Marilyn Little and RF Scandalous. Photo by Jenni Autry.

Marilyn Little’s two rides RF Scandalous and RF Demeter have been battling it out for the top spot on the CCI3* leaderboard all weekend here at the Dutta Corp Fair Hill International, swapping between the first- and second-place spots after each phase.

RF Scandalous, who sat in second place after a clear cross country round with 4.8 time penalties yesterday, jumped out of order early in the division, delivering a clear show jumping round over Sally Ike’s course to remain on her score of 46.3.

When overnight leader RF Demeter pulled a rail at the first fence of the triple combination, that gave RF Scandalous the CCI3* win and the USEF CCI3* National Championship, with RF Demeter finishing second on 48.6 and taking the USEF National CCI3* Reserve Championship.

“I really couldn’t have had a better day with those two. Scandalous was lovely out there. She came back a little tired (after cross country). It was her first CCI3*, and I was thrilled with her effort and the heart that she showed today. She really stepped up and showed what a horse she is and what an exciting horse she is for the future.

“She’s got a great group of owners behind her that have gotten her to this point: Jacquie Mars, Robin Parsky, and Phoebe and Mike Manders who were here today, and that made it very special.”

Marilyn Little and RF Demeter. Photo by Jenni Autry.

As for the downed rail that slipped RF Demeter down to second place, Marilyn said, “I truthfully thought it was Demi’s weekend. It was just the way that the chips fell, but she’s just as deserving and truly an incredible horse and an incredible partner. She has made my time in eventing so special, and I owe her everything.”

We saw 14 clear show jumping rounds in all, with Hannah Sue Burnett and Mary Ann Ghadban’s Under Suspection leaving all the poles in the cups to move up three spots on the leaderboard to finish in third place on 49.6.

“She’s a pretty fantastic show jumper; she gives me a lot of confidence in the ring,” Hannah said. “I know if I cluck at her at the base that if I’m a little wrong she’s going to take care of it and try really hard, so I was excited for show jumping today and she really proved that today. She was fantastic.”

Hannah Sue Burnett and Under Suspection. Photo by Jenni Autry.

Phillip Dutton moved both of his rides into the top five with clear show jumping rounds. John and Kristine Norton’s I’m Sew Ready jumped out of his skin to finish fourth on 50.8. His usual rider Kristen Bond is expecting her second child to give Phillip the ride once again, and he gave the credit to her for the good result in his first CCI3*.

“Kristen has done most of the work. She’s expecting again, so I get the honor of carrying on with his career a little bit,” Phillip said. “He jumped spectacularly today … He didn’t excite me too much in the warm-up, but then as soon as he jumped fence one, I knew we were going to have a good round because he was trying really hard.”

Phillip Dutton and I’m Sew Ready. Photo by Jenni Autry.

Mr. Candyman, owned by Annie Jones, Bridget Colman, Caroline Moran and Tom Tierney, finished in fifth place on 52.9, and Phillip said the horse put in an admirable effort today. “It’s pretty unique when the horses go through what they did yesterday and then get out there the next day, and you can tell they’re really trying really hard,” he said. “It’s a pretty cool feeling.”

Looking to the rest of the leaderboard, the remainder of the top 10 all jumped clear show jumping rounds. Jenny Caras and Fernhill Fortitude moved from 10th to sixth on 53.5, with Kim Severson and Cooley Cross Border jumping from 13th to seventh on 54.8.

Caroline Martin and Pebbly Maximus and Meghan O’Donoghue and Palm Crescent entered show jumping tied for 15th place. Both jumped clear rounds, but Caroline was closer to the optimum time on cross country yesterday to give her eighth place on 55.2, with Meghan in ninth. Will Coleman and Soupcon de Brunet moved up from 17th to round out the top 10 on 55.3.

Click here to catch up on all of EN’s coverage from #DuttaFHI.

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Jennie Brannigan and Stella Artois. Photo by Jenni Autry.

The top three after cross country all jumped clear show jumping rounds today at the Dutta Corp Fair Hill International CCI2* to keep the final leaderboard unchanged. Jennie Brannigan and Beth Battel’s Stella Artois are your USEF National CCI2* Champions, finishing on their dressage score to take the win on 44.5.

