According to William’s site, both William and Oliver have arrived in Lexington after their incredible travels over the past 36 hours. The question now is how exhausted and jet-legged are they? Both men have two days to recover and they both have a good deal of experience, so I think they will rebound quickly and be able to give their best effort to Rolex. Thanks to KM for sending us the update.
Oliver’s taxi ride from Paris to Madrid cost $3,000 US.
Two Rolex dressage judges have been replaced due to volcano related travel problems. Marilyn Payne and Christian Landholdt (SUI) will replace Anne-Mette Binder (DEN) and Sue Baxter (GBR). Gretchen Butts has been named the TD in leu of Tom Ryckewaert (BEL). Course designer Mike ES won’t arrive until Friday, and Derek di Grazia will sit in for him until then. Multiple officials for the WEG test events were also shuffled around.
Boyd’s trip to Rolex was interrupted by PA state troopers who pulled them over and gave them a ticket for not having the correct license on their truck and trailer. It’s OK Boyd, someone isn’t completely American until they have been pulled over and given an obnoxiously large fine for something trivial.
The McLain Ward and Sapphire disqualification situation is growing every day. This is easily one of the biggest stories of the year in show jumping, and I suggest The Jurga Report for the latest information, including a video explaining the hypersensitivity test.
Update: The New York Times has written an article about the Sapphire disqualification that discusses the story lines behind the scenes.
Eventing Nation is a site designed to be fun for the most intelligent and connected members of the eventing community, and, as a result, our audience is the highest quality in the equestrian media. So, if your picks in our Rolex Challenge are the best in the entire Eventing Nation, you get some serious bragging rights~ AND you also get a $100 gift card from Bit of Britain!
(1) One horse that will score less than 45.0 in the dressage (worth 5 points)
(2) One horse that will go double-clear on Saturday-0 jumping and 0 time penalties (7 points)
(3) The horse that will win Rolex (15 points)
(4) The Rolex winning score (used for breaking ties)
Note: If no horses score under 45.0 in the dressage then no points will be awarded to anyone for those first (1) picks. The same is true for XC. You can choose the same horse for multiple picks, so you could pick Horse X to (1) score less than 45.0 and to (2) go double clear on XC, etc.
>Submit your picks by entering them as a comment to THIS POST. Click on the post title and scroll down to find the ‘submit a comment’ form. You will pick three horses and a score, so please identify which horse goes with which pick (dressage under 45.0, double-clear XC, winner). A good entry will look like:
(1) Dressage: Horse X
(2) XC: Horse Y
(3) Winner: Horse Z
(4) Winning Score: 1000.0
>The deadline for submissions is the start of the first horse inspection on Wednesday.
>At the end of the Rolex, the person with the most points wins.
>IMPORTANT: You MUST be either logged into Eventing Nation or FILL OUT A VALID EMAIL in the comment form to win. We will contact the winner of the contest using this email.
>This goes without saying, but do not submit multiple entries. We can tell from multiple submissions with either the same email or from one IP address.
**Bonus: If you use an EN registered username to submit your entry, you get an extra 3 points. If you are not already registered with an EN username, click the “Register” button at the very top right of our header, or try this link. The form takes 30 seconds to fill out, and you should get an email confirmation in your inbox. After you register, click ‘sign in’ just above the submit comment form if you are not already signed in. This registration helps us to know we have a valid email for our winner.
>GOOD LUCK! That’s all there is to it. Just make sure you follow the directions, include your email in the comment form, and submit a good looking entry.
If there are any issues, send me an email and I will try to resolve them as quickly as possible. Please be patient and reasonable; craziness will make me regret having a prize for the contest. I’m leaving for Kentucky this afternoon and my next post will be from the KHP.
—-
I want to give a special thanks to John Nunn for generously providing the Bit of Britain gift certificate for the EN Rolex Challenge. I have spoken with Mr. Nunn several times over the past few months and I greatly appreciate his insight and advice. I sent out exactly one email last night asking for a gift certificate for EN’s Rolex Challenge, and I sent that email to Mr. Nunn because his company has such a rich tradition of supporting the eventing community. If you get a second while you are walking around the Rolex trade fair, please stop in Bit of Britain and thank Mr. Nunn for sponsoring EN’s Rolex Challenge. Go eventing.
Will sustained a broken collar bone in a prelim fall on XC at The Fork on April 4th, and has withdrawn from Rolex. His name was still on the Rolex entry list as of last night, but it was removed this morning (thanks to a commenter for pointing this out). This is no surprise, and I have been saying Will would have to withdraw from Rolex since it first happened.
This is unfortunate for Will and Twizzel, but also for the thousands of fans at Rolex who are going to miss seeing one of the USA’s best combinations right now. Will has taken a big step forward over the past year and, for most of the spring, he and Twizzel have been looking like a pair that belong on the US Team at the WEGs. As I have said before, Twizzel would have easily been in my top 5 at Rolex.
Expect to see Will entered at the Luhmuhlen CCI4* in mid-June and a good performance there will book his ticket to Kentucky this fall.
Note: Kate Hicks and Belmot have also been removed from the Rolex entry list.
Welcome to round 3 of EN’s group Rolex picks, whereby we have selected 3 combinations from each of our preview posts to move on to round 2. This is a bracket style competition, and at the end we will have a collective EN pick as the result of our voting in polls throughout the bracket.
Note: We will also have a separate contest where everyone can enter their own Rolex picks, per the suggestion of PlayerHater. One member of Eventing Nation will win this contest outright, and they will have the distinction of beating the best and the brightest in the eventing community. We might have a prize for this contest, depending on if I have time to find a company to sponsor it. More about that later.
—-
19 Rolex pairs from our preview posts advanced to round 2:
From preview part 1 & 2: Boyd and Neville (25%), Bonnie and Merloch (23%), Leslie Law and Mystere (19%)
From preview part 3: Phillip and Kheops (30%), Kim and Tipperary (35%), Hawley and Gin & Juice (13%)
From part 4: Allison and Arthur (30%), Will and Pawlow (28%), Mara and High Patriot (17%)
From part 5: Will and Twizzel (14%), Phillip and Chip (34%), Boyd and Remington (23%)
From part 6: Stephen and Joshua (20%), WFP and Cool Mountain (18%), Becky and Comet (19%)
From part 7: Oliver and Ashdale Cruise Master (28%), Karen and Mandiba (23%), Amy and Coal Creek (19%)
Judge’s save: Woodburn
This is a very strong list, and I think any of these combos has a shot to win Rolex. Except, I still don’t think there is any chance of Will riding Twizzel less than three weeks after breaking his collar bone, but if they did ride at Rolex, I would put Will and Twizzel in my top 5 for sure. They have looked great this spring.
