As an update to our predictions from this morning, we have heard whispers this afternoon that the USEF selectors were heavily interested in Tiana Coudray and Ringwood Magister to add to the group of US based pairs on the short list. The British based Tiana and “Finn” finished 13th at the Saumur CCI3* in May despite picking up 20 penalties on the cross-country. Gun to my head right now, if you asked me who the USEF Executive Committe is debating for the short list: Mystery Whisper, Mighty Nice, Neville Bardos, Otis Barbotiere, Manoir De Carneville, Mr. Medicott, Twizzel, Loughan Glen, Ringwood Magister, Arthur, and RF Rovano Rex (11 pairs). But, that is still very much a prediction under “ridiculous commentary” and not any official announcement. Stay tuned for the official word soon. Go eventing.
Two for two wins at Bromont–get me a pair of those sunglasses
Sometime between now and tomorrow the USEF will release the US nominated entry and short list for the Olympic Games. The nominated entry is a list of approximately 15 pairs that will be submitted as Olympic nominated entries. The short list is a list of 10-12 pairs who will be sent to England for final Olympic preparations. Those pairs will fly out in a week and the final squad will be named after the mandatory outing at Barbury in July. This of course is in contrast to Team Canada’s approach of naming their team/squad Sunday night.
The excellent US vet team is finishing their evaluations at Bromont this morning. The veterinary info will be compiled and presented to the selectors and then they will meet to make their short list nominations. The Selectors are a critical part of the process, but their job is just to make nominations (recommendations)–they do not have power to formally appoint the team. From there the selections will move on to the Eventing High Performance Committee and then on to the USEF Executive Committee for final approval this evening.
After pretty much every single US Olympic hopeful stepped up with a quality weekend at Bromont, the blessing and the challenge for the selectors this morning is that they have too many good pairs to choose from. Here’s a breakdown of my thoughts/predictions about the short list, filed squarely under the “ridiculous commentary” category on EN. Also please note that these thoughts don’t include any inside knowledge from the post-Bromont vet evaluations. I’m going to work primarily from my list of 17 top Olympic prospects that I identified in May.
Phillip Dutton: Mystery Whisper is an obvious choice after he dominated the North American eventing scene all spring, no doubt about it. Since I’d want Phillip on my eventing team riding anything with four legs, the selectors will send Phillip to England with two, perhaps three horses. Mighty Nice and Fernhill Eagle are the two logical options. I absolutely loved Mighty Nice at Rolex (10th) and he was superb at Bromont. This horse is a beautiful jumper. I give the slight edge to Mighty Nice if they send Phillip with just two. There’s two on my predicted short list, perhaps three.
Sinead Halpin and Manoir De Carneville: “Tate” is already in England (and enjoying himself quite a bit if Meg’s blogs are any indicator) so I consider him a lock for the short list. This pair had two dominant performances at four-stars last year and looked good all spring including a second at Jersey. That’s three.
Boyd Martin: Boyd and Neville are a lock, no doubt about it. Boyd has been asking the selectors to send his three top horses to England–Neville, Remington, and Otis. Before Sunday I would have said that in my opinion it didn’t make sense to leave someone off of the plane so that Boyd could have a third horse. Boyd’s three clear rounds yesterday were so impressive that I think all three horses deserve to go, but I still lean towards a feeling that it makes more sense for the team to send another horse and rider pair instead of a third horse for Boyd. I honestly don’t have a good read on what the selectors will do with this situation, but it’s going to be at least two for Boyd. If forced to choose between Remington and Otis I would pick Otis because I believe he’s the better show jumper (there are two SJ rounds in the Olympic format) and he’s slightly faster in my opinion. A 3rd at Rolex this year is also nice for Otis’ resume. That’s five, maybe six.
Karen O’Connor and Mr. Medicott: When Karen first got the ride on Mr. Medicott I had serious questions about how quickly Karen would “click” with this horse. She has gone way beyond that and they excelled at Rolex (4th) and Bromont (1st). There’s no question in my mind that they deserve to be and will be on the short list. That’s six, acknowledging that Phillip and Boyd could get an extra.
I feel confident about those six short list picks. The next four picks are considerably more challenging because there are so many good options. Here are what I think are the remaining top possibilities: Andromaque, Pawlow, Loughan Glen, Can’t Fire Me, Demeter, Rovano Rex, Ballynoecastle RM, Arthur, and Twizzel. Remember that the Olympic format lends itself to having three sure cross-country horses and then potentially taking horses with higher risk and higher reward in the final two spots. Also remember that the selectors might look at the final couple of short list picks as a change to develop future pairs.
Will Faudree: Both Pawlow and Andromaque have had inconsistent springs, but Will came through in the clutch as expected at Bromont, incurring just 4.8 jumping penalties for both horses combined on the weekend. I’d want to send Will to England and see how he does at the mandatory outing. I give the edge to Andromaque “Missy” if only because she beat Pawlow “Ernie” this weekend. I have loved Andromaque since I first saw her go intermediate at Maryland a few years ago, so call me biased. That’s seven.
Will Coleman and Twizzel: Will and Twiz finished 5th at Rolex. They pulled rail down on Sunday at Bromont after skipping the cross-country. I think the selectors want to give Will a shot at making the team and for good reason. They will need a better dressage test at Barbury to have a shot at the team but I think they have earned a spot on the short list. That’s eight.