Emily Beshear and Deep Purple Eventing’s Silver Night Lady remained in second place to complete on 45.0 and take the USEF National CCI2* Reserve Championship, with Lauren Kieffer and Jacqueline Mars’ Landmark’s Monaco finishing third on 45.8.

This is a special win for Jennie and the entire team behind “Toddie.” Philipp Kolossa sourced the mare in Germany, and when she became available for sale as a 5-year-old, Jennie knew she couldn’t let her get away. Beth Battel stepped in to own the mare in partnership with Jennie, who used the insurance money from her beloved late partner Cooper to purchase her share.

“This connection to Cooper is pretty special for me. It’s a horse I’ve always believed in, and I’ve put whatever money I had where my mouth was. … This time of year and obviously this place is always very emotional for me because of Cooper, and time doesn’t necessarily seem to make that easier,” Jennie said.

“I didn’t necessarily think I’d come to this event and win, so I think that probably makes it a little more like, ‘Wow, I can’t believe that just happened!’ I’m just thrilled. I think it’s a really cool horse, and I’m so excited she got to go out and have the result that was in her.”

Jennie said the mare felt fresh and ready to go this morning after jumping clear and inside the time yesterday on Derek di Grazia’s cross country course — and “Toddie,” an 8-year-old Holsteiner/Thoroughbred mare, definitely proved she was feeling great in the awards ceremony with some theatrical rearing and prancing.

“I think I probably had her overly fit for this event … She is a good jumper, but in my last two rounds at Plantation and at Morven, I thought she jumped so super but she had a pole in each of them, so I was thrilled that she jumped clear at the AECs and I thought, ‘Well, maybe I’m due a clear one now!’” Jennie said.

“I know she wants to be a good horse in all three phases, so today I’m just happy that she jumped so well. I think even I was feeling a bit nervous, for sure, going into it, and she felt fit going into it. I’ve had some bad luck trotting horses up this year, so it was nice to come here this morning and not be stressed out about that.”

Emily Beshear and Silver Night Lady. Photo by Jenni Autry.

Silver Night Lady was also feeling fresh this morning for Emily Beshear and came into the show jumping ring with her chest puffed out and ready for the task at hand. “I had my hands full this morning at the jog and same in the jumping warm-up. She was pretty full of herself, and she’s still getting used to bigger environments like this, so to me it was just trying to balance out keeping her focus in the ring but not messing with her too much,” Emily said.

“Fortunately she’s a really good show jumper and she wants to jump clean, so I didn’t feel like I had the smoothest round or gave her the best ride, but she was jumping out of her skin, so I’m certainly happy about that.”

A beautiful clear round inside the time — one of 15 in all in the division — secured the USEF CCI2* Reserve National Championship for “Silvy,” a 10-year-old Irish Sport Horse mare, and Emily said she is thrilled for the group of owners, Deep Purple Eventing.

“They’ve really trusted me to make good decisions for the horses, and this is a horse we weren’t really sure we could afford to buy, but we had a couple extra people step in and help us,” Emily said. “My goal from the beginning was to try and get a two-star qualifier done this year, so to come in here and finish second really helps to make everyone realize that it’s definitely worth the effort put in, and I’m just really excited for the future.”

Lauren Kieffer and Landmark’s Monaco. Photo by Jenni Autry.

Lauren Kieffer and Jacqueline Mars’ Landmark’s Monaco secured yet another top placing in a CCI2* with a clear show jumping round today, adding a third-place finish at Fair Hill to their eighth-place finish at Jersey Fresh and 10th-place finish at Osberton in England last year.

“He’s such a lovely horse and he’s such a little trier; obviously his older brother Monte Carlo has a lot of experience too, so it’s a lot of fun to have the homebreds and to produce them to the level and have them do well,” Lauren said. “It’s really a nice feeling when you get on these horses that have the mileage under them and have the blood … He felt great and he was fresh and jumped a beautiful round.”

Jacqueline Mars bred the 9-year-old Irish Sport Horse/Thoroughbred stallion, and Lauren said Ms. Mars gets “just as tickled with the young horses doing well. … When Monaco did his first one-star and finished cross country, she was in tears at the end … She’s had horses go to the Olympics and win gold medals and everything else, but they’re like her children to her, so it’s always really special for her.”

Will Coleman and Boris O’Hara. Photo by Jenni Autry.

