Boyd Martin obviously rides for the American flag, but there is no denying that the Australians were on fire at the 2016 Jaguar Land Rover Bromont CCI. Four double clear show jumping rounds meant four wins for Australian-born riders Ryan Wood, Dom Schramm and Boyd Martin.

Boyd Martin and Bonito. Photo by Leslie Threlkeld.

Boyd and the 9-year-old Hanoverian gelding Bonito produced one of only four clears in the CCI2* division. Sitting third after yesterday’s cross country, Bonito moved ahead of his stablemate Tsetserleg when he pulled a rail to ultimately finish second.

“I felt like I was water skiing out there but he was good. He left all the rails up and got away with the win,” Boyd said of Bonito. “I think this is a really, really good horse. I was very lucky that Stephen Blauner and Nancy Hathaway were able to purchase him last year out of Germany. He’s very green but he’s got all the criteria and the tools. He would jump an Advanced tomorrow but I think I’m better off getting him more schooled, more trained.”

Boyd pointed out that Steve and Nancy have been part of every single syndicated horse he’s ridden and owners of all five horses he’s ridden in a major team championship. “They’re incredible supporters and I’m so lucky that they’re backing me. I’m so pleased a horse that I said I think is pretty good has won an international two-star three-day event. They really have changed my career.”

Jennie Brannigan and I Bella. Photo by Leslie Threlkeld.

As for Christine Turner’s 9-year-old Tsetserleg Boyd said, “He jumped really well so I think he’s a good strong horse for the future, and it’s good to see an American-bred horse doing well here. He’s by the mighty Windfall.”

Boyd feels both horses are top horses for the future and will confirm them at the Intermediate level before moving up. “The fastest way to go is slow,” he said. “If they’re green and they make a mistake at Intermediate they can learn from it, where Advanced you lose their confidence a bit. Maybe they could do Advanced at the end of the year but there is no real rush because I think they’re class horses.”

Peter Barry and his own Long Island T dropped one rail to finish third. Jennie Brannigan and Nina Gardner’s I Bella finished fourth, having moved up from 11th to fifth after cross country and jumping double clear today.

Dom Schramm and Bolytair B. Photo by Leslie Threlkeld.

Dom has been intensely focused on bringing Bolytair B to Bromont for the last six months. “We’ve really trained really hard for this. I really wanted to come up here and have a good show so I’m thrilled that it came off the way I wanted it to,” he said.

Their trip could have been derailed when the 10-year-old Warmblood gelding owned by the Giesselman family underwent colic surgery in early February this year. He returned to work in April and Dom dedicated himself to making sure the horse was fit and ready for his first CCI*.

They stalked the top of the leaderboard from the beginning, placing third after dressage in a big division, moving up to second after a double clear cross country round and ultimately finishing on their dressage score of 42.9 to win. Bolytair will get a break and then prepare for the Richland Park CIC2* later this summer, but Dom promises he’ll be back at Bromont.

“Bromont is by far my most favorite event I’ve ever been to. I think it’s an excellent course and a fantastic atmosphere; it’s sort of a relaxed vibe but at the same time it’s a proper international show. Anytime I have a horse ready I will be here as long as I can compete here. I absolutely had the time of my life.”

Sara Kozumplik Murphy and L’Alezane jumped double clear to finish less than one point behind Dom in second. Colleen Loach and Peter Barry’s homebred mare Liberty finished on their dressage score of 49.4 for third place.

That’s a wrap on Bromont CCI 2016! Go Bromont. Go Eventing.

Go Australia.

The Bromont Olympic Equestrian Park is such a beautiful venue, with wide open galloping lanes, lush greenery and an intimate view of the foothills. What a treat for us all to enjoy a competition in such a lovely setting!

The beautiful surroundings are certainly a defining characteristic of the Bromont CCI, but on yesterday’s cross country courses designed by Derek di Grazia, ditches were also a frequent feature. Choose which horse and rider combination in the Bromont CCI* presented the best overall picture over the ditch and wall in this edition of Who Jumped It Best?