Clark Montgomery and Loughan Glen: Aside from their Rolex cross-country round, this pair has had an excellent lead up to the Olympics, starting with a great result at Blenheim (5th) last year. They finished third in the Bromont CIC3*. I think there are some valid questions about whether Loughan Glen is experienced enough to compete at his best on the ultimate stage, but this horse’s upside on the flat might be enough to give him an edge over the remaining pairs. That’s nine.
I’m going to be honest, the tenth spot is wide open in my mind. I can’t even make up my mind as to who I would pick, much less who I think the selectors will pick. Arthur finished second at Rolex, which is a huge boost to his resume. I think Buck is a great teammate and I’d love to have him on the trip to England. Can’t Fire Me is a spectacular horse, but I think he hurt his chances with XC time and rails at Bromont. Most of all, I don’t know what to do with Demeter and Rovano Rex. I’d put a 100% healthy Rovano Rex on the plane, but neither horse show jumped on Sunday and these horses’ seasons are up in the air. Put a gun to my head and I would say Allison and Arthur because I want to see how they would compete in the big atmosphere at Barbury. I have no idea what the selectors will do to be honest. That’s ten-ish.
My 10 picks: Mystery Whisper, Mighty Nice, Manoir De Carneville, Neville, Otis, Mr. Medicott, Andromaque, Twizzel, Loughan Glen, and Arthur.
Sometime later today we’ll bring you either a short list that we are either very sure about or 100% sure about and we’ll be very clear about which one it is. Today we take one step closer to a US Olympic medal in London. I apologize in advance for any server problems. Stay tuned and go eventing.
The Canadian vet team took about three hours to look at the Canadian horses on Sunday evening and then the selectors quickly made their decision to name 6 pairs to the Canadian Olympic team. The fortunate 6, if you haven’t already heard:
Hawley Bennett and Gin N Juice
Rebecca Howard and Riddle Master
Jessica Phoenix and Exponential
Michele Mueller and Amistad
Peter Barry and Kilrodan Abbott
Shandiss Wewiora and Rockfield Grant Juan (Alternates)
After 5 hours of sleep and then the first shift of a 12 hour truck drive across Canada, please forgive me any typos. One thought about Team Canada for each hour of sleep, plus two:
1) Even though Colombo had enough at fence four on Saturday I still expected him to show jump on Sunday. However, when that didn’t happen, the writing was on the wall that his Olympic campaign was over. It’s sad news for Team Canada to have their WEG “big four” become a big three, but that’s eventing. Selena has several nice young horses coming along including her Pan Am horse Foxwood High and she’ll be back riding for Canada soon. Fortunately, the rest of the now big three remains intact.
2) Jessica Phoenix had surgery on Saturday for her broken collar bone and she should be back in action in two weeks with “Tucker” fresh from being tuned up by DOC at Camp O’Connor.
3) Once we heard that Jessie had only broken her collar bone, all signs pointed to her still being a lock for the team. I watched Jessie ride while 8 months pregnant two years ago, so don’t think she won’t be back and better then ever before the Olympics.
4) Rebecca Howard was the best of the Canadians by far at Bromont and she’s absolutely clutch. Riddle Master was never in doubt, let’s move on. Hawley Bennett and Gin N Juice came up big at the WEGs and despite the runout on Sunday, there was still no question that they would make the team. Hawley will be training with a fire these next few weeks to get things sorted out. I expect Ginny to be on top form in time for London.
5) In stark contrast to those veteran pairs, the final team spots for Canada have been up in the air all year and even through the weekend at Bromont. In May, I listed 7 other possible pairs for Canada. Of those, Lindsay Pearce with Saniki and Candar Van Het Neerveld suffered setbacks at recent competitions. As a complete aside, I should also take a moment to wish Lindsay a very happy engagement! Back to the Olympic picture, Diana Burnett and Shigatzi withdrew before the XC at Bromont. That left Shandiss, Peter, Michele, and Jessica Hampf. I honestly think that a really strong case could be made for Jessica considering her good cross-country ride at Rolex, but she underperformed the other three this weekend. Peter had to make the team after his Rolex and performing so well at Bromont. Amistad is a fantastic horse and I can see why the selectors would want to send him with Michele. Shandiss’ horse is very sound and I imagine the selectors look at sending her to England as a good way to invest in her experience in addition to serving as an alternate. I could see Lindsay serving as a backup if the team gets to England and needs another alternate.
6) What does this team mean for Olympic ambitions? I believe that the veterans–Jessie, Rebecca, and Hawley–all have to come up big. Canada should hope for one heck of a tough course at Greenwich from Sue Benson. Then they need 3 rides under 50 and they need to finish on that. It’s no secret how much I love Kilrodan Abbott, and I have considered him one of the best cross-country horses in the world for a long time–he’s very likely the most honest cross-country horse in the world. He got eliminated on Saturday for jumping (successfully) to the right of a red flag on a corner. I’m also a big Amistad fan. Although I don’t know as much about Rockfield Grant Juan, I think Shandiss is clearly a rider of the future for Canada and I love the approach of making her the alternate.