The next three on the leaderboard also jumped clear rounds, with Will Coleman and Kathleen McDermott’s Boris O’Hara finishing in fourth place on 48.9. Dom Schramm and the Naked Horse Eventing Syndicate’s Bolytair B finished fifth on 48.9, with Maya Simmons and Archie Rocks (the highest-placed Thoroughbred in the field!) in sixth on 51.1.

Meghan O’Donoghue and Pete Humphreys’ Rich N Famous had one rail down to finish in seventh place on 52.2. Holly Payne Caravella and Bruisyard Hall jumped clear to finish eighth on 56.0, and Will Coleman and Gideon also left all the poles in the cups to place ninth on 57.0. Matt Flynn and Wizzerd round out the top 10 with one rail down to finish on 58.9.

The CCI3* show jumping is about to get underway now, so keep it locked on EN for the finale of #DuttaFHI. Click here to catch up on all of EN’s coverage so far.

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Marilyn Little and RF Demeter. Photo by Jenni Autry.

Marilyn Little started cross country day at the Dutta Corp Fair Hill International sitting first and second in the CCI3* with RF Scandalous and RF Demeter, respectively, and she ultimately swapped the two on the leaderboard after delivering one of the 14 clear rounds inside the time with “Demi.”

RF Demeter, a 14-year-old Oldenburg mare owned by Jacqueline Mars, Raylyn Farms and Patrick Witte, now sits in first place on her dressage score of 44.6, with RF Scandalous, an 11-year-old Oldenburg mare owned by Phoebe and Michael Manders, Jacqueline Mars and Robin Parsky, adding 4.8 time penalties to slip to second place on 46.3.

With RF Demeter hunting for CCI redemption following Rolex Kentucky this spring and RF Scandalous making her return to the level following an injury at Boekelo last fall, Marilyn said she couldn’t be happier to still be topping the Fair Hill leaderboard after cross country with these two mares.

“I was hoping that Demi would be very good today and she was, from start to finish. She jumped very well, was focused and looking for the fences. I had a little bit of a ‘cross country moment’ at the second water. She just got a little slow with her front end, but she’s a wonderful sport. She picked herself up and went off to B, and that’s just her experience and her heart. She gave me a great run around and was able to slow up a bit at the end and come in under the time,” Marilyn said.

“Scandalous is green to the level and got a little excited before going into the startbox, so I started a few seconds late and … had a hard time settling into the rhythm, so we started a little slower than I would have liked, but it was the right thing for her. It’s only her second run at the CCI level, and it rode around very true for her. She’s a very courageous horse, and she was nice and straight and finished comfortably.”

Marilyn Little and RF Scandalous. Photo by Jenni Autry.

Christian Landolt, president of the ground jury, confirmed in the post-cross country press conference that officials received reports of blood in RF Scandalous’ mouth at fence 20, and the ground jury confirmed that blood was visible at fence 22. Christian said officials decided not to stop Marilyn and RF Scandalous on course to evaluate the blood because they were five fences from home, opting instead to evaluate the mare in the vet box after she completed the course.

“With barely a minute of cross country to go, the easiest was just to let her finish and get the vet to look at her at the end, because we would have actually had to have a vet involved anyway. It was easier for everybody for her to finish if there was no interruption of her cross country,” Christian said.

“At the finish the vet was informed there might have been some blood, and on inspection she saw nothing. There was no open wound and no blood or anything. That’s the information we were given, so there isn’t really a case. Clearly the mare bit her tongue or something like that, but … the vet couldn’t find anything, any fresh injury or any fresh blood on the horse at the finish.”

EN will be publishing a full report on the blood later tonight with quotes from Marilyn Little and Christian Landolt, so keep checking back.

Emily Beshear and Shame on the Moon. Photo by Jenni Autry.

Emily Beshear had a cracking day at Fair Hill, jumping clear with 1.2 time penalties aboard Deep Purple Eventing’s Shame on the Moon to move from sixth place up to third on 48.1. The 10-year-old Trakehner/Thoroughbred mare finished seventh at Blenheim CCI3* last fall and has struggled to find her cross country mojo a bit this year, but “Delta” put that firmly behind her today.

“She came out this year much bolder and less focused, so I’ve had some stupid run-bys just with her not being focused, so I was really determined at the beginning and concerned about the first water and the angled brushes, just making sure I got her eye on it. Then I’ve also had trouble with her at the end when she tires listening to me and getting a little haphazard in her jumping form, so I was probably a little more defensive with her at the end of the course than I needed to be,” Emily said.