In an effort to foster discussion, here are the best 5 dressage, XC, and show jumping pairs, in my opinion, based on watching the horses this spring and staring at their records for hours for the previews.
(In no particular order)
Best 5 Pairs at Dressage:
Becky and Comet: obvious Mara and High Patriot: best dressage rider in the field Kim and Tipperary: Jimmy said they would be top 3 after dressage Will and Twizzel: looked extremely polished in the training sessions and at The Fork Leslie and Mystere: consistently good
Best at Cross-Country:
Phillip and Chip: 2/2 double clears at four-stars
Phillip and Woodburn: best gallop in the field Oliver and Ashdale Cruise Master: because Oliver is riding Boyd and Neville: veteran, tough, hard working horse Will and Pawlow: meshing at just the right time
Best at Show Jumping:
Stephen and Joshua: 8 SJ penalties since 2003 Phillip and Chip: one rail in last 8 rounds WFP and Cool Mountain: great SJ rider Allison and Arthur: looked super at jumping training sessions Karen and Mandiba: gotta like Karen on Sundays
Coal Creek, Gin & Juice, and Remington all have solid all around games. I also was close to putting Chip and Ashdale Cruise Master in the best dressage group, and Mystere almost made the top show jumping group.
Everyone gets three votes again this round, and the top three from each group will move onto round 3.
—-
Oh, I almost forgot-subk requested a preview for Woodburn, but I am very tired so this is going to be short: Wodburn’s dressage is improving, but he has a tendency to get tense and lose his cool. Best case scenario for Phillip is to get Woodburn in a time slot where there will be a small crowd. Woodburn is absolutely automatic on XC, with a tremendous gallop. Show jumping is a liability for Woodburn with the over-under at one rail. Look for Phillip to ride fast in the early part of the show jumping and steady Woodburn toward the end as Woodburn tends to get more tense as the round progresses. I think Woodburn will win a 4* someday, and that day could easily come in a few days, but he might need a rail in hand and I’m not convinced that this XC course is going to give that to him.
Oh, I almost forgot, Eventing Nation is new to the world of Twitter, but we plan to learn on the fly at Rolex and the goal is to integrate Twitter into our Rolex coverage. www.twitter.com/eventingnation
As many of you know, Eventing Nation started with live coverage Fair Hill 2009, including live blogs of the XC and show jumping. We are still working out the final details of our Rolex coverage, and you know how I love surprises. But, we are hoping to work closely with other members of the eventing media, and I can say for certain that this will easily be our best live event coverage yet. Four phrases that will define our Rolex coverage: very live, cooperation, behind the scenes, and community driven.
Event coverage is exhausting and gives me a migraine every time, but it’s tremendously fun and people seem to really enjoy our coverage. Just imagine me, hopped up on caffeine, with a laptop/wireless card, with a barn pass, and with the new addition of a video camera, running around Rolex for 5 days.One way or another you’re not going to want to miss it.
On a more serious note, we have gotten emails from folks who will be missing Rolex for the first time in a while this year due to financial constraints. Our goal is to make you feel part of the action sitting at home better than you would if you had a general admissions ticket. We won’t let you down. Go eventing.
According to USA Today, the Icelandic Volcano that gave William and Oliver so many travel issues has also altered the travel plans of more than 100 officials trying to get to Rolex and the WEG test events. The dressage test event starts at 9am Tuesday.
Two judges and Rolex XC course designer Mike ES still haven’t arrived, but Rolex and WEG officials are doing a great job making sure the necessary personnel will be in place when they need to be.
We will have much more later today, but this immediately makes Phillip the clear rider favorite to win Rolex, whether on Woodburn or another horse. If you ever spend some time around Woodburn, you will quickly realize he is an obnoxiously athletic animal who seems destined to win a 4*. Consequently, we will use our American Idol Eventing Nation judge save to automatically advance Woodburn to round 2 of EN’s Rolex picks.
Note: Credit for breaking this story goes to roki143 on the COTH forum, and KL for sending us the heads up. I also have to agree with blazing saddles that the real surprise here is that Phillip has a blog.
As we reported yesterday, Oliver Townend and William Fox Pitt have been forced to find an alternative route to Kentucky due tomassive flight cancellations in the UK caused by the Icelandic volcano that erupted last week. Both Willaim and Olliver took equally amazing trips to Madrid, Spain, where they could catch a flight to Miami this afternoon.
According to British Eventing, Oliver took a train to London, and then another from London to Paris. From there, due to current train strikes (silly European workers) he had to take a taxi the 900 miles from Paris to Madrid. I’m not sure what taxi’s cost in Europe, but in New York that would cost more than the grand slam.
William, who is better connected than anyone whose name doesn’t start with ‘President’ or ‘King,’ missed the train, but took a private plane to Madrid. William’s website explains that they commandeered a single piston plane owned by James Gibson-Fleming at 4am Monday morning by visual controls.
Willaim and Olliver are now aboard a flight to Miami, according to British Eventing. They will take another flight to Atlanta tomorrow morning and still another to Lexington Tuesday afternoon. The horses arrived in quarantine in the US days ago, and they are already at the KHP.
Note: A special thanks to commenter ‘lec‘ for linking to William’s site in the comment section, which really helped fill in the details. When I retire from Eventing Nation, probably sometime after Rolex (joking), lec can take my place.
Ocala CCI: Tiffany Loudon-Meetz and Lo Finojumped a clean round with no rails in hand to win the CCI2* and $6,000 prize money EN’s Hannah Burnett won the CCI* riding Harbor Pilot for David. After entering the arena tied for the lead, she had one time penalty in show jumping, but the final rider pulled three. Sure, catch ride a horse normally ridden by your coach, an Olympic champion who also happens to be a perfectionist when it comes to horses: no pressure Hannah.