7) I think it’s important to take a moment to think about the significance of selection. These six riders have been given the incredible honor and responsibility of being asked to represent their country. I’m terribly proud for them and of them as members of the North American eventing community.
The Team USA announcement is coming later today. Stay tuned and go Canada.
The Canadian Olympic team has been named this evening from Bromont:
Hawley Bennett and Gin N Juice
Rebecca Howard and Riddle Master
Jessica Phoenix and Exponential
Michele Mueller and Amistad
Peter Barry and Kilrodan Abbott
Shandiss Wewiora and Rockfield Grant Juan (Alternates)
The Canadian vets and selectors looked at their horses immediately following the show jumping this evening. Quickly thereafter they made their picks and informed the riders and other Canadian equestrian personnel. I was standing next to someone who got called with the team and I couldn’t be happier for everyone involved in the Canadian program. Congratulations to all of the riders and horses and to all of Canadian eventing!
Official word should come out soon, and the news is already hitting Facebook and Twitter. Team USA will be selected and announced on Monday. Go Canada.
Mr. Medicott was kind enough to spend a few minutes visiting with Eventing Nation following his CIC3* win at Bromont. His rider, Karen O’Connor, also chimed in with her thoughts from a terrific weekend that featured wins in each of her two divisions. I spent a few minutes visiting with Mr. Medicott earlier in the week and I was most of all impressed with the intelligent look in his eye–that is one smart horse. Karen is riding her best at just the right time in the season and they make a very imposing combination. Thanks to Mr. Medicott and Karen for chatting with us. Go eventing.
After the CIC3* division finished show jumping, the US Olympic hopefuls who skipped the cross-country rode around the show jumping course in front of the selectors. Canadians 5 O’Clock Somewhere and Kilrodan Abbott joined them after silly eliminations yesterday. Notably, Selena O’Hanlon and Colombo did not show jump after being eliminated yesterday. If I had to sum up the observation round in one phrase I would say that Boyd Martin jumped out of his mind today. The Bromont show jumping course tormented three-star pairs all day, allowing just 10 clear rounds to the 41 starters. Boyd had 3 of those clear rounds, finishing clear on Otis, Remington, and Neville. Boyd did pick up two time faults with Neville. To belabor the point, just 3 other US Olympic hopefuls had clear rides (Mr. Medicott, Andromaque, and Loughan Glen).
Bromont observation round show jumping results:
Boyd Martin and Otis Barbotiere +0
Hawley Bennet-Awad and 5 O’Clock Somewhere (CAN) +12
Phillip Dutton and Fernhill Eagle +4
Allison Springer and Arthur +8
Peter Barry and Kilrodan Abbott (CAN) +0
Boyd Martin and Remington +0
Buck Davidson and Ballynoecastle RM +8
Will Coleman and Twizzel +6
Phillip Dutton and Mighty Nice +4
Boyd Martin and Neville Bardos +2
Looking at the other US pairs, Arthur and Ballynoecastle RM took steps back in their short list hopes by pulling two rails each. Arthur was tense at times, which can’t help but remind the selectors of previous spooky moments from Arthur in big situations. I would say that Will Coleman had a neutral day by pulling the last. I didn’t see anything from Mighty Nice that changes my mind that he should be Mystery Whisper’s backup in England, rather than Fernhill Eagle.
Peter Barry was ecstatic after his round with Kilrodan Abbott and for good reason. They jumped a double-clear with the crowd willing them on at every fence. This pair has such a wonderful partnership–it is a delight to watch them compete. After getting eliminated yesterday for jumping the wide part of a corner, they were one of three clear rounds for Canada today. I’ll get into the Canadian selection situation more later, but suffice it to say that today was a huge boost for Peter.
I kid you not, I have my computer at the dinner table. More soon. Go eventing.
Check out Will Faudree and Andromaque (+0), Clark Montgomery and Loughan Glen (+0), Will Faudree and Pawlow (+4), and Becky Holder and Can’t Fire Me (+16) show jumping in the CIC3* division this afternoon. Click here for Karen O’Connor and Mr. Medicott’s winning round. Stay tuned for much more.
After a double-clear show jumping round, all indications are that only the US team post-Bromont vet evaluations stands between Mr. Medicott and his spot on the US Olympic short list. Karen and Mr. Medicott won the CIC3* division by 4.3 points ahead of Will Faudree and Andromaque, who also jumped a double-clear. The next two places remained unchanged as well, with Clark Montgomery and Loughan Glen finishing on their dressage score of 48.0 and Will Faudree adding just a rail today with Pawlow to finish on 53.8. Rebecca Howard and Riddle Master of Canada rounded out the top 5.
The CIC3* division was followed by the Olympic observation rounds for the pairs that withdrew Friday night. I’ll be back shortly with a full report from combined test show jumping rounds and what it all means for Olympic short list selection. Stay tuned for much, much more. Go eventing.
Jon Holling and Downtown Harrison won the Bromont CCI3* by four points but it felt a lot closer than that as they pulled a rail at the first and then a rail in the middle of the course to put pressure on at the end, ultimately winning with a rail in hand. Bromont couldn’t have a classier champion. Boyd Martin and Trading Aces have had an ambitious spring after Boyd got the ride, but they proved that such ambition was justified with a second placed finish in Trading Aces’ first three-star. Expect this horse to continue from here on a path to Normandy in 2014. Veterinarian and now certified three-star rider Kevin Keane finished in third with two rails down–EN Karma served KK well.
