’Hanlon and Foxwood High jumped clear with one time penalty to round out the top 10 on 59.4 in the horse’s first four-star.

Richard Jeffreys’ show jumping course certainly didn’t make it an easy day for the 37 riders who went forward into the final phase. Ten pairs jumped double clear, with Selena and Woody jumping clear with one time penalty — that’s about 30 percent of the field. Eight pairs pulled two rails, with 17 pairs pulling two or more rails. Andrew Nicholson and Avebury pulled the most rails of anyone, taking out poles at six fences and also picking up a time penalty. Two pairs had stops on course. Houdini slammed the breaks at the first fence with Katie Frei, and Tom Bombadill Too stopped at the first element of the triple combination, launching Ruy Fonseca over the fence. The horse then went on his own victory gallop around the ring, eventually being caught after a few spirited laps around.

As for notable rounds, I think Libby Head and Sir Rockstar have to win the ride of the day simply based on the sheer scope of that achievement. A Rolex rookie and one of the youngest competitors in the field at just 22, Libby piloted Rocky, who is notoriously spooky, to a beautiful clear to finish inside the top 20, moving all the way up from 43rd after dressage. Selena and Woody also had a brilliant trip to move up from 27th to 10th as the highest-placed Canadian pair. Buck Davidson jumped clear on both Reggie and Park Trader — the only rider other than William to accomplish that today. We have so much more to bring you from Rolex, including a press conference report, videos and much more analysis from Rolex. In the meantime, be sure to check out John’s open thread to see how all the action went down in the finale of North America’s biggest event. Go eventing.

[Final Results]

Your top three going in to the final day: William Fox-Pitt, Lauren Kieffer and Phillip Dutton. Photo by Jenni Autry.

That’s a wrap on cross-country day at Rolex. With the dust settled, eight American pairs are in the top 10, and just two rails separate the top eight, so it’s going to be a nail-biting, thrilling conclusion to the competition here in Lexington. The top three after cross country — William Fox-Pitt with Bay My Hero, Lauren Kieffer with Veronica, and Phillip Dutton with Mr. Medicott — joined us in the media center following the day’s festivities to break down their rides and offer their thoughts on Derek di Grazia’s lovely course.

Lauren said she was thrilled with Veronica, affectionally called Troll, especially when you consider that they were pulled up just before the Head of the Lake for a hold on course. It’s always challenging to stay focused and continue on under those circumstances, and Lauren and Veronica got the job done. “She really fought for it,” Lauren said. “We went out, and I knew I had to ride every combination. There were lot of big combinations. After the hold, she had to fight for it at the Head of the Lake. Everything rode the way I expected it to. I knew going out I was going to have to fight for it and focus on being accurate. I was quite happy with it.”

Peter Barry and Kilrodan Abbott. Photo by Alec Thayer.

William agreed that the course really encouraged forward riding, which worked well for the 19 pairs that came home double clear. “I was delighted with how the course rode,” William said. “I knew with my two horses it was a decent track and a big test … It was a transparent course. The horses could see their way through the fences. Bay My Hero has much less experience. This is the first time he’s done a three-day with up and down hills like that. A lot of his three days have been flat, like Pau and Tattersalls. It’s very different there. He was a bit surprised by the Head of the Lake, but he’s clever as a cat and super genuine. I was delighted with him. He carried his tubby little body around clear and inside the time.”

In other news, Sharon White and Wundermaske win the biggest move up award thanks to their double clear trip; they sky rocketed up the leaderboard from 58th to 27th place. Other big move ups include Rachel Jurgens and Ziggy, who came to Rolex this year with a vengeance after failing to make it around last year. They had a fantastic trip to come home with just 2.8 time penalties to move up from 57th to 30th place. James Alliston and Parker had the fastest round of the day to move up from 55th to 25th, and Colleen Rutledge and Shiraz moved all the way from 48th to 23rd. Colleen and Luke have never made the time at a four-star … until today, and they’re on track for a very strong finish.

Meghan O’Donoghue and Pirate. Photo by Alec Thayer.