What did the CCI* course look like? I’m glad you asked
—
Fallout continues from the McLain Ward and Sapphire disqualification at the FEI world cup finals. The Cliff-Notes version of this story is that Sapphire was disqualified because of a hypersensitivity (palpation) and thermography scan conducted by FEI vets. There was no jog involved, and there is no appeals process for such a disqualification. The USEF, McLain, George Morris, and everyone else are furious over this incident and have been making implications of corruption in the FEI’s decision all weekend, such as George saying he felt very far from home. Angry editorial from HJN, Second USEF statement, FEI refuses emergency US request, COTH article
Rolex will also be the dressage and show jumping test event for the WEG. I have written about this before, but the idea here is to simulate a larger event than Rolex to help the many amazing WEG organizers and workers get everything practiced and perfect for the WEGs.
Check out Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7 of EN’s Rolex competitor previews. So far, 15 combinations have advanced to round 2 of EN’s collective Rolex pick. You will choose the last three to advance to round 2 in this preview post, and round 2 begins Monday evening. Rolex Entries List
Do we have any Family Guy fans in the house? Our fun fact about ‘Stewie’ is that he is named after the violent and villainous baby on FOX’s hit cartoon series Family Guy. Eventing Nation has had the opportunity to keep track of Holly’s path to Rolex through her EN guest blogs, which has been tremendously fun, and I expect the best is yet to come. Stewie is very energetic *understatement* young little horse, but Holly does a super job managing his emotions. Holly and Stewie have finished inside the top ten placing in 10 of their 12 advanced level competitions together. A rider fall at the Jersey CCI3* is their only issue on XC in the last 2 years and their dressage is improving each time out. I think the tension of the Rolex environment will keep Stewie from showing his best stuff, but a steady weekend will set them up well for making the team next year.
Sara was the highest placed young rider at Rolex in ’05, ’06, and ’07 and holds the record as the youngest rider ever to complete Rolex. However, Sara is older now and pressure is on to ride like the experience she has. Bred in Idaho, ‘Tony’ is 2/4 lifetime on 4* cross country courses, collecting a stop at Rolex ’05 and retiring at Burghley in ’07, but he jumped around Rolex ’06 and ’07 finishing 14th and 12th respectively. I expect Tony to jump around on Saturday and a finish just inside the top-10 would be a great weekend overall.
While I am not nearly the gentleman that Mr. Wofford is, I too refuse to discuss in print the rumors that surround Karen regarding her tattoo-so stop sending me emails people! If and when there is a police report involving the tattoo, we will of course publish that in its entirety. Mandiba has all the tools to carry Karen to the promised land this fall, but they need to get around this weekend. The trick this weekend is for Mandiba to be efficient enough around most of the course so that he can have time to study the technical questions, but he doesn’t have to be the fastest horse on Saturday to have a very successful weekend. Karen delivers in the clutch, and this weekend won’t be different: top 10 lock.
Another member of the O’Connor Event Team, Lauren is Jimmy’s pick for the highest placed Rolex rookie, and for good reason. Lauren has developed as part of OCET into one of our country’s brightest rising stars, and I guarantee this is the first of many Rolex appearances for Lauren. Lauren and ‘Snooze,’ a 15.3 Chestnut Anglo-Arabian, have grown up together and they bring a quality past performance record to Rolex with only clean XC rides since early 2009, and just 3 rails in their last 7 events. I bet that time on XC and maybe in SJ will hurt their final placing a bit, but I expect a quality weekend from Lauren and Snooze.
Michele and Amistad have had a tumultuous spring, with wins in the advanced at Chattahoochee and Pine Top and a 2nd at Rocking horse, but also a withdraw after a stop on XC at Poplar, and a fall at The Fork. Their most recent event was the win at Chattahoochee last weekend, and hopefully they can keep the momentum for a quality Rolex weekend.
Once Phillip, Buck, and Oliver withdrew a few of their horses, it left Amy with the best one-two arsenal in the field. ‘Devon’ is considerably less experienced than his stable mate Leyland, but his record shows that he should not be underestimated. Amy believes (very wisely in my opinion) that horse trials should be viewed as preparation for three-days, so Devon has time penalties at most of his horse trials, but he made the time when it counted at Fair Hill 2008 and won that event. I expect Devon to have a steady trip around Rolex with some time, but a sub-50 dressage test and a clean show jumping could still put them in the top 10, and certainly the top 20.
Jennifer Wooten-DaFoe and The Good Witch: Homepage
Jennifer and The Good Witch stormed onto the 4* scene a couple of years ago with an 11th at Pau in 2007, and a 7th at Rolex ’08. After a fall at Rolex last year and a stop at Burghley, they still find themselves on the B-list, but they need a clean round this weekend to stay there. On the upside, this pair has a very good show jumping record and they can make the time on XC. If they get around, I like them for a top 10 finish. Yes, I understand that is probably the 15th pair I have said could finish in the top 10, but you get the idea.
This is a tough pair to figure out, with 8 withdraws or retires in their last 13 events. They did win at Poplar Place earlier this spring, but a solid XC ride and a good completion should be their goal at Rolex.
Ashdale Cruise Master is Jimmy’s pick to win Rolex. Oliver is one of the best riders in the world, he won two 4*’s last year, he is riding for more money than any eventer in history, and the pair won their last full outing before Rolex, a CIC3* at Burnham Market. What’s not to like? If I had to nitpick, I would point out that Ashdale was eliminated and had a stop in his two previous four-stars, admittedly with a different rider. Oliver gives me that feeling that he will finish on his dressage score no matter what, so I like this pair to finish in the top 5, but maybe not to win.
On a personal note, I had no idea what I was getting into when I started these previews and each one probably averaged 15-20 minutes. So, we are not going to do Badminton previews, and next year they will be shorter. I will probably give my top 10, top 3, and a pick to win in the next couple of days. Go eventing.
EN’s Rolex Pick: Remember that you can vote for three combinations, and the top three will advance to the next round. Please vote for the 3 pairs that you think will place highest in Kentucky.
I never expected to have to use “Volcano Update” as part of a post title.
I have received word that Oliver Townend and William Fox-Pitt are leaving England today with a “mad travel plan” to avoid all of the massive flight delays and cancellations caused by the Icelandic Volcano. This probably means they will miss the final day of the Belton Park event, a major Badminton prep. Flight bans for the UK have been recently extended to 0600 GMT Monday (1AM EST). I wonder how high “I have a really important horse show in Kentucky this week” ranks on an Airliner’s list of priorities for delayed passengers. Check back later this evening for our final (thank God) preview group of Rolex competitors.