Redemption is quickly becoming the story of the day after Mandiba won the CCI2* and Downtown Harrison got the victory after barely missing out on competing for the US at the Pan American Games last year–he suffered a last minute tiny injury to keep him off of the plane. to Mexico Will won his first three-star, and in so doing secured Jon’s first career CCI3* win.
The CCI3* show jumping course (and perhaps the difficulty of yesterday’s cross-country course) wreaked havoc on the field. None of the riders finished with less than 4 penalties, and over half finished with more than one rail down. Kristin Schmolze and Ballylaffin Bracked jumped the only clear round but added four time penalties. This course is going to be a great test for the US and Canadian Olympic hopefuls getting ready to show jump.
Caitlin Silliman’s Catch A Star won the best conditioned horse award. Caitlin and “Hoku’s” great fifth place finish is all the more impressive considering she is the only young rider in the CCI3* field.
In an effort to save server load, I have combined the Trading Aces, Fernhill Flutter, and Atlas show jumping rounds into one video:
Jon Holling was kind enough to speak with us after his winning ride. Interestingly, although Jon says announcer Geoff reported he had 11 points in hand, he actually had 12 and the closest-to-the-optimum cross-country advantage, so he actually had more room to spare than he thought:
The CIC3* riders are show jumping now, with the unofficial US Olympic observation division for the Friday night withdraws to follow. Go eventing.
Karen O’Connor finished two horses in the top 5 of the CCI2* at Bromont–Mandiba for the win and RF Amber Eyes in 5th. Karen was kind enough to share her thoughts with me after the win with Mandiba to discuss what has helped Mandiba get back on form, her thoughts on the next step for Mandiba (Fair Hill), and her strategy for riding Mr. Mrdicott in the CIC3*. Thanks for taking the time to chat with us Karen and good luck the rest of the day. Go eventing.
Eventing is the ultimate roller coaster and Karen O’Connor and Mandiba have certainly been through their fair share of highs and lows. From a the high of a top 10 finish at Rolex 2010, to the low of their infamous WEG 2010 show jumping round, to the fall at Badminton 2011 that threatened to end Mandiba’s career, Karen and Mandiba have found their stride together again with a double-clear show jumping round and the win at the Bromont CCI2*. The 12 year old Mandiba jumped with ears pricked all weekend and it’s great to see him out and seemingly enjoying his job again. Will Coleman and Zipp won the Bromont CCI* last year, but a rail late on the course prevented the repeat and dropped them from the overnight lead to third. Danielle Dichting and The Graduate moved up one spot with a double clear.
–Marilyn Little-Meredith and the 7 year old RF Smoke On The Water were the only CCI2* pair to finish on their dressage score and they finished in 4th place. Karen finished in 5th with the late Dick Thompson’s RF Amber Eyes.
–Diana Burnett and Diamond Cut found redemption this weekend at Bromont. They were eliminated at the Bromont first horse inspection last year for sarcoids on Diamond Cut, effectively ending their chances to represent Canada at the Pan Ams. This weekend they finished in 6th with just two seconds of time on the cross-country and one rail in the show jumping.
—9 of 29 CCI2* show jumpers produced double clears.
The CCI3* and CIC3* competitors are getting ready to walk their course (it’s the same course for both divisions). Stay tuned as the day and competition heat up at Bromont. Go eventing.
Buck Davidson and Cooper Beach moved up two spots to win the Bromont CCI1* as the only pair in the top 7 heading into show jumping to jump a double-clear. Overnight leaders Allison Springer and Eclipse pulled two rails to drop two spots. Allison will look to do better than that when show jumping Arthur unofficially in front of the US selectors at the end of the day. Doug Payne and Royal Tribute pulled one rail but maintained their silver medal position. Hawley Bennett-Awad finished in 4th with De Mello and Buck rounded out the top 5 with the OTTB Santa’s Keeper.
Just 11 out of 44 CCI1* show jumpers produced double clear rounds. 8 CCI1* pairs finished the weekend on their dressage score. The highest placed young rider pair in the division was Erin Nolan and Balmoral Avenue, finishing with one rail added to their dressage score in 7th place. Show jumping continues with the CCI2* division coming up next in the beautiful 1976 Olympic arena here at Bromont. Go eventing.
Kevin has been a great vet and friend to me since I took my first lesson with Phillip in 2007 and I have really enjoyed watching him grow with his partner Fernhill Flutter these past few years. They dominated the CCI3* track here at Bromont yesterday, finishing just one second over the optimum in Kevin’s (and Fernhill Flutter’s) first three-star. Kevin spoke with me about his cross-country ride, doing double duty as a rider and full time vet here at Bromont, and his future hopes for Fernhill Flutter. Kevin is great fun to have at events because he so absolutely and obviously loves this sport and his horse. Thanks for taking the time to speak with us on a busy Sunday morning Kevin and go eventing.
The CCI* show jumping is already well underway here at Bromont as the three-star final horse inspections are wrapping up. My quick impression from this morning is that the ground juries were generous in a few instances. P erhaps the horses were aided by the nice sand jog strip being bathed in shadows. Order has been restored to the universe as ground jury member Christian Landolt has returned to the purple pants.