“But she was awesome, and I definitely set up for a few things more than I needed to because she listened much better than I thought she was going to, just based on her history, and she had tons of gallop left and jumped all the hard stuff as well as I could have asked, so I’m thrilled with her. I feel like I’ve got my girl back!”

While the Elkton, Maryland area usually battles downpours during this time of year, the weather lately has been mercifully dry, giving us fast ground for horses and riders to cruise around Derek di Grazia’s course. We saw 14 clear rounds inside the time in all, along with a number of other trips that nearly caught the optimum time of 10 minutes.

Looking to the rest of the leaderboard, Mackenna Shea and her own Landioso moved from eighth up to fourth place on 49.1 with a clear round and just 0.4 time penalties. Buck Davidson cracked the top five with a clear round inside the time, moving from 10th up to fifth on 49.4 with Carl and Cassie Segal’s Park Trader.

Hannah Sue Burnett and Mary Ann Ghadban’s Under Suspection picked up 2.8 time penalties to move one spot on the leaderboard to sixth on 49.6. Lauren Kieffer and Jacqueline Mars’ Landmark’s Monte Carlo stormed around double clear to move from 14th to eighth on on 52.2. (His full brother Landmark’s Monaco jumped double clear in the CCI2* to move to third; stay tuned for that report!)

Phillip Dutton has two rides in the top 10, with John and Kristine Norton’s I’m Sew Ready jumping clear with 1.6 time penalties to move up two spots on the leaderboard to seventh on 50.8 and Plantation Field CIC3* winner Mr. Candyman jumping clear and inside the time to move from 15th to ninth on 52.9.

No one has a bigger smile in Maryland tonight than Jenny Caras, who jumped clear and inside the time with her own Fernhill Fortitude but was then marked as being technically eliminated for missing a flag at the final water. After further review (thanks to photos by Lawrence J. Nagy — go photographers!) the decision was overturned, and her clear round was re-instated to boost her up to equal 10th place on 53.5.

Will Coleman and the Conair Syndicate’s Tight Lines, who win the USEF CCI2* National Championship at Fair Hill last year, are also sitting in 10th place on 53.5 thanks to a clear round inside the time.

Three cheers for the other pairs that delivered double clears: Caroline Martin and Pebbly Maximus (tied for 15th), Meghan O’Donoghue and Palm Crescent (tied for 15th), Will Coleman and Soupcon de Brunet (17th), Sharon White and Cooley On Show (18th), Ryan Wood and Fernhill Classic (21st), Joe Meyer and Clip Clop (22nd), Woodge Fulton and Captain Jack (24th), and Erin Sylvester and Campground (31st).

We saw three rider falls and two horse falls in the CCI3* with no major injuries. Julie Richards was taken to a local hospital to treat a shoulder injury after she fell with Urlanmore Beauty at fence 22, but she is expected to be released soon. For a play-by-play of what happened where on course, check out EN’s live updates here, and you can also see the fence report courtesy of scoring guru Rick Dunkerton here.

Stay tuned for much more from EN, including a full report on the CCI2*, which Jennie Brannigan and Stella Artois are leading after cross country. Click here for live updates from the two-star. Click here to catch up on all of EN’s coverage so far.

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Photo courtesy of Alissa Norman/Fair Hill

Good morning from the Dutta Corp Fair Hill International! It’s a beautiful, brisk day here in Elkton, Maryland, and CCI2* cross country starts at 9:30 a.m. EST. There is no live stream or radio feed, but I will be running live updates on this page to keep you up-to-date with all the action. Click here for the order of go.

Keep refreshing for updates, and please note that the hardworking tech team here at Fair Hill informed me that there is only one cell tower serving the entire venue, so updates might be a little slow to come. I will do my very best to keep you up-t0-date, and let’s cross our fingers that technology cooperates today!

Click here to check out a drone flyover preview of the CCI3* course courtesy of Jamie Rees, and you can see photos of each fence on both courses in the Fair Hill program here (click the button on the cover to skip to the fences). Fair Hill’s going is usually sloppy from rain, but this year we’ve been blessed with dry weather and have fast ground.

Click here to catch up on all of EN’s #DuttaFHI coverage so far and here to check out our behind-the-scenes photos on Instagram. Go Eventing.