We were lucky to finish the day with just a few injuries to discuss. The most serious is Kaitlin Spurlock’s Expedience, who unfortunately suffered a hoof fracture at the Head of the Lake and has been transported to a local equine hospital for surgical evaluation. The horses that fell on course — Madison Park and Luckaun Quality — are all fine. Just Madison Park required any type of serious medical attention due to an elbow laceration, and he’s been stitched up. We know of just one unsound rider right now, as Sinead Halpin pulled her groin Thursday in the dressage and looked in serious pain after finishing her amazing ride with Manoir de Carneville. She’s gritting her teeth through the pain and doing OK.

Looking ahead, William has been in the top 5 after cross country at this event for the past four years, and it’s the second time time he’s been leading after cross country in the past three years. The last time he was sitting in this position in 2012, he ultimately won with Parklane Hawk. Looking at William’s show jumping record at this event, he’s pulled just one rail in the past three years, so it’s safe to say he’s probably feeling pretty confident tonight heading into show jumping. That said, though Bay My Hero is a trier and jumps well, William said he will find the atmosphere very exciting and will likely be peeking at everything. “For now, I’m enjoying the moment and hoping he’s OK, and hopefully he is,” William said. “If he jumps clear, brilliant; and if he doesn’t, he still had a great competition and will learn a lot for it.”

Jan Byyny and Inmidair. Photo by Alec Thayer.

Phillip agreed he’s also cautiously optimistic about the show jumping with Trading Aces and Mr. Medicott. “Mine are both good jumpers, but it’s a long competition for them, so we’ll just be out there and try to do our best.” His partnership with Mr. Medicott continues to improve with each competition, in large part because the horse’s way of going suits Phillip’s riding style, he said. “He sort of goes more like a Thoroughbred, and I learned a lot of my trade on hot Thoroughbred horses, so it’s been a bit like coming home on a horse like this. I’m not always comfortable with the slow, cold ones. I had to give in a little bit to how he wants to go, and now he’s starting to get respectful of how I want him to go. We’re starting to form a partnership that way.”

Lauren wisely noted that for the American riders, virtually all of the show jumping rounds at the key prep events for Rolex have come before cross country when the horses are more fresh. “Tomorrow we’ll be dealing with horses that are at a four-star, and we’ll be hoping they carry over that carefulness,” Lauren said. The final horse inspection is at 9 a.m. tomorrow, followed by the course walk for the riders at 10 a.m. and then show jumping at 12:30 p.m. with the riders up through 21st place. Then there will be a quick ring drag, and the top 20 will jump, followed by awards. We still have much more to bring you from Rolex. While the chinchillas continue working away, enjoy these random statistics, and Go Eventing.

Observations compiled by two neurotic EN reporters:

• Time played a crucial role today. Just 3.2 time penalties moved Jan Byyny from a tie for fourth place down to 11th.
• Selena O’Hanlon is the highest-placed Canadian in 14th with Foxwood High.
• Hawley Bennett and Gin & Juice jumped clear in their 8th CCI4*.
• Ballynoe Castle RM has been in the top six going into show jumping for the past two years.
• This is the second car Trading Aces has won this year. Boyd Martin won a Mercedes after the win at Red Hills, and Phillip Dutton won a Range Rover Evoque today after being bang on the optimum time.
• There are 8 U.S. combinations in the top 10 after cross country.
• Only two foreign nationality pairs failed to complete cross country (Kyle Carter and Tim Bourke).
• Marilyn Little and Phillip Dutton piloted both of their rides to double clear rounds.
• Buck Davidson had just 2.4 time penalties between his two rides.
• Rachel McDonough and Irish Rhythm were the only Rolex rookies to go double clear.
• Four mares jumped double clear: Veronica, RF Demeter, Gin & Juice and Tsunami.

Andrew Nicholson and Avebury. Photo by Jenni Autry.

Lauren Kieffer and Veronica are still holding the lead on their score of 46.7 after the third group here on day 2 of dressage at the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event.  We saw some good tests in this group, but nothing that could match the accuracy and consistency Lauren and Veronica displayed earlier today. Andrew Nicholson and two-time Burghley winner Avebury can be very competitive in this phase, but they gave away marks with little bobbles throughout the test. Of course, this won’t be a dressage show, and Andrew and Avebury’s score of  51.7 puts them within striking distance in equal ninth place on a very packed leaderboard. The top 20 are currently separated by just 10 penalties.