CIC3*: All of the Bromont CIC3* horses who were presented passed without incident. Marilyn Little-Meredith did not present RF Demeter and Melissa Boutin of Canada did not present Siamese Kat.
CCI3*: All of the CCI3* horses who were presented passed. Lindsey Solorzano did not present Enchantez.
CCI2*: Kim Crawford and Chocco de Pomme were held in the CCI2* but passed upon reinspection. Everyone else passed without incident.
CCI1*: The CCI* is the largest of the Bromont divisions and two horses did not make it past the ground jury. Kelsey Currie and Co-Pilot were held and spun when they represented. Callie Evans and Glendening Avis were held and withdrew from the holding box.
Kelly List and Smarty Pants
Micheline Jordan and Irish Diamonds
Rebecca Howard and Riddle Master
Danica Moore and Utah B
Karen O’Connor and Mr. Medicott
Wendy Lewis and Mastercraft
Nicole Parkin and Lexus
Jan Byyny and Inmidair
Clark Montgomery and Loughan Glen
Jessica Hampf and High Society
Michele Mueller and Amistad
Hannah Burnett and Harbour Pilot
Will Faudree and Andromaque
Will Faudree and Pawlow
Becky Holder and Can’t Fire Me
Becky Holder and Courageous Comet
Whitney Weston and Rock On Rose
Callie Judy and Call On Me
Jon Holling and Downtown Harrison
Kevin Keane and Fernhill Flutter
Phillip Dutton and Atlas
Caitlin Silliman and Catch A Star
Leslie Law and Zenith ISF
Julia Wendell and Cavendish
Elissa Gibbs and Medici
Sally Cousins and Westerly
Boyd Martin and Trading Aces
Phillip Dutton jogging Ballylaffin Bracken for Kristin Schmolze
Shandiss Wewiora
Buck Davidson and The Apprentice
Hawley Bennett and Gin N Juice
Purple pants
It’s a picture perfect day for show jumping here in Canada. Stay tuned for an exciting conclusion to the show jumping and remember that the Olympic hopeful pairs who withdrew from the cross-country will show jump at the end of the day.
For the latest from Bramham in England be sure to follow @SamanthaClark all day. It’s an exciting day of eventing all around Eventing Nation!
Which four-star rider is that sitting next to Manoir De Carneville?
Apparently the rain has made everyone in England crazy. This video takes a bit of inside knowledge to be enjoyed to its fullest. The great and lovely Bettina Hoy has an alter-ego disguise, as seen in the photo above and video below (I promise that is Bettina Hoy). The video was taken Saturday at Jacky Green’s Maizey Manor Farm, where Sinead Halpin’s Manoir De Carneville “Tate” is staying on the latest leg of his road to the Olympics. Tate’s groom and EN blogger, Meg Kep, is taking care of Tate at Maizey Manor and awaiting Sinead’s arrival. Esib Powers also makes a cameo in the video. Jacky writes: “Tate is happy to be back at Maizey Manor Farm but is slightly bemused at today’s lessons in the arena as they don’t really look like Olympic competitors!” The sad thing is that even when Bettina tries to be unbalanced she can’t help but be balanced. It’s a confluence of insanity rarely seen in the natural world.
Mr. Medicott has been partnered with Karen O’Connor for less than 6 months, which is perhaps part of the reason that Karen felt so strongly about running cross-country today despite their 4th place finish at Rolex and a swarm of withdraws by US Olympic hopefuls. As we explained last night, the top three CIC3* horses (RF Rovano Rex, Reminton, and Neville) withdrew from the division after consulting with US selectors and coach Mark Phillips. Neville, Mighty Nice, Arthur, Twizzel, and Ballynoecastle also withdrew, as expected. All of those horses have strong cross-country results this spring and their riders elected to save them for another day. The rest of the US and Canadian pairs set out in this Olympic short list selection division with hopes and dreams of impressing the selectors enough to get a coveted plane ticket to England for final Olympic preparations. All of the withdraws dramatically shook up the CIC3* leader board, moving Karen and Mr. Medicott into the lead. Only 3 of the current top 10 CIC3* pairs going into the show jumping were in the top 10 after the dressage.
Bromont CIC3* Results:
1. Karen O’Connor and Mr. Medicott +0 43.0
2. Will Faudree and Andromaque +0 47.4
3. Clark Montgomery and Loughan Glen +0 48.0
4. Will Faudree and Pawlow +0.8 49.8
5. Marilyn Little-Meredith and RF Demeter +1.2 52.6
6. Hannah Burnett and Harbour Pilot +12.4 57.6
7. Becky Holder and Can’t Fire Me +8.4 58.4
8. Michelle Mueller and Amistad (CAN) +7.6 60.2
9. Rebecca Howard and Riddle Master (CAN) +8.0 62.6
10. Danica Moore and Utah B (CAN) +8 64.0
[Bromont Live Scores]
Your full Bromont CIC3* video:
Here are a few notes from the CIC3* division:
–The biggest issue that I noticed in Mr. Medicott’s Rolex cross-country ride is that he was costing himself several seconds in front of every fence by fighting Karen’s half-halt. You can still see remnants of that habit in the above cross-country video but it was much improved throughout most of the course, allowing Karen and Mr. Medicott “Cave” to finish clear and inside the time.