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9:40: Will Coleman and Gideon are home clear and inside the time — a great performance for our first pair on course!

9:45: Lauren Kieffer and Landmark’s Ginger Rogers also home clear with 9.2 time

9:46: Bill Hoos and Celtic Rhythm picked up a runout at 21b, Parade Rest. They completed the rest of the course.

9:50: Heidi White and Captain Fernhill are home — our third clear of the day — with 29.6 time penalties.

9:52: We will bring you time penalties as soon as we can. Our understanding is the timing clocks are being re-calibrated.

9:53: Chris Talley and OTTB superstar Unmarked Bills are home double clear in their first Fair Hill!

9:55: Lizzy Jahnke and Princeton are home double clear, our third of the day.

9:58: Molly Kinnamon and The Diesel Boy are home clear with 12.4 time.

10: Rachel Wilks fell from River King at the ditch and rail at fence 12. They are both okay.

10:03: Michael Walton and Woodstock Wallaby picked up a stop at 5b, the second of the oxer combinations.

10:08: Clear with 14 time penalties for Cary Chavis and Game On.

10:09: Michael Walton fell from Woodstock Wallaby at 17b at the Elk Chapel Crossing. They are both okay.

10:10: Our overnight leaders Emily Beshear and Silver Night Lady are clear through 17 and looking super!

10:13: Amanda Clement and Peter Pan unfortunately crossed their tracks in the Dutta Farm Yard in the main arena to pick up 20 penalties.

10:14: Elena Hengel and Say I Do picked up a runout early on course, I think at fence 7b but will verify.

10:17: Clear with two time penalties for Emily Beshear and Silver Night Lady, which opens the door for Jennie Brannigan and Stella Artois

10:18: A runout at the Elk Chapel Crossing at 17b for Elena Hengel and Say I Do. That’s their second runout on course.

10:21: Bevin Dugan and Kemmerlin picked up a drive-by at 7b, the double cabins. They are clear on second attempt.

10:24: Maya Simmons and Archie Rocks are home with our fourth double clear of the day!

10:28: A runout for Hannah Whalen and Didgeridoo at 14b at the corner in the Main Arena. They also picked up another stop at 17b.

10:28: A runout at the Springhouse Water at 22 for Bevin Dugan and Kemmerlin, and she has raised her hand to retire.

10:29: A runout at 12b for Lauren Balcomb and Guido Hatzis.

10:32: Hannah and Didgeridoo have been eliminated after a third stop on course (22b at the Spring House Water).

10:33: Lauren and Guido Hatzis picked up a second refusal on course at 17b. The Elk Chapel Crossing is proving to be very influential.

10:36: Woods Baughman and Montesquieu have been eliminated after three refusals at fence 7, the Osage Orange Combination. The skinny open corner at 7b has also been influential today.

10:38: Holly Payne Caravella and Bruisyard Hall are home clear with 5 time penalties.

10:39: A runout at 17b at the Elk Chapel Crossing for Randy Ward and Grando.

10:44: Erika Nesler and Right Above It picked up a stop at fence 17 at the Elk Chapel Crossing.

10:45: Erin Pullen and Tag picked up a runout at 7b, the influential skinny open corner at the Osage Orange Combination.

10:49: Ellie Luther and Fair Fiona had a drive by at 14b, the corner in the main arena at the Dutta Farmyard, to pick up 20.

10:52: Ellie Luther and Fair Fiona have been eliminated after two stops at the Springhouse Water at fence 22.

10:55: Jennie Brannigan and Stella Artois are home clear and inside the time to take the lead by .5! Our fifth double clear of the day!

11:02: Matt Flynn and Wizzerd are home clear with 6.8 time penalties. A sticky go at the last water but he stayed inside the flag. Well done!

11:04: Chelsea Kolman and Dauntless Courage stormed home clear and three seconds inside the time for our sixth double clear of the day. That will shoot them way up the leaderboard.

11:07: Six seconds inside the time for Dom Schramm and Bolytair B! Our seventh double clear, and that moves them up to third provisionally.

11:09: A runout at 19b for Fylicia Barr and Galloway Sunrise. They completed the rest clear and fast, just 1.6 seconds over the time.

11:22: Two runouts at 19b for Ariel Grald and Leamore Master Plan.

11:16: A glance-off to the right of the corner at 14b in the main arena for Kaitlin Spurlock and Cartender de Nyze for 20 penalties.