Elle Dembosky and This Bid’s For You. Photo by Leslie Threlkeld.

Bridgette Kuchta and Special Agent. Photo by Leslie Threlkeld.

Colleen Loach and Liberty. Photo by Leslie Threlkeld.

Sarah Kozumplik Murphy and Sebastian. Photo by Leslie Threlkeld.

Annick Niemuller and FE Black Jack. Photo by Leslie Threlkeld.

Ruairi Smith and Fernhill Gucci. Photo by Leslie Threlkeld.

Kaelen Speck and Sweet Rebellion. Photo by Leslie Threlkeld.

Robyn Townsend and Miss Conception. Photo by Leslie Threlkeld.

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Julie Clark and Fleur Foncee. Photo by Leslie Threlkeld.

The Final Horse Inspection today at Bromont CCI in Quebec, Canada was a dramatic one, with a total of nine horses sent to the hold box across the four divisions. While rain clouds rolled in over the Bromont Olympic Equestrian Park, 82 horses were presented to the ground jury, but only 80 will move on to show jumping.

Jennie Brannigan and Catalina, fifth after cross country, withdrew from the CCI3* Todd Sandler Challenge before the final jog, as did Sarah Cousins and Knight Lion. Rachel McDonough’s Irish Rhythm, placed fourth overnight, was held but passed on reinspection.

It was a particularly tense moment when Ryan Wood and Frankie, the overnight leaders in the CIC3* Stuart R. Horne Canadian Eventing Championship, were sent to the hold box, but they too passed on their second attempt.

In the CCI2* jog, we were once again holding our breath when Bryn Byer’s Rikki Tikki Tavi and Boyd Martin and Tsetserleg — the leaders after cross country — were held, but both pairs passed upon reinspection.

The CCI*, which is the largest division in the competition, saw five horses sent to the hold box. Ruairi Smith and Victoria Morgan withdrew Fionn McCuhal and Bentley from the hold box. Sophia Middlebrook’s South Park, Brandon McMechan’s Oscar’s Wild and Colleen Loach’s Liberty all passed when represented.

Show jumping is now underway. We begin with the CCI* followed by the CCI2*, CIC3* and finally the CCI3*.

Kylie Lyman and Lup the Loop. Photo by Leslie Threlkeld.

Before today, Kylie Lyman had never ridden around a CCI three-star. But at day’s end, she had piloted two horses — both of whom are also CCI3* first timers — to double clear rounds around Derek di Grazia’s cross country course at Bromont and now holds the lead with Lup the Loop. She also moved from 15th to third with her second mount, Sacramento. There were five double clear rounds in the division, and Kylie’s horses produced two of them.

Joan Nichols’ 8-year-old Lup the Loop and Cristin O’Hara’s 10-year-old Sacramento, each of them Irish Sport Horses, moved up to Advanced this year, and both have spring wins under their belts: Lup the Loop saw victory in Advanced at the Carolina International, and Sacramento won the CIC3* at Jersey Fresh just last month.

There was a significant amount of shuffling on the leaderboard by the conclusion of the division. Those who went clear and fast moved well up the standings with time penalties having a significant impact on the overall results.

Ryan Wood blazed around the course with his and Curran Simpson’s 9-year-old Irish Sport Horse Woodstock Bennett, finishing double clear and moving up from sixth to second place. He’s put the pressure on and ensured that Kylie will not have a rail in-hand going into show jumping. Rachel McDonough and her own 17-year-old Thoroughbred Irish Rhythm made a big move, catapulting from 15th to fourth with a classy double clear. We hear poor Rachel was up all night with her dog Cooper, attempting to bathe the smell of skunk off of him!

Ryan Wood and Woodstock Bennett. Photo by Leslie Threlkeld.