–Will Faudree now has two horses in the top 4, Andromaque “Missy” in 2nd and Pawlow “Ernie” in 4th. Will needed two good cross-country rides today and produced just that, adding just two seconds of time penalties for the two horses. Will may very well have moved at least one of his horses from outside the selection bubble to inside the bubble in his 13 minutes of riding this afternoon.
—Clark Montgomery and Loughan Glen were another pair that needed to impress the powers that be. Their double-clear should go a long way to convincing the US selectors that they are ready for a chance at the big time stage.
–Of 23 CIC3* starters, three (Cave, Andromaque, and Loughan Glen) finished within the time, five finished with stops, and three were eliminated.
–All of the 6 US Olympic contenders who started on course (Mr. Medicott, Pawlow, Andromaque, Loughan Glen, Demeter, and Can’t Fire Me) produced good rounds and they are all in the top 7 going into the show jumping. Team USA can hang its hat on a great day of riding and if I were the selectors I would be more confounded this evening than I was this morning about who to send to England. But, make no mistake, having too many solid options is a great problem to have.
–Hannah Burnett and Harbour Pilot aren’t qualified for the Olympics, but they are competing right up with the big guys this weekend. They held on to 6th place with a very solid ride for the young horse.
–Team Canada must be scratching their heads a bit this evening after a shaky day from some of their normally rock-solid cross-country riders. Selena O’Hanlon and Colombo picked up an elimination for three refusals very early on course–at fence #4A, the log jumping into the wet sunken road. Hawley Bennett and Gin ‘N Juice finished with a stop at the chevron after the drop at #13B. “Ginny” looked like she was just not quite listening to Hawley’s half halt. Add to that Jessica Phoenix having surgery today to repair her Broken collar bone, and the only Canadian WEG pair to get the job done today was Rebecca Howard and Riddle Master. I still think Colombo, Ginny, Tucker, and Rupert all have to get on that plane for England, without a doubt. Hopefully today will be a wake up call for Selena and Hawley and if I know anything about the Canadians I know they will bounce back from this better than ever.
–As for the other Canadian Olympic hopefuls, let’s go right back to head scratching because they fared better than the veterans. Michelle Mueller is the highest placed of what I consider the Canadian “bubble pairs.” Peter Barry and Kilrodan Abbott decided to work a little too hard and jumped the wide side of the corner in the main water complex, traveling to the right side of the red flag. Peter was pulled up and walked back to the barns smiling. Hopefully the selectors will focus on the great ride they were having and not that it came to a premature end. Shandiss Weworia and Rockfield Grant Juan picked up 22 time penalties. Jessica Hampf and High Society added 29 time faults, but I think they have gone a long way to helping their chances this weekend with a much improved dressage ride on Friday versus their ride at Rolex. Micheline Jordan and Irish Diamonds are tied for 11th.
–For a few more miscellaneous notes, Hawley Bennett and 5 O’Clock Somewhere were eliminated for missing jump 9 and Courageous Comet picked up a surprising stop at 15 in the main arena complex. Both of those horses looked foot perfect around the early part of the course.
Whitney Weston showed good stickability on Rock On Rose about one millisecond after this shot was taken, proving the age old eventing truism that it doesn’t always have to be pretty to be good:
–Today’s Olympic selection confusion just puts more pressure on the rides tomorrow. The final horse inspection is scheduled for 8am and the CCI* show jumping is scheduled to start at 9:30am. The Olympic hopefuls who withdrew will show jump after the CIC3* division is finished.
–The last few one-star pairs are just finishing up and it looks like Allison Springer and Eclipse have maintained their lead.
It has been a long but wonderful day of cross-country here from Bromont. Arden Wildasin was the only medical transport of the day to my knowledge and she’s already back in the barns. There are so many people to thank, especially Robert Martineau, Janette Leask, and the entire Bromont team. Derek and Jay put together brilliant courses, the organizers ran a ton of horses through today without a hitch, and the volunteers were absolutely wonderful. Heck, even the internet contributed by working well.
The Canadian Airforce really needs to stop sending their hang gliders to Bromont. We change sports in our Bromont coverage with news that the above gentleman landed his hang glider on the Bromont cross-country course this afternoon. He reportedly landed safely in a roped off spectator area. I spoke with him after he packed his hang glider up into that nifty backpack. He told me that he took off from a mountain about 20 miles away. He said that the goal of hang gliding is to get as far as possible and when he got above Bromont he lost the wind updrafts that give him loft. He picked his landing spot from altitude and said “it wasn’t until I got close that I saw horses running around, but it was too late to find another landing area.” All kidding aside, he was quite a nice guy and we’re happy that he landed safely. If you have any photos or videos of this mysterious hang glider please send them to [email protected]. Go eventing.