Update: lec, who knows her stuff, has commented that “WFP and Ollie are driving to Barcelona,Spain and then hoping to get a flight to the USA.”buena suerte
Our fun fact about Stephen is that he has been part of the last two US gold medal winning Pan American teams in ’03 an ’07. Stephen is leading the trend in our sport to save experienced horses for three-days and Joshua has done only one competition (March Full Gallop intermediate) since Rolex ’09. This is probably the most conservative 4* prep I have ever seen. That said, in three Rolex tries (’06, ’08, and ’09), Joshua places 3rd, 4th, and 10th respectively. Joshua never stops, makes time when it counts, and has 8 show jumping penalties since 2003, what’s not to like?
Our fun fact about Diana is that she is yet another Rolex entrant who likes Vanilla Ice. Diana and Manny only have three stops on their record in their last 18 competitions, but those came at their only two 4*’s together: Rolex ’09 and Burghley ’09. The key for Diana is to keep Manny focused and calm. Hopefully third time’s a charm for this Diana and Manny.
Dorothy’s farm is just 30 minutes from the Kentucky Horse Park, making Dorothy and ‘Red’ hometown favorites and the only Lexington area residents competing at Rolex. Red has really matured on the flat recently, and he is a XC machine to say the least. While some rails in show jumping will take away their shot to win, I will be cheering for this pair loudly, and so should you
Buck’s chances of picking up his first 4* win fell considerably when he withdrew Bobby and Reggie from Rolex, and he will look to give Titanium a good steady ride around Titanium’s first 4*. The nine year old ‘Ty’ is one of the best looking horses in the Rolex field, but his show jumping form still needs considerable work and Buck did an incredible job leaving every rail but one up at The Fork. The show jumping issues will be magnified as horses feel completely different on 4* Sundays. But, that’s why they pay Buck the big bucks. Sorry, I couldn’t resist.
Hailing from the land of Leprechauns and beer, otherwise known as Orlando, Florida, Hilda and Extravagance have had a busy spring. They have completed 6 events, but 5 of those events were at the intermediate or prelim level, which raises questions about whether they are prepared to run clean and fast around a 4*. They had a decent competition at The Fork CIC3*, and will be hoping for the same at Rolex.
Phillip picked up the ride on Waterfront while Jan is recovering. The pair did have a stop in their first run together at Southern Pines, but they looked great at The Fork CIC3*. I doubt they will put together a three perfect enough phases to win but a solid weekend will give them a shot at the top 10.
William is one of my favorite riders to watch because he rides with nearly perfect form for his height. One fun thing is to watch his helmet: it almost never changes height throughout the entire XC course as he protects his horse from sudden changes in his center of gravity. Speaking of his height, make sure you see William standing on the ground once, he is very tall, and typically stands almost a foot taller than his entourage.
Cool Mountain ‘Ollie’ placed 9th, 7th, and 1st in three CCI3*’s last year. Ollie has a very good show jumping record, but he has had double digit XC time penalties at all but one of his advanced level competitions. Because of this, I can’t pick them to win Rolex, but a top 10 is well within reason.
Toward the end of the day on Saturday, you are going to see someone riding a red horse wearing very bright yellow and red. Do not be alarmed. ‘Lusty’ is owned by Bruce Davidson and so Boyd rides her in the Davidson colors. The mare usually lives at Chesterland and Bruce is extremely involved in Lusty’s daily routine, which gives Boyd a tremendous advantage. Rolex will be Lusty’s first 4*, and she stopped once at her only CCI3*, but she is one of the best show jumpers in the field and I would bet Boyd finds a way to get her around the XC. The dressage is a major question mark with this pair as Lusty’s horse trial flat scores with Boyd have ranged from 35 to 66, and I am concerned that the tension of Friday afternoon at Kentucky will lead to a sub-par dressage score, making them play catchup all weekend.
please excuse the music: Silva makes a much better dressage rider/supermodel than DJ
The beautiful ‘Comet’ is one of the most talented and most experienced horses in the field. Comet’s dressage test will have the Rolex crowd gasping, and he will be in the top 3 after dressage. In terms of experience, Comet has been to 8 four-star events (Rolex ’04, Luhmuhlen ’05, Rolex ’06, Burghley ’06, Rolex ’07, Rolex ’08, Olympics ’08, and Burghley ’09). The problem, and we all know what is coming, is that Becky and Comet have struggled to put together a good weekend under pressure. In the three of their eight 4*’s where Becky and Comet didn’t have a stop or more on XC, they had 16, 12, and 8 show jumping penalties. The 8 SJ penalties at Rolex ’08 was still good enough for second, but it’s hard to win under those circumstances no matter how spectacular the dressage.
Becky and Comet make me think of the last 5 Yankee teams where all the ESPN pundits kept picking them to win the World Series and then the Yankees would fizzle in the post season. Last year the pundits finally gave up on picking the Yankees-and then they won. If Becky and Comet get around the XC, Becky and Comet are a lock for a top 10, no matter what happens show jumping, but I can’t pick them to do any better than that.
Leyland’s fun fact is that he is known as “Trouble Tryon” at home. Last year at this time, Leyland was one of the young guns hoping to make his imprint on eventing. A year and two four-stars later he is well on his way, but there is still work to be done. You can pretty well book him for a clean cross-country, but he has more ability in the dressage and show jumping than he has displayed thus far. With a 48 and a 49 on the flat a Rolex and Burghley last year, he should be able to drop that by 5 points on Thursday. He also needs to polish up the show jumping with an average of 8 penalties in his last 4 rounds with Amy. Two better extended trots, and a little extra jump here and there will put them in the top 10 and book his ticket for the WEGs.
EN’s Rolex Pick: Remember that you can vote for three combinations, and the top three will advance to the next round. Please vote for the 3 pairs that you think will place highest in Kentucky.
Sara Lieser of The Chronicle of the Horse joins me this week to preview the Rolex Kentucky Three Day Event. Listen in. Eventing Radio Episode 72 – Rolex Kentucky Three Day Event Preview:
Last week, EN contributor ‘lec‘ wrote about grassroots eventing in the UK. This week, lec was kind enough to write about the UK young rider system. Thanks for writing this lec and thank you for reading.
—-
From lec:
This week thought I would look at the Young Riders System that we have in place here in the UK. This is the system that any rider under the age of 21 can take part in and have access to top class training and specialised competitions.
Anyone over the age of 12 years old can take part in BE. BE recently lowered the age and I was one of those that was against this move as felt it was unnecessary as they had plenty of opportunity in pony club which adult riders did not have. But to be fair to them they ride better than adults, look much safer and generally there have not been many of them.