Buck Davidson and The Apprentice were the division trailblazers and overnight leaders after dressage. They jumped clear but 14.4 time penalties dropped them to seventh place. Jennie Brannigan and Catalina picked up ten time penalties but managed to retain a top-five position. Waylon Roberts and Kelecyn Cognac now sit within 10 points of first place, having added 3.2 time penalties and moving up to sixth.

Erin Sylvester, who is leading the CCI* with Mister Optimistic after a double clear this morning, was just two seconds over the time in the CCI3* with Mettraise, who was the winner of the Bromont CCI2* in 2013. They moved up 11 places from 19th to eighth with their performance today.

The biggest movers in the current top ten are Savannah Fulton and Captain Jack, who added 1.6 time penalties to move from 21st to ninth place in their second CCI3*. Cooley On Show jumped out of his skin for Sharon White, and they bettered their placing by one, moving into the top ten with 8.8 time penalties added to their initial score.

There were no horse or rider falls in the CCI3* and only a few problems spread out around the course. Will Faudree and Pfun, second after dressage, picked up an unfortunate runout at the triple combination at 13, but they finished without any other problems and looked very well through the tough corner combination on the back of the course.

Matthew Brown and Talking Point BCF, seventh after dressage, retired after two refusals at the final fence on course. Diana Burnett and Bonner’s Chief II retired after incurring 20 penalties at the water combination at fence 4.

Kylie Lyman and Sacramento. Photo by Leslie Threlkeld.

CIC3* Stuart R. Horne Canadian Eventing Championships

Ryan Wood and Frankie have leapt into the lead after a clear round just one second over the time. Overnight leader Hannah Sue Burnett and Jacqueline Mars’ Cooley Dream added 8.8 time penalties to move down to third place. In second is Colleen Loach and Qorry Blue D’Argouges. They added 2.8 time penalties and may put the pressure on Ryan tomorrow with less than a point separating the two.

Carolina Martin and Effervescent moved up a place to fourth with 5.2 penalties to add. The only double clear round in the division came from Boyd Martin and Steady Eddie, for which they were rewarded a big move from 11th to fifth.

Jessica Phoenix, who was second and third after dressage with Don Good’s Bentley’s Best and Pavarotti, withdrew both of these horses before the start of cross country. She and Abbey GS fell at the A element of the offset brushes at fence 6, but both are reportedly okay. Jessica ended up withdrawing A Little Romance. Buck Davidson also fell with Tiger Lion at an open oxer at 11, but they are reportedly fine.

We’re all griping about the rain now, but the conditions were pretty perfect for the horses early on: cloudy and comfortably cool. We’ve heard good things about the footing, and it’s nice to see the locals out and enjoying the horses. We’ll find out more when we talk to our riders during this evening’s press conference. Stay tuned for much more from Bromont!

Hannah Sue Burnett and Cooley Dream. Photo by Leslie Threlkeld.

The CCI3* Todd Sandler Challenge and Stuart R. Horne Canadian Eventing Championships CIC3* completed the first phase today under cloudy skies at Bromont CCI in Quebec. Buck Davidson was first in the ring for the CCI3* with Sherrie Martin’s The Apprentice, and their score of 45.9 held for the remainder of the division.

“I thought he was as good as he’s been, maybe ever,” Buck said. “He’s been doing this level for a long time, so he knows the test. I was a little bit bummed with my score going first and was surprised that it held up.”

Bromont happened to be The Apprentice’s first CCI3* in 2012 but this is the first time he’s come back since. Buck rerouted “Dirk” here after retiring on course at Badminton CCI4* last month. “At Badminton I went out and was on the time at seven minutes but losing horse as I went. I think I’ll go a little bit quieter at the beginning (tomorrow) and hopefully come running home. He’s an honest horse. He wouldn’t be the quickest or the sharpest or fastest at anything, but he’s an honest horse and if you aim him at the jumps he will try to go through the flags.”