I’ll never forget the sound of Jon’s voice when I spoke with him from Fair Hill last year about the news that Downtown Harrison had a minor injury and would miss the flight to the Pan American Games. As I wrote then and as Downtown Harrison proved here today, this horse has a bright and happy future ahead of him as a big time international horse. Jon and “Will” worked their way around the horse’s first three-star in the third fastest round of the day to take a dominant 7.6 lead into the show jumping. Having known and worked with Jon for a long time I couldn’t be happier for him and the entire Holling family–Jon’s parents own Will. Jon told me after his ride that he was relieved Will handled the CCI3* distance and speed so well. [Jon’s interview after XC]
Michael Pollard just can’t catch a break these past few weeks. He pulled Schoensgreen Hanni up half way through the course. Update: I spoke with Michael and he told me that he pulled Hanni up after she glanced off of a corner in the main arena. He jumped a couple more jumps and Hanni felt fine, but considering the past couple of weeks he decided to retire her. The Hanni Badger is resting happily and comfortably in her stall.
Kevin Keane and Fernhill Flutter looked like they belonged at the Belmont
Phillip Dutton gave Atlas an educational ride to add 8.8 time penalties to their dressage score. Despite the time they moved up from 3rd to 2nd. Veteranarian Kevin Keane and Fernhill Flutter continued their excellent season with the fastest XC ride of the CCI3* division to move all the way up from 8th to 3rd.
Boyd Martin and Trading Aces put together a traditional Boyd round in the spots that I saw them–a clear ride was never in doubt. Boyd’s student, Caitlin Silliman, rode with poise beyond her years and guided the True Prospect Farm fire survivor Catch A Star brilliantly around the course.
The Apprentice looked every bit like a horse of the future for Buck, combining a big jump with a big gallop and finishing strongest of all of the CCI3* horses. They are in 6th heading into the show jumping. Elissa Gibbs and Medici showed why cross-country is their favorite phase and “Cooper” smoked around the track to move up from 18th to 8th. Jessica Bortner-Harris unfortunately jumped to the right of a red flag in the back corner complex according to announcer Geoff.
As expected, the combination of a relatively inexperienced field and a big technical Derek Di Grazia course caused some issues today. Of 16 CCI3* starters, none finished within the time, one finished with a stop, two were eliminated, and two retired.
Sometimes you finish a round with a stop but you still had a great ride. Zenith ISF worked his way through the CCI3* track for Leslie Law presenting the picture of a future four-star horse. They finished with a stop but Leslie was all smiles when I spoke to him after the ride. This horse will likely run another three-star in the autumn and then look ahead to Rolex. He jumped a max 3* oxer right in front of me like it was child’s play.
Announcer Geoff Morgan was joined by PRO riders including Doug Payne, Nate Chambers, and Sinead Halpin. They all did a great job and I want to give many thanks to Geoff for keeping everyone updated on what was going on. Stay tuned for our CIC3* Olympic selection recap coming shortly. Go eventing.
Jon Holling extended his lead in the Bromont CCI3* with a beautiful round aboard Downtown Harrison. Jon was kind enough to share his thoughts about the course, his joy at how well “Will” handled the speed, and his emotions about eventing this weekend with his family and owners looking on.
Karen O’Connor received the CIC3* lead with Mr. Medicott “Cave” after Rovano Rex, Remington, and Neville all withdrew last night. She extended that lead with a double here today, showing a lot of progress from Mr. Medicott’s Rolex ride. Karen spoke with me after her ride about what she has worked on to improve her XC ride with Mr. Medicott, Mandiba’s ride today, and RF Amber Eyes.
Thank you to Jon and Karen for taking the time to speak with me. We’ll have much, much more soon from the Bromont CCI3* and CIC3* divisions, which just wrapped up cross-country. Go eventing.
The sun is shining down on a picture perfect day for cross-country here at Bromont. Overall, the CCI2* riders did a great job guiding their horses around an incredibly tough course. Riders took their time where their horses needed it and the score board reflects that in the many time penalties accrued today. Overnight leaders Karen O’Connor and Mandiba added four time penalties to move into a tie with last years’ Bromont CCI* champions Will Coleman and Zipp, who added 0.4 time penalties. Danielle Dichting and The Graduate moved into 3rd with 3.2 time penalties and Marilyn Little-Meredith stormed around the course double-clear to move from 7th to 4th.
Can you spot EN writer Abbie Golden and Arundel jumping in the above video?
There was a 20 minute hold on course when Arden Wildasin and Powderhound fell at the corner coming out of the two-star coffin. Powderhound was up quickly and walked back to the barns. Arden was transported to the hospital in an ambulance but I am relieved to report that the early official word from Bromont is that the Arden was just sent to the hospital for precautionary reasons and there doesn’t appear to be a serious injury.
Seven CCI2* pairs finished with a stop, one was eliminated, four retired on course, and four fell.
Will Coleman and Zipp
The only double-clear CCI2* cross-country ride belongs to Marilyn Little-Meredith who, after scratching RF Rovano Rex from the CIC3* lead, obviously wanted to make the best of one of her remaining XC rides. Marilyn finished 23 seconds under the optimum with Red Hill winner RF Smoke On The Water.
When I spoke with Karen on Friday she mentioned that Mandiba has filled in some previous holes in his training and hinted at higher goals for a comeback. Their successful ride today is another step on that journey. I’m a big Mandiba fan and I’d love to see him successfully return to the top level of eventing if that’s what he wants. He looked like he was really enjoying himself today.
Liz Millikin and Masterpiece were jumping for the lead but they suffered a heartbreaking fall at the last. Word from the course is that both horse and rider were up quickly. There were two other tumbles on the two-star but early word is that they were uneventful. Local favorite Ian Roberts was eliminated for missing a fence.