Anyone over the age of 12 can take part on a horse or pony but in Europe we have a specialist group called Pony Riders. They can take part in Pony trials for the European Pony Championships that takes place every year. The Ponies have to be under 14.2hh and are measured. The championships compete over 1* level courses. The top ponies look like mini sports horses (think Teddy O Connor). The top ponies sell for big money as you can only take part in pony trials up to the age of 16 but as anyone knows ponies will keep going a long time! There is one pony called Noble Springbok. He has never come home from a championship without a medal. He is now on his 3rd child rider.
Pony trials are dreadfully competitive and it’s not the children! I once dressage stewarded next to the Pony trials arena and I could have killed the adults who were getting in my way and shouting at their child. The trials are always watched by expert eyes in the form of team selectors and trainers. Anyone who wants to do pony trials has to attend training and get officially approved for safety reasons.
Next we have Juniors. They are aged 16-18 years old. As with ponies success can be bought. It’s a sad fact about our sport but money talks. The juniors have a European Championship every year which is held over a 1* course. Those vying for team places will have specialist team training and access to some lottery funding to help support them but on the whole there are maybe 15-20 on the long list.
For those juniors who are good riders but perhaps not team material we have a nationally run class called Junior Regional Novices (JRN) these are run over prelim height and are watched by specialist trainers to pull anyone up who is not safe or help those who are struggling. If you do well in JRNs you will be selected to run at the prestigious junior championships held at Weston Park. This is held over a 1* course.
The juniors can be easily recognised. For girls the look is that of long blonde hair, lots of make up and skin tight breeches or short tweed skirts when not riding. The boys are normally never far from mummy who has done all the work on the horse for son to just get on and ride. A ridiculous amount of floppy hair seems to go with the boys as well! I have several friends who refuse to compete at the 1* at Weston park as it’s a nightmare with all the juniors partying all night long, throwing tantrums and generally being teenagers. With one or two you can ignore it but when there are 500 of them it’s hard to get away. They also tend to have large entourages! (NB these are massive generalisations in case you are 18 and seriously offended! But as with every generalisation there is a grain of truth.)
Finally we have Young Riders. These are aged 18-21. They are normally hard working and have made their own horses. They have a yearly European Championship which is held over 2*. The Young Riders are normally incredibly good riders, have often come up through the system and some have a good horse they have bought on themselves and make it for the young riders team. The final trial for Young Riders is normally held at Bramham over CCI3*. Many of the Young Riders are pretty much pros by this stage and may have been riding full time or balancing it with university. They can also access team training and lottery funding.
For those that are not team material but still competitive there are Open Intermediates for Riders under 21 (OIU21) These are very similar to the JRNs and also have their annual championship at Weston Park but over the 2* course.
So does the system work?
The one thing that many struggle with who came through the system is that effectively as soon as you are 22 you are spat into the big nasty world of being a senior. Many successful young riders will never be heard of again as they lack the horse power or the years of dedication in the wilderness. Pippa Funnell is a typical case. Pippa won medals at Junior and Young Riders European Championships on her amazing horse Sir Barnaby. This little horse also took her to being placed at Badminton but was never considered for senior teams. Pippa then spent years in the wilderness as a senior with horses never being good enough for senior teams even though she won at 2* and 3*. It was about 12 years later that she finally managed to get a senior team place on Bits and Pieces in 1997. Pippa had the tenacity to keep going but many riders realise they cannot make a living out of the sport or parents cannot afford to keep helping them. Many pony riders and juniors are pushed so hard that they just give up.
Out of the current British Senior Team, there are several who successfully came through the system – Tina Cook, Piggy French, William Fox Pitt and Lucy Weigersma. But all four of them had horsey parents and were tremendously supported and helped. It is practically impossible to get on the pony, junior or young riders teams without serious amounts of parental/mentor support. Equally half of the current senior squad did not come through the system (Oliver Townend, Nicola Wilson and Mary King) and got there in there own way so it is not essential to have done it – phew still gives me hope! ;).
At the less serious end the JRNs and the OIU21s encourage good riding, get access to good training and the end of year championships are a big aim. Many of the juniors and young riders are very good. It is also achievable for the average horse that they can do 1* and in the process teach their rider a lot. There is a big market for JRN horses. They are horses who are comfortable at 1* but advanced or being competitive at 2* is a stretch too far and they are genuine horses who will teach their riders the ropes.
One or two of the teenage riders will develop egos but usually the harsh realities of horses will ground them. I never really notice them unless they are being obnoxious but then usually that kind of behaviour is being encouraged by a parent. We do have what are called JRN brats whose parents have bought them the Butet saddles, the massive lorry with pop out sides and a string of previously advanced horses but I guess I am only jealous as never had that kind of opportunity and I think its prevalent in every aspect of society. Luckily in eventing the only place that success comes before work is in the dictionary.
As a quick note before we jump into our penultimate preview group, the FEI announced in a press release last night that McLain Ward’s incredible show jumper Sapphire was disqualified for veterinary reasons from the World Cup Final in Geneva. Apparently the FEI vets used a thermography and clinical examination of Sapphire’s legs to determine she was unfit to continue the competition. The USEF SJ team vet, Dr. Time Ober said in a statement this morning that Sapphire was sound and that the FEI test results did not warrant disqualification. There is obviously much, much more behind this story. USEF Press Release, Princess Haya Statement, *COTH’s Article*
Check out Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7 of EN’s Rolex competitor previews, and vote in today’s poll as Eventing Nation works our way toward a collective Rolex prediction. So far the riders who have made it onto the next round are: Allison, Will Faudree, Mara Dean, Phillip and Kheops, Kim, Hawley Bennett-Awad, Boyd and Neville, Bonnie, Leslie Law.
The 10 day forecast for Lexington predicts showers throughout Rolex weekend. Considering that it seems like meteorologists are wrong over 50% of the time, I take this as mild to strong good news at this time.
I am hearing chatter that the Icelandic volcano eruption that has grounded many European flights is interfering with the travel of several Rolex officials. No word yet on European riders or horses, but Oliver Townend’s and WFP’s horses are already in the US for certain. Most news reports suggest that our friends in Europe are able to find ways around the flight cancellations by taking different routes.