Buck, who has been competing at Bromont since he was a teenager, echoed the sentiments of many other riders in response to questions about the course and the venue. “The natural terrain is fantastic. Derek (di Grazia) and Jay (Hambly) do an awesome job of putting it together and it’s always a cross country competition here. It’s always difficult. They’ve laid out another beautiful track and it flows nicely…I love Bromont…They get the spirit of the sport here and you feel they really care about eventing.”

Buck Davidson and The Apprentice. Photo by Leslie Threlkeld.

Will Faudree and Jennifer Mosing and Sterling Silver Stables’ Pfun scored a 48.8 for second in the CCI3*. The 9-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding just continues to improve as the season progresses, and Will is looking forward to a long career with him.

“I think the world of this horse. Coming back from last year, having my neck injury, I had this goal of doing the three-star at Carolina. Even though it was basically his second Advanced, I’m very comfortable and confident on him and I trust this horse so much. He’s such a genuine creature,” Will said.

Listening to Will talk about “Teddy,” it is clear they have a special bond. Should they have a successful day tomorrow, Will wouldn’t look to attempt a four-star this year although he is confident the horse has the ability. “If he’s goes great here tomorrow, I wouldn’t take him to Burghley this year. He’s only 9. He would be a horse that I would want to really do the most thoughtful thing that I can do to have a very long career on him because if there is one horse that I would like to be on, it’s him.

“My goal tomorrow is to finish with a better educated horse and a horse for the future because I do think a lot of this horse,” he continued. “(Derek di Grazia’s courses) are so designed through the horse’s eyes. I look at some of the stuff and think how will they read this or understand this, but I’ve never come off of one of Derek’s courses – whether it was successful or unsuccessful – and not had a better educated horse. I think that’s a true testament to his course design.”

Jessica Phoenix and Bentley’s Best. Photo by Leslie Threlkeld.

In the CIC3*, Hannah Sue Burnett and Jacqueline Mars’ 8-year-old Cooley Dream produced a lovely test, and their score of 44.3 put them in the lead. Hannah Sue and Cooley, affectionately also known as McDreamy and Cooley Boy, have been partnered for about a year since the gelding was purchased from Piggy French. Hannah Sue says the toughest part about bringing him along is keeping his focus during competition.

“He’s growing up slowly but he’s so fancy and athletic. Everything is pretty easy for him,” Hannah Sue said. “Especially on the flat, he’s getting a lot more broke and he’s understanding what he’s supposed to do in the ring. Instead of looking around quite so much I think he’s really enjoying it and he likes to show off. The more people that are there, he’s even easier to ride.”

Cooley shares the same sire, Cruising, as Hannah Sue’s top horse Harbour Pilot. “‘Cruisings’ are really talented but they are very intelligent and they have opinions about things. I really like that. Once they figure something out and know what they’re doing, you can’t stop them. William thinks he’s very regal and cool. Cooley is like a little baby. He’s such a character. They’re a little bit different but they ride similarly.”

Hannah Sue has applied to go to the Rebecca Farm CCI3* with Cooley and Mary Ann Ghadban’s Under Suspection. Both horses need the CIC3* qualification at Bromont so tomorrow she’ll be riding for clear rounds.

Jessica Phoenix and Pavarotti. Photo by Leslie Threlkeld.

Jessica Phoenix has an impressive four horses entered in the CIC3* and ended up with two in the top three after dressage. Don Good’s Bentley’s Best is second on 45.9 and Pavarotti, also owned by Don, scored a 49.3 for third, despite an error late in the test.

“I was really happy with all four of the horses today. I thought they all put in personal bests,” Jessica said. “(Bentley’s Best) is an exceptional moving horse and has so much presence when he goes in the ring. He’s unusual in that he’s got all this presence and movement but he’s so relaxed, so it’s probably the first horse in my career who is that relaxed in the ring. It’s incredible that you can go in there and get everything you can get in the warm-up in the ring and he just rises to the occasion.