Marilyn Little and RF Smoke on the Water are sitting just outside the top 10 after a good performance for a score of 52.5. That gives Marilyn two rides  in the top 15, as Smoke’s stablemate RF Demeter is currently sitting in seventh place on 51.3. Phillip Dutton also has two rides in the top 15, with Mr. Medicott tied for equal second place on 49.5 and Boyd Martin’s Trading Aces in equal 12th on 52.5. Dana Widstrand and Relentless Pursuit were the first to go in this group, putting in a respectable performance in their Rolex debut for a score of 60.0. She was crying happy tears when she left the stadium — a touching reminder of just how much it means to accomplish the dream of riding at Rolex.

Jen McFall and High Times also checked that box on their bucket list today as the final pair to go in this group. Billy was not happy with the windy conditions and rowdy crowd, but Jen kept the lid on and was all smiles when she exited the ring to huge cheers from all the West Coasters here supporting her this weekend. Oloa was also not a happy camper in the amped atmosphere with Mark Todd. This horse is a lovely mover and was one of my picks to put in a breakout performance, but their score of 61.5 puts them far down the leaderboard. Catch A Star looked so proud of herself when she left the ring after her test with Caitlin Silliman; they scored 59.8 to sit just inside the top 30 in their second trip to Rolex.

With just one more group to go, we’re very close to sending three Americans to the press conference for the second day in a row. Just William Fox-Pitt and Bay My Hero have the chance to break up the all USA all day party currently happening at the top of the leaderboard. The atmosphere is growing more and more electric here in the stadium, as the winds are picking up, temperatures are dropping and the stands continue to fill up with fans. While it’s wonderful to have such great support from the spectators, who are enthusiastically cheering for both big names and Rolex rookies alike — it’s creating a a tough environment for even the most seasoned horses. Stay tuned for the finale of dressage here at Rolex.

[Live Scores]

Lauren Kieffer and Veronica. Photo by Jenni Autry.

Lauren Kieffer and Veronica wowed the crowd in the second group today at the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event with a fantastic test to score 46.7 to take the lead at the lunch break. The late morning rain stopped before their test, and while strong winds continued to blow, Veronica stayed relaxed and focused for a very good performance. Lauren and Veronica are one of my picks to sit at the top of the leaderboard come Sunday, and they’ve given themselves some breathing room over Phillip Dutton and Mr. Medicott, Jan Byyny and Inmidair, and Michael Pollard and Mensa G, who are all tied for equal first place on 49.5.

Kim Severson and Fernhill Fearless. Photo by Jenni Autry.

Kim Severson and Fernhill Fearless, the last pair to go in this group, scored 55.7 for equal 19th place in the horse’s first Rolex. Sparky has a unique look about him, and the judges didn’t seem to be super fond of him in this test, which also had some bobbles. The crowd went wild for three-time Rolex winner Kim, and she definitely wins the loudest cheer of the day so far. The beginning of this group had a much different feel from the crowd, who all scattered as the skies opened up and a torrential downpour came down. Poor Kaitlin Spurlock and Expedience had to make their Rolex debut in the worst of it, and Spedy will be much more in her element tomorrow.

Rachel Jurgens and Ziggy. Photo by Jenni Autry.

The judges certainly aren’t letting up in the tougher scoring standards we saw yesterday. Based on the tests we’ve seen so far, the judges seem to be wanting to see relaxed tests that also maintain expressive movement with horses in a very correct frame. Riders with tense or dull tests are getting nailed in their marks, as are tests where the horse’s frame creeps above the bit. While Lauren and Veronica had a fantastic test, there’s still room for someone in the final two groups to sneak past for the overnight lead. That might happen when two-time Burghley winner Avebury takes the ring with Andrew Nicholson in the irons in this next group after the lunch break. Stay tuned for much more from Rolex.

[Live Scores]