Finally, I have heard the faintest rumor that their might be a last minute rider change on one of the Rolex horses, so we will keep you posted about that over the next couple of days if there is anything to it. Now, onto our preview:
Will and Twizzel are one of the USA’s best pairs, and they are as likely as anyone right now to make the WEG squad, except for Phillip and Buck. That said, if Will rides XC at Rolex, I will go streaking on Sunday. Will broke his collar bone 12 days ago at The Fork, he had surgery to repair the break. Even if he could, I can’t think of any reason why Will would run at Rolex rather than waiting for the Luhmuhlen CCI4* in mid June. I am even more confident saying this because word in the barns is that Will has already received an ‘OK’ from the USET to run at Luhmuhlen. Will placed 5th at Luhmuhlen last year with Twizzel, and they should still be considered favorites to make the WEGs.
Continuing our discussion of how Phillip makes the time on XC better than anyone else, one of the things Phillip helps teach his students is to save a second before, over, and after each jump. Saving a second before the fence means improving the length of time it takes to collect from gallop to the suitable canter for the obstacle, saving a second over the fence mean taking a smart line, and saving a second after the fence means galloping away efficiently. If you can save three seconds over every fence on a course with 30+ elements…do the math. When you watch Phillip ride this weekend, observe how close he gallops to the ropes, and the efficient lines he takes with his horses.
Phillip has such a great relationship with ‘Chip’ that you will really get to see all of Phillip’s time saving techniques on display with this horse on Saturday. Chip hasn’t competed in a 4* since 2005, but in that year he completed both Rolex and Burghley with a grand total of 4 jumping penalties for both events and finished 2nd at each. Chip is also perhaps the best show jumper in the field with one rail in 8 previous rounds. Oh, and Chip hasn’t had a stop since 2003. Oh, and he dropped a 24.7 at Southern Pines in the best dressage test I have ever seen him have. Chip is Jimmy’s runner up pick for Rolex, but we have to consider that Ms. Jones threatened Jimmy not to jinx the horse. I haven’t been threatened yet (maybe my picks are considered the anti-jinx when you factor in EN Karma), but I’ll hold off on making my final pick until later. For now, let’s just say that if Chip competes through the weekend, he’s as close to a lock for a top-3 finish as you will ever find.
Our fun fact about Kristi is that she is coached by Derek Di Grazia out in California. Kristi and R-Star (16.2 Greg Holsteiner M) are another west coast pair making their Rolex debut, and they are perhaps the best of that bunch. R-Star is just 8 years old, but shows great potential, with clean rounds in her last 16 XC rides and a quality show jumping record. I think Kristi will take her time around the XC to give this young mare a good experience, but they are a pair to keep an eye on for the future.
Wow, the west coast is really showing up at Rolex this year! Debbie and The Alchemyst have a stop at their only advanced competition this spring, the CIC3* at Galway, but they jumped around Rolex ’09 to finish in 25, and a similar placing this year would be a quality weekend.
Our fun fact about Boyd is that he likes the Hilltop Hoods. Jimmy jokingly doesn’t give Remington much of a chance at Rolex this year, but that’s the story of this horse’s career. Two years ago I thought Remi would make some young rider a very nice first prelim horse, but Boyd has shown once again that he can find the 4* hidden deep within a horse. It’s the Thomas story and the Neville story all over again; a nightmare for any owner who spends $150K to buy a superstar for their pro. Remington hasn’t stopped in 31 starts with Boyd, and he was 6th at both the Jersey and the Fair Hill CCI3* last year. Fine, sit there and tell me that the horse doesn’t have the jump, tell me he’s a little slow, point out that it has a couple of suspect show jumps on its record: I won’t argue with you. But the horse has guts, and with Boyd that’s good enough for a top-10 even with some time on XC.
(note: I’m not sure if anything in this Hilltop Hoods video is explicit lyrics because I can’t understand what they are saying, but it’s entirely possible)
After a tough 2008 with a stop at Rolex and two stops at the Olympics, Selena and Columbo had a quality 2009, finishing just within the ribbons at Rolex. With her experience and consistency of late, Selena should win the ‘Crosby trophy’ as the highest placed Canadian at Kentucky this year, with a shot at the top 10 if they pick up the pace on XC, eh? Our fun fact about Selena is that she and her mom make a great team at the events.
Michael bought Wonderful Will from Mike Winter around the time Mike moved to England last year. Wonderful Will gives me the impression of controlled (sorta) chaos on XC, but his attacking style suits Michael and they had a great looking XC round at The Fork. Rolex will be Michael’s first three-day with Will, but I’m expecting good things.
Our fun fact about Ashley is that she placed 5th individually at the Pan Ams in 2003 with All’s Fair. All’s Fair is probably the most experienced horse in this field. All’s Fair has finished 4 Rolex events (’03, ’04, ’06, ’07), jumping around 3 of those cleanly and finishing in 18th, 20th, 20th, and 29th respectively. All’s Fair also finished Burghley in ’04 with one stop. The 18 year old Thoroughbred will give Ashley yet another run at Rolex this year and let’s be sure to give the veteran horse a special cheer along the way for being with us at Kentucky for so many years.
EN’s Rolex Pick: Remember that you can vote for three combinations, and the top three will advance to the next round. Please vote for the 3 pairs that you think will place highest in Kentucky.
Today is one of my favorite days of the year because the great Jim Wofford’s Rolex Preview comes in the mail from the COTH. Jimmy’s preview of each rider is wonderful because he says so much in just a few sentences, and his insights come from decades of watching the riders and horses develop. Here are a few notes from the preview:
Jimmy’s pick to win: Oliver Townend and Ashdale Cruise Master. Jimmy had an incredible two year streak of picking Rolex winners in ’07 and ’08 with Clayton Fredericks and Phillip respectively. Jimmy originally picked Carousel Quest in his preview for this year, but since Oliver scratched Carousel Quest after the COTH article went to print, Jimmy amended his prediction by picking Ashdale Cruise Master, with a strong honorable mention to Phillip and The Foreman. Going 2 for 3 with picks the past three years is an extraordinary achievement, and Jimmy has a great chance to make it 3 for 4 this year.
Jimmy puts a high priority on experience when making his predictions, and he suggests that many of the younger horses that I have predicted to do well need another year of polish. It will be very interesting to see how the athletic youngster vs savvy veteran story-line plays out at Kentucky.
Mike ES is quoted as saying that his course makes Rolex a “big four-star rather than a hard four-star.” This might open things up for the better combined test horses in the field, such as Mystere Du Val.
Jimmy’s ‘whodat’ pick for the highest placed Rolex rookie is EN’s own guest blogger Lauren Kieffer and Snooze.