“I was so happy with (Pavarotti’s) test. I honestly thought is was the best performance that he’s ever done. He was so relaxed in his trot work and he just felt like he was enjoying it. I was having so much fun riding him that I was a complete idiot and went down the centerline one movement too early. That was a costly mistake.”

In addition to competing four horses this weekend, Jessica has been helping to promote the 2018 World Equestrian Games at Bromont. She and Canadian dressage rider Belinda Trussell went to Parliament in Ottowa Wednesday night to speak for the Games along with other key individuals involved in the planning and organizing.

“It would leave an incredible legacy for Canada and North America to have another venue of that quality,” Jessica said. “I think they have the people in place that are really going to bring it forward to that next level and ensure that it can be pulled off. Certainly the members of Parliament that were there were incredibly encouraged by it, and I think it just promoted awareness that will promote funding.”

All divisions run cross country tomorrow and thankfully the forecast is showing sunshine and temperatures in the 70s. We’ll be back with much more from Bromont. Thanks for reading! Go Eventing.

Buck Davidson and The Apprentice. Photo by Leslie Threlkeld.

Buck Davidson and The Apprentice were the first to enter the ring this morning for the Bromont CCI3* Todd Sandler Challenge. Laying down a 45.9, they set the bar high for the rest of the field. The score held throughout the division, putting Sherrie Martini’s 12-year-old Irish Sport Horse in good standing to begin the gelding’s ninth career CCI3*.

Will Faudree and the striking gray gelding Pfun are currently second on 48.8. The 9-year-old Irish Sport Horse owned by Jennifer Mosing and Sterling Silver Stables moved up to the three-star level this spring. Although they retired on course at Jersey Fresh last month, they had a good season, completing three CIC3* competitions with increasing success: they were 13th at Carolina International, eighth at The Fork and the winners at Fair Hill.

Will Faudree and Pfun. Photo by Leslie Threlkeld.

Jennie Brannigan and the 13-year-old Oldenburg mare Catalina produced an elegant test to score 49.0 for third place. Catalina, who is owned by Candace Kircher and Tim and Nina Gardner, is Maggie’s predicted winner. Jennie was forced to withdraw the mare from Jersey Fresh after falling from another horse earlier in the day, but the pair has historically produced three good phases and are in the hunt after the first phase.

Kylie Lyman and Lup the Loop were the last to ride in the division, and they closed out the morning session with a 50.2 for fourth place. Kylie and Joan Nichols’ 8-year-old Irish Sport Horse were the winners of an Advanced division at Carolina International in March and were most recently seventh in the CIC3* at Jersey Fresh. Bromont is “Loopy’s” first attempt at a CCI3*.

The fifth and sixth place combinations scored within 0.1 penalty of each other. April Simmonds and Quebec NZPH narrowly edged ahead of Ryan Wood and Woodstock Bennett. They scored a 53.6 and 53.7 respectively. Matthew Brown and Talking Point BCF picked up an unfortunate error early in the test but a score of 54.3 was good enough for seventh place after dressage in the 9-year-old Irish Sport Horse’s first attempt at a CCI3*.

Jennie Brannigan and Catalina. Photo by Leslie Threlkeld.

Palm Crescent, a 10-year-old Thoroughbred owned by Chase and Darcie Shipka is also competing in his first CCI3*. He and rider Meghan O’Donoghue were fifth in the gelding’s first CIC3* at Jersey Fresh last month. They are currently eighth after dressage at Bromont.

Kylie’s second ride, Sacramento, is ninth on a 55.6, and Lauren Kieffer tactfully rode through a few tough moments with a spicy Vermiculus. They scored 55.7 to round out the top 10.

See the complete scores here and we’ll have much more from Bromont this afternoon including comments from the riders. The CIC3* is getting underway shortly. Stay tuned!