11:17: Grace Fulton and Wild Orange are home clear with 12.8 time penalties in their first Fair Hill!

11:18: A runout at 7b for Rebecca Hoos and Little Cruz.

11:21: Officials are reviewing whether Dasha Ivandaeva and DB Cooper missed a flag at 7b. We will bring you an update as soon as we have it.

11:23: Lauren Kieffer and Landmark’s Monaco are home clear and six seconds inside the time! Our eighth double clear.

11:29: Dasha and DB Cooper have been assessed 20 jumping penalties at 7b. She completed with 10.4 time penalties.

11:33: Jorgen Olijslager and Northern Quest Lady picked up a refusal at 14b, the corner in the main arena.

11:35: Clear and two seconds inside the time for Will Coleman and Boris O’Hara. Our ninth double clear!

11:36: Jorgen picked up a second runout on course at 17b, the Elk Chapel Crossing.

11:40: Sally Cousins and Knight Lion are home clear with 2.8 time penalties.

11:45: Clear with 2.4 time penalties for Meghan O’Donoghue and Rich N Famous to move up to fourth!

11:48: Our final pair, Bill Hoos and Ducati, are home clear with 12.8 time.

CCI2* Top Ten:

Emily Beshear and Silver Night Lady. Photo by Jenni Autry.

We waited until the end of the day in the Dutta Corp Fair Hill International CCI2* for dressage tests that really wowed the judges, and Emily Beshear and Silver Night Lady delivered a superb performance as the penultimate pair to go on the first day, scoring 43.0 to hold the overnight lead after the first 16 horses in the division.

Bill Levett campaigned the 10-year-old Irish Sport Horse mare at the CIC2* level in 2013, and Anita Antenucci imported her to the U.S. before Deep Purple Eventing ultimately purchased her as a ride for Emily in the spring. Fans of Shame on the Moon know that this makes two powerful grey mares in Emily’s barn, and she said she’s thrilled to have such talented horses at the upper levels.

“We were able to purchase her mid-May and she hadn’t competed in quite awhile, so I really just spent the summer and the fall getting to know her, and today was great,” Emily said. “She in the past has maybe been a little bit tense or nervous in the ring, and she was really focused and she really had a super test I thought. There was one little bobble where she spooked herself when the sand hit the edge of the ring, but I can forgive that.”

Emily said building the partnership with “Silvy” has not been as smooth as she would have liked, “not because she was difficult at all but she was used to Bill who was a pretty big guy. She’s a very powerful horse compared to my other mare (Shame on the Moon), so in a lot of ways she’s easier at the jumping phases, but the dressage has taken a little while.

“She’s used to someone who can support her, and she’s a big girl, so it’s taken me a little while in the ring to feel like she’s been able to put in a fluid, supple test. She has enough of a quirky personality like (Shame on the Moon) where she can be a little spooky and a little nervous, and I think she’s finally starting to trust me and get to know me. It’s working pretty well now.”

Michael Walton and Woodstock Wallaby. Photo by Jenni Autry.

Michael Walton and Woodstock Wallaby went just before Emily and Silvy and delivered a lovely performance, scoring 48.8 to sit in second place overnight as our only other score in the 40s. McKena Knott and Flanigan held the CCI2* lead at the first break and finished the first day in third on 50.3.

It’s been an action-packed day at #DuttaFHI, with Marilyn Little and RF Scandalous holding a wide lead in the CCI3* in the early going on 41.5. Click here to read the full CCI3* report after the first chunk of the division, including quotes from Marilyn and Phillip Dutton, who sits in second with I’m Sew Ready on 49.2.

It’s also been a busy day with the USEA Young Event Horse East Coast Championships running the dressage and conformation phases for both the 5- and 4-year-old divisions. Tim Bourke and Foreign Quality lead the 5-year-old division on 42.6, with Matt Flynn and Get Gaudi in second on 42.3 and Daniel Clasing and Galileo WP in third on 41.3.

For the 4-year-olds, Rebecca Lee and Bradley Cooper lead on 43.9, with Jennie Brannigan and Hopscotch in second on 42.2 and Kelli Temple and Caleesi in third on 41.5. Our friends at the USEA are publishing full reports will all the details on breeding and background on these exciting young horses, and you can see beautiful photos on EN’s Facebook from Shannon Brinkman.