Last night’s rain has made the footing deep in a few low areas but it remains perfect around the jumps. The start of cross-country was delayed 30 minutes while we were waiting for the medics to arrive and we had one lengthy hold on course, meaning that the event is about 45 minutes behind schedule currently.
As a quick update on Jessica Phoenix, she is getting surgery to stabilize her broken collar bone with a plate today in Ottowa. I have heard that Exponential “Tucker” is fine following their fall jump schooling earlier this week. He will head to Virginia to work with coach David O’Connor and the word is that Jessica could be back to riding in as early as two weeks.
I’ll leave you with your daily moment of zen, in the form of DOC’s (aka LOC) blinged out motorbike:
Stay tuned for much more from Bromont as the CCI3* division gets underway shortly. Go eventing.
Welcome to a beautiful sunny and potentially quite warm cross-country day at Bromont. The action begins at 8am ET with the CCI2* cross-country. The three-star action is scheduled to begin with the CCI3* at 10:33am, and then the CIC3* is scheduled to start at 12:00pm. The one-star is projected to start at 1:45pm ET to close out the day. With 150+ horses running it’s going to be a busy and exciting day of cross-country.
Be sure to follow all of the Bramham action in England on Samantha Clark’s Twitter feed. [@SamanthaLClark]
Before I forget, I want to give a big thanks to USEF massage therapist Angie Cooney. My shoulder was feeling a bit off and she spent 5 minutes working on it–it’s perfect today. If she helps the horses half as much as she helped me then consider me a believer.
Thank you to all of the volunteers, organizers, and officials for making today possible–we couldn’t do this without you. Good luck to all of the competitors around Eventing Nation. Stay safe, have fun, and go eventing!
Please write your caption for the above photo in the comment section of this post
As always, if you submit your comment using the Facebook option, no moderation is required. If you answer without using the Facebook feature, approval is required the first time for each email/username combination. The EN chinchillas will randomly select their favorite caption submitted by 12pm ET Monday, or we might put the winner up for a vote. Captions will be rated based on humor/awesomeness. The winner will receive a Devoucoux event team polo shirt from our friends at Devoucoux. Good luck and go eventing.
I have been stressing all week that the Olympic hopefuls in the CIC3* division are focused on Olympic selection and preparation, not on getting a ribbon. I have also mentioned that several US pairs received permission to not run cross-country at Bromont in consultation with the US selectors and coach Mark Phillips. As of 6:00pm Friday night the following US pairs are not planning on running cross-country tomorrow, and therefore are withdrawing from the competition:
Marilyn Little-Meredith and RF Rovano Rex
Boyd Martin and Otis, Remington, and Neville
Phillip Dutton with Might Nice and Fernhill Eagle
Allison Springer and Arthur
Will Coleman with Twizzle and Vancouver
Buck Davidson and Ballynoecastle RM
Notable US pairs still planning to run as of 6pm:
Marilyn Little-Meredith and RF Demeter
Will Faudree with Pawlow and Andromaque
Clark Montgomery and Loughan Glen
Karen O’Connor and Mr. Medicott
Becky Holder and Can’t Fire Me
–The horses that have withdrawn will show jump for the selectors on Sunday, I believe after the competition has concluded.
–Most of the pairs that have withdrawn from the cross-country performed really well at Rolex (Arthur 2nd, Otis 3rd, Twizzel 5th, Remington 8th, Mighty Nice 10th, Eagle 12th). Reggie jumped really well at Jersey. Vancouver was never in the Olympic hunt and withdrew due to a hematoma. Boyd told us in our interview this afternoon that his choice whether or not to run Neville would be made in consultation with the vets regarding Neville felling a bit ill after his trailer ride to Bromont. Rovano Rex put in a great XC ride at Rolex before withdrawing and he is still returning from that bone bruise.
–Of the notable US pairs that have not withdrawn, two of them had very successful finishes at Rolex (Cave 4th, Demeter 9th). Can’t Fire Me had a great XC ride at Rolex but didn’t get to show jump, so I can understand the selectors wanting to see how he show jumps after a strenuous cross-country ride. I can also understand why the selectors would want to see cross-country rides from Loughan Glen, Pawlow, and Andromaque.
–Remember that withdrawing from the competition was presented to some of the riders as an option. Both sides of the argument are understandable. On one hand, why risk your horse’s health and take a chance of showing the selectors something bad with a stupid mistake? On the other hand, I can see Karen’s point that she made in our interview this afternoon–XC runs are important to prepare the horses for three-days. As always, it comes down to each rider knowing and doing what is best for their horse; no second guessing that.
–As of right now it’s full speed ahead for Team Canada and as far as I have heard all of the Canadian CIC3* Olympic hopefuls plan to run cross-country tomorrow. I have heard that Diana Burnett and Shigatzi have withdrawnfrom the CCI3*, although I have not heard a reason.
The CIC3* XC course is pretty light, in my opinion, and the footing is great. I’ll just take this moment to editorialize that the CCI2* course is freaking tough and by far the toughest of the courses at Bromont. The officials have mercifully expanded the options, but that course is not messing around. I have ridden quite a few 2* courses and I don’t think I have ever seen one as tough as this. Go eventing.