Bromont CCI3* top 15 after dressage: 

Sara Kozumplik Murphy (left) and Erin Sylvester are tied for the CCI* lead after dressage on 42.2. Photos by Leslie Threlkeld.

The first two horses in the dressage ring this morning are now sitting tied at the top of the Bromont CCI* leaderboard. Both Sara Kozumplik Murphy with L’Alezane and Erin Sylvester with Mister Optimistic scored a 42.2 to set the pace for the day, but none of the next 39 riders could quite catch them, though many came very close.

L’Alezane is a new ride for Sara but she says she’s admired “Marge” for a long time. The 11-year-old Dutch Warmblood mare, who’s name translates to “the chestnut,” had been previously campaigned at the two-star level by Danny Warrington. Although they are still getting to know each other, Sara and Marge started their partnership off on the right foot with a Preliminary win at the Virginia Horse Trials last month.

“She’s good at all three phases. I just need to get to know her a little bit. I feel like I have a lot of work to do on the flat,” Sara said. “I think there is a lot more to come, but it’s lovely to be where she is now without really having it completely through all the time. I thought it was an okay test; I didn’t think it was a great test. But she’s so cool that she still scores. She has a lot of presence.”

Sara expected her other one-star ride, Sebastian, was going to beat Marge on the flat, but an uncharacteristic spook by the judges affected the scores of several movements. Nevertheless, they earned a 47.8 and are tied for ninth.

Mister Optimistic is a 7-year-old English Thoroughbred gelding owned by Jill Tallman. He did a season at Preliminary with Harry Meade and was imported just this February. Already he and Erin Sylvester have formed a strong partnership. In four Preliminary horse trials since March, they have finished outside the top two only once and have yet to incur a cross country jumping penalty.

“I’m looking forward to see what we’ve got over the weekend. I hope he goes all the way. He shows talent in all three phases so it will be training him up and doing right by him as he goes up the levels,” Erin said.

Chinch and his pals @sarakm_overlookf, @domschramm and @jimmiehschramm!

A photo posted by Eventing Nation (@goeventing) on Jun 9, 2016 at 3:01pm PDT

“I have plenty of hot horses and he’s a really quiet horse so it’s been a learning curve for me,” Erin said. “He’s got a lot in him but I have to draw it out in the right way and get a lot of energy and expression out of him. As I’ve been working on the test over the last week or two I’ve been working quite hard on getting his transitions to be really impressive.”

Unfortunately Mister Optimistic was somewhat offended by the wind and cold that we’ve been enduring the last few days (he’s not the only one!). Erin said she spent last night doing “damage control” and figuring out what she needed to do to make sure the young horse held it together in the ring. They produced a great score, but Erin feels there is more to be had. “He’s got a great trot and a balanced, uphill, expressive canter. He wants to get a little bit weak in his transitions. That’s where I’ve left the points.”

Hot on Sara and Erin’s heels with a score of 42.9 are Dom Schramm and Bolytair B, owned by Janet, Kurt and Connor Giesselman. It’s a great start to the 10-year-old Dutch gelding’s first CCI*, especially considering he underwent colic surgery just this February and started back to work in April. “He’s really come back as good as I could have hoped,” Dom said.

Dom got the ride in September. Before then “Boly” had not done a horse trials in two years and was competing in straight jumpers. They’ve since won three Preliminary horse trials and completed two Intermediates. With a successful weekend at Bromont, Boly will move up to the two-star level with the hopes of aiming for a season finale at the Dutta Corp Fair Hill International.

“I’m very excited about him. I feel like he’s a bit of a triple threat. He’s probably one of the best horses I’ve sat on and I’m just trying to make the most of it,” Dom said. “I think (cross country) is going to go very well. I’m confident. Anything can happen but we’ve done our homework and left no stone unturned. Hopefully the eventing gods are on our side.”