We’re just warming up here at Fair Hill! Keep it locked on EN. Go Eventing.

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Marilyn Little and RF Scandalous. Photo by Jenni Autry.

The first 13 horses in the CCI3* danced in the sandbox today at the Dutta Corp Fair Hill International, with Marilyn Little and RF Scandalous’ handily taking the early lead on 41.5 in the horse’s first appearance in an FEI competition and at this level in more than a year.

The 11-year-old Oldenburg mare owned by Phoebe and Michael Manders, Jacqueline Mars and Robin Parsky, jumped clear on cross country in her CCI3* debut at Boekelo last fall but unfortunately put a stud through her coronary band on course, forcing her withdrawal before show jumping.

“She’s been out of it for a year and this is the first three-star test that I’ve done on her in a year. I didn’t have the advantage of running any combined tests because I thought she needed the run at Morven, and so she did the Intermediate there. It’s a pleasure to have her here and so much fun to ride her on the flat,” Marilyn said.

“She didn’t complete last year at Boekelo but she did the cross country course well and she was very solid out there, so I’m reasonably optimistic that she’ll put in another good performance Saturday. I’m really, really looking forward to having her out there.”

Chinch made a new friend in the press conference! Meet Boujie, Marilyn Little’s 5-month-old Belgian Malinois. She is learning to be a horse show dog and is also in training for search and rescue and agility #DuttaFHI

A photo posted by Eventing Nation (@goeventing) on Oct 13, 2016 at 11:27am PDT

Their score of 41.5 bested their test from Boekelo by four marks, and Marilyn said that improvement is in part thanks to taking “Kitty” to different venues for pure dressage shows to work on maintaining relaxation in dressage while being fit enough to run a CCI.

“She was very submissive and very obedient and focused. I think of her as a very seasoned competitor, and yet she’s dealing with this level of fitness and she is very excited. For her to be that focused and workmanlike today, it was wonderful to see that.
I had a feeling she was going to be, and was quite focused yesterday,” Marilyn said.

“I thought her extensions were obedient and the downward transitions back to the gate. The canter work lacked a bit of the brilliance that I can have sometimes; the changes weren’t quite what I hoped, but there is plenty of room for improvement. I thought the walk was much improved for her. When she gets excited sometimes I don’t get quite as much in the extended walk as I’d like, and she gave that to me today.”

Phillip Dutton and I’m Sew Ready. Photo by Jenni Autry.

Phillip Dutton and I’m Sew Ready scored 49.2 to sit in second place in the CCI3* in the early going. The 12-year-old Dutch gelding owned by John and Kristine Norton is coming off a big win at Plantation Field CIC3* but didn’t quite replicate the wow factor we’ve seen from them in past tests.  “I didn’t get him at his best today,” Phillip said. “He backed off a little bit on me when I got in the ring.”

Phillip went into cross country at Plantation Field in the lead with I’m Sew Ready and ultimately had to settle for third after choosing a more conservative place. With the horse’s fitness now in more peak condition, Phillip said he’s ready to take a crack at it come Saturday. “He’s run twice now, so I think he should be ready to go,” he said.

Phillip temporarily has the ride once again on “Jackson” while the horse’s usually jockey Kristen Bond and her husband Andrew are expecting their second child. In addition to a third-place finish at Plantation Field, Phillip and Jackson finished eighth in a star-studded division in the inaugural Advanced at Stable View in their final prep run for Fair Hill.

Kim Severson and Cooley Cross Border. Photo by Jenni Autry.

Marilyn and Phillip have our only scores in the 40s so far. Kim Severson and Cooley Cross Border scored 50.8 for third place after a bummer of a break in the first medium trot. That’s about six marks off of their typical average on this test and opens the door for other top contenders to sneak in tomorrow when the rest of the division goes. Click here to see our predictions for the top 10.

Of course, it’s not going to be a dressage show here at Fair Hill, as Derek di Grazia’s “Mini Rolex” course always manages to shake things up on cross country day. Stay tuned for a full fence-by-fence preview of the course, and you can watch a drone flyover video here.

The first part of the CCI2* division is going now, as well as the 4-year-old division in the USEA Young Event Horse East Coast Championship. Tim Bourke and Foreign Quality lead the 5-year-old division after dressage and conformation on 42.62%. Stay tuned for much more from #DuttaFHI.

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