Boyd Martin and Commando 3. Photo by Sally Spickard.

No one will ever know (nor will ever truly want to know, I hope) if Boyd Martin actually rides commando, but he certainly did ride Commando 3 (Connor 48 – R-Adelgunde, by Amigo xx) to the CCI4*-L victory here at the 50th anniversary Morven Park International & Fall H.T. this afternoon. Executing a foot-perfect show jumping round over a technical Chris Barnard track, Boyd secured his second consecutive FEI victory with the 10-year-old Holsteiner gelding owned by Yankee Creek Ranch LLC, with whom he’s been paired for less than a year.

Taking a horse that’s been campaigned to the Advanced and 4* level with another rider is always a challenge, given many event riders would generally opt to put their stamp on a horse from its origins in the sport when possible, but when the striking bay gelding stepped out of the stall at Swedish Olympian Louise Romeike’s yard, Boyd was overcome by the feeling that this was the horse he’d been seeking on that particular shopping trip.

“I mean, the first time I saw this horse as soon as they pulled him out of the stall that just had this championship look,” Boyd told me at Carolina International earlier this year, the first FEI event and third event he brought the gelding to. “He just oozed with class… give me 12 months, and I think the sky’s the limit with him.”

Boyd Martin and Commando 3. Photo by