Annick Niemuller had a great day, scoring a 43.4 with FE Black Jack and 44.3 on FE Akari to sit in fourth and fifth place, respectively. Mackenzie Spaes is within a rail of first on a 45.0 with Foreign Affair, and there is a lot still to do on Saturday!

The general consensus among competitors so far is that the cross country course looks great and the footing is some of the best. “I’m a huge Derek di Grazia fan. I love the course,” Sara said. “I think it’s extremely well built, which is not surprising with Jay (Hambly) and his team. The ground is the best I’ve ever seen at Bromont.”

The CCI3* and CIC3* are up next in the sandbox tomorrow. Here’s hoping for sunnier skies! The competition gets underway at 8 a.m. EST Friday morning.

Peter Barry (CAN) and Long Island T. Photo by Leslie Threlkeld.

Peter Barry and his 10-year-old Oldenburg gelding Long Island T are in the lead after dressage in the CCI2* at Bromont. They scored a 42.5 today, which is their best CCI2* dressage score to date (though all three of them have been under than 45).

“It looks like he’s getting the hang of the dressage portion!” Peter said. “Ludwig” came into Peter’s life as a 4-year-old and although this is their fourth year competing at the FEI level together, Peter is in no rush to move him up to Advanced.

“There’s a lot of things you can wish for. I like him a lot so I hope we’re going to continue in the future and move up,” he said. “We’re trying to get solid at the two-star and I hope if I have a good, solid base there it will be easier to move up than be tempted to move up too early and then run into problems at a higher level.”

Peter and Ludwig will have a day to rest before Saturday’s cross country featuring a course that Peter says will make you sit up and put your leg on. “It’s a big course, a fair course. I like Derek’s courses. They’re well done and by no means easy. He uses a lot of brush and makes them big and imposing, so it brings the best out in the horse and rider.”

Peter Barry and Long Island T are leading the CCI2* on 42.5 after dressage at #bromontcci

A photo posted by Eventing Nation (@goeventing) on Jun 9, 2016 at 11:38am PDT

Peter’s longtime partner Kilrodan Abbott will be officially retired this weekend in a special ceremony this weekend. Peter and “Eddie’s” first FEI event was here at Bromont in 2008, when they finished second in the CCI*. They went on to complete as a pair four four-stars, including an 11th place finish at Rolex in 2012, and represent Canada at the 2012 London Olympic Games and the 2014 World Equestrian Games in Normandy. Their last event was the Pine Top CIC3* in March.

“Good old Eddie. He actually retired before Rolex. I had the feeling he didn’t want to do it anymore. We have done a lot of four-stars together, he has taken me a lot of places. I just wanted to leave him sound and on a good note. We’re jumping at home and we’re playing around a little bit. He’s much happier this way. He’s 17-years-old so I think he merits a retirement.”

Mara DePuy and Congo Brazzaville C were the second to last pair in the ring today and they made the effort count, scoring a 44.4 for second place. The 9-year-old Dutch gelding owned by Mara and Mimi and David Regamey fell on cross country at Jersey Fresh two weeks ago, so they rerouted to Bromont.

“It was not the fault to the jump at all. It was a result of the landing; he couldn’t get his feet back up out of the ground. Very unfortunate because he jumped around beautifully. He deserved to finish one and not end on that before he moves up a level,” Mara said.

The horse was given a clean bill of health after Jersey and Mara plans to be brave out of the box on Saturday but allow Congo to take his time in some combinations to be sure of his confidence. “This is a Congo, rock around course,” she said. “He’s super brave. As long as I ride accurately and don’t make any silly mistakes, he should eat it up. It’s a super course for him and the ground looks perfect.”

In third is Boyd Martin and Tsetserleg, a 9-year-old Trakehner gelding owned by Christine Turner on 49.5. Within striking distance is William Ward and Grando on 50.2 and Jan Byyny and Urrem on 50.8.