In an interesting moment, Jimmy basically predicts Amy and Leyland will make the WEG team by saying they will do better at the WEGs than Rolex.
If you don’t subscribe to the COTH, be sure to pick up a copy of this issue at your local tack store, it’s well worth the price.
—-
The USEA has published the Spring edition of it’s online magazine, which is a Rolex preview issue. Josh and Emily have done a fantastic job developing this online magazine format for the USEA, and I love how it utilizes videos and video ads. This issue contains a Rolex preview, an interesting analysis of the bloodlines of recent Rolex winners (which points out that the past 9 Rolex winners all have mostly TB bloodlines of primarily Irish or British ancestry and only one has any warmblood ancestors), and an FEI doping article from Kent Allen. Check it out: EventingUSA 2.0
—-
David wrote a great article for the Chronicle, which, among other insights, explains that Buck, Will Coleman, and Boyd will lead our sport for the next 10 years, and he suggests that a healthy rivalry among competitors might be what US eventing needs to take our riders to the next level.
The Eventing Radio Show’s Episode 72 is their Rolex Preview
In a recent study, 60% of horses who were scoped were found to have stomach ulcers. Sadly, the barn lifestyle is not natural for horses for many reasons. Ulcers can lead to many behaviors for horses that are too often just considered bad behavior, especially because the diagnosis and treatment of ulcers is neither cheap nor an exact science.
The British dressage champtionships had to be rescheduled due to a Papal visit.
A few notes before we begin. First, William Fox-Pitt’s Cool Mountain, and Oliver Townend’s Ashdale Cruise Master and ODT Master Rose have landed in New York, where they will stay in quarantine until they travel to the Horse Park on Saturday. In particular, this means that there is a very strong chance we will get to see WFP ride at Kentucky, which is a rare treat indeed.
Also, 3D3W has published its Rolex preview, written by Peter Green.
Kelly was one of EN’s first guests in the site’s early days when no one had heard of us, and she will always be an Eventing Nation favorite because of that. Our fun fact about Kelly is that her dad has taught her throughout most of her eventing career. Kelly and Hollywood (17yo 16hh Bay TB G) bring experience and toughness to Rolex this year. The pair has competed at Rolex twice, finishing 14th and 27th, and at the FHI CCI3* three times, finishing 8th, 13th, and 3rd, and the pair did not collect a stop at any of these major events. Hollywood’s dressage has been steadily improving, and a dressage score in the mid to low 50’s will give them a great shot at a top 10 finish.
Our fun fact about Allison is that she graduated on the Dean’s list from Bowdoin College. Arthur (17hh Chestnut ISH G) is one of the most talented horses in the Rolex field, and Allison has gained a lot of experience over the past several years. But Allison and Arthur have struggled under big time pressure recently with an elimination at Burghley followed by a stop at the Blenheim CCI3*. This pair has a strong history at Kentucky, placing 13th and 14th the last two years, and they have looked very strong in the training sessions I watched this year and at Southern Pines and The Fork. Allison and Arthur could win Rolex, but this is a very important weekend for Allison’s career and the pressure has never been greater.
UN is a little powerhouse of a mare who comes into Rolex with a great deal of experience. UN has competed in three previous four-stars, Rolex ’07, Burghley ’07, and Rolex ’08 and had at least a stop in each one, but she has more than enough talent to get around a four-star clean and hopefully this will be the year. This is definitely a pair to root for.
Our fun fact is that Cavaldi is the name of an italian torturer in the movie The Brother Grim with Matt Damon and Heath Ledger. “Joey” is a very nice veteran horse to keep an eye on throughout the weekend. Joey hasn’t had a stop since Rolex ’05, and he jumped around Burghley ’07 clean. I expect a little time on XC to hold back what should be an otherwise solid weekend.
Will’s fun fact is that he grew up on a cattle ranch in Texas (thus the cowboy hat at the jogs). I have been talking about Will and Pawlow as a pair to watch since I first saw them at Pine Top this Spring. Powlow reminds me of Antigua in that he fits Will’s style of riding quite well by backing himself off of the fences and letting Will kick on. Pawlow is unquestionably a young 4* horse, but he has looked more mature each time out this Spring and they haven’t placed outside of the top 10 yet this year. Pawlow’s dressage isn’t confirmed yet but he won’t add more than 7 or 8 jumping penalties and if things go their way, I expect Will and Pawlow to finish in the top 10, and give the selectors something to think about for the WEGs.
Ian’s fun fact is that his son is a working student for Oliver Townend. The grey Napalm is perhaps most recognizable on XC because he gallops with a very short neck, which perhaps contributes to the amount of time he usually has. Ian and Napalm completed Rolex in ’06 and ’07 with clean XC rounds, but shaky dressage and show jumping have held back his placings. That said, Ian and Napalm scored a 31 in the advanced dressage at The Fork and followed that up with a clean show jumping ride, which gives them good momentum entering Rolex.
Steph and Port Authority are two of Canada’s brightest rising stars. They have one of those great partnerships that develops between a rider and a horse who have grown together through the levels. At both Pine Top and The Fork, amidst two of the strongest fields this Spring, Port Authority had the lowest jumping totals of the entire competition. I don’t expect that to happen at Rolex, but I do expect an excellent weekend to make them one of the highest placed Canadians and to set them up as definite contenders for the Candian WEG squad.
Jonathan Paget and Clifton Promise (NZL): About Jonathan
Jonathan is the leading rider for Clifton Eventers, which is a massive program in New Zealand with multiple upper level riders designed to produce top horses and win international competitions. The program is funded by Frances Stead and any horses with ‘Clifton’ in the name probably come from her program. Clifton Promise was the 15th ranked horse in the FEI world rankings for 2009, and has Nasrullah bloodlines so he must be fast. Rolex is this horse’s first four-star, but he is a quality jumper and a good performance here will be a strong step forward for the Clifton program.
Our fun fact about Mara is something I have said before, but is worth repeating, she is an incredible dressage rider who rides some of the most polished tests I have ever seen. High Patriot is certainly not one of the most athletic horses in the Rolex field, but Mara gets absolutely %100 percent out of him, and then some. High Patriot and Mara looked very solid when I saw them at The Fork, and the only risk is that he might be slightly out-scoped at the 4* level. This is High Patriot’s first four-star, but he hasn’t had a stop since 2008, he will be in the top 20 after the dressage, and with a little luck this is a top 10 pair.
EN’s Rolex Pick: Remember that you can vote for three combinations, and the top three will advance to the next round. Please vote for the 3 pairs that you think will place highest in Kentucky.
I would call this weekend the calm before the storm that is Rolex, but there isn’t anything calm about it. Dressage begins for the Florida CCI* at 1PM today, and CCI2* dressage starts tomorrow. There are many divisions in action across the country, including an advanced event, CIC*, and CIC2* at Fair Hill, a CIC3*, CCI* and CCI2* at Twin Rivers and a grand total of 7 events running in the US this weekend.
Notes: Mara Dean has Rolex entrant High Patriot entered in the advanced, whom I can only assume will do the combined test or just the dressage if they are still planning on Kentucky. Phillip has Inmidair entered in the advanced.
Our fun fact about Phillip is that he is the fastest rider in the US, and maybe the World. Let’s spend a little time talking about this, and I may continue the discussion in our previews of Phillip’s other rides. Several years ago, Karen summarized the secret to one part of Phillip’s speed beautifully when she said that he can collect without slowing down. When you see Phillip riding on Saturday, watch how it happens. The process starts with a slight rebalance by Phillip, but then as the jump gets closer, his horse will rebalance itself off of the fence, and then Phillip adds leg and presto!Phillip achieves better collection and better balance in the canter than anyone else at 50 meters per minute faster than anyone else. The exact method for teaching this process to horses is a closely guarded government secret, and if I told you, I’d have to kill you, but it takes years of near perfect training. On top of it all, Phillip hits the perfect spot every time, which never hurts.
Now, after explaining all of that, I should point out that Kheops, the first of Phillips rides, has a reputation for being strong on course, which can make implementing Phillip’s technique challenging because sometimes Phillip will just have to take a couple of tugs and lose those precious seconds like the rest of us. However, Phillip has been very patient producing ‘Danny’ and the horse looked like he was really listening to Phillip at Southern Pines, which was their last outing together. A 30 in the dressage at SoPo was a great sign as well, and Danny has one of the better show jumping records in the Rolex field. I see Danny putting in a solid dressage test, moving up to striking distance on the XC, delivering a 0 or 4 point show jumping round and then waiting to see how far that jumps them up the scoreboard.
Sara is a former A Pony Clubber, and won young riders in 2000, and our fun fact about Sarah is that she will have the best hair in the Rolex field. Somerset (17hh Dark Bay TB G) is an extremely nice horse, the kind of horse that the very top riders talk about wanting. Somerset placed 16th at Rolex last year, adding just 1 point to his dressage score. Sarah and Somerset have only competed in 3 events since then, and they withdrew from The Fork after XC, which raises major questions, but if they are good to go for Rolex I expect a nearly clean jumping effort to put them in very solid contention.
Another one of our left coast teams, this will be Kelly and Ballinakill Glory’s first 4*, but they have international experience with a trip to Poland last year for the World Cup final where they placed 16th, and they finished the year off with a 17th at the muddy Fair Hill CCI3*. Kelly and ‘Pippa’ (16.2 Bay ISH M) collected a stop at the Galway CIC3*, a track that rode pretty easily, but, other than that, they bring a solid dressage and show jumping game to Rolex and I expect at least a top 20 finish. Our fun fact is that in the hood, ‘Ballinakill’ means ‘to accidentally or intentionally kill someone with and Air Jordan while playing basketball.’
Kim’s fun fact is that she is the biggest perfectionist as a rider that I have ever seen. In previewing Rolex, this is one of the toughest combinations for me to figure out. On one hand, Kim is the queen of Kentucky. With three Rolex wins, nobody has had more success in Kentucky, and when you combine that with her other international accomplishments, Kim gives me the feeling that she would find her way into the top 10 at Rolex riding an Alpaca. Of course, Paddy (17.2 Grey Irish Draught G) is anything but an Alpaca, and he placed 5th with Kim at Rolex ’08. Since then, he has only completed 8 events, and watching The Fork show jumping left me with some questions, but a great weekend at Kentucky puts the pair right back into the thick of the WEG hunt. Do you want to bet against Kim riding at Kentucky for a chance to compete at Kentucky in the World Equestrian Games later this fall? This is Kentucky, this is Kim, this is clutch time; I’m expecting a great performance.
A perennial Rolex team, Tara and Buckingham Place have competed in Kentucky the last 3 years in a row. The fun fact is that Tara is married to a friend of mine, and they have a beautiful baby. Tara and Buckingham Place collected a stop but also the win and a new car at the Red Hills CIC3* earlier this year and they have not competed since then. As one of the most experienced Rolex pairs in the field, look for a savvy XC ride from Tara and Buckingham Place on Saturday.
Hawley Bennett-Awad is another rider based in California competing at Rolex this year. As a fun fact, Hawley carried the Olympic torch for Canada on it’s relay this winter. While this is Gin & Juice’s (Ginny’s) fist four-star, Hawley has gained considerable experience competing with the lovely Livingstone, including the Olympics, Pan Ams, Rolex (4 times), and Badminton. WIth Ginny, Hawley won the Bromont CCI3* in 2009, and they bring an all-around solid three phases against the best in the World at Rolex.
Our fun fact about Andrea is that her family owns Twin Rivers Ranch in California, home of several events including a fall CIC3*. With only 5 events on record since 2008 and all of those on the West Coast, it’s hard to know what to expect from Estrella in her first four-star, but being a small chestnut mare, I’d expect a mediocre dressage test followed by some fire on the XC.
Jessica Hampf and High Society (16hh B TB G) bring a very clean but slow XC record to Rolex with over 20 time penalties in 11 of their previous 12 events. Not many people trim time at Rolex, especially in their first time at a 4*, so I would anticipate a solid weekend for Jessica but not a top placing.
After a few years away from the top levels of eventing, Peter has made a strong comeback and is poised for a good performance at Rolex this year. Our fun fact about Peter is that he is the helmet-cam guy. I have never met Peter, but I like what I have seen from watching him at competitions; he is a tall, polished rider who treats his horses kindly. Henry (16.2 Bay Argentine SH G) has a very good XC record, with only two stops and two TE’s with Peter in their 24 competitions together, and they have only had double digit time penalties once. If Peter can avoid jumping the wrong jump at Rolex, I think this pair should do well and could easily flirt with a top 10.
EN’s Rolex Pick: Remember that you can vote for three combinations, and the top three will advance to the next round. Please vote for the 3 pairs that you think will place highest in Kentucky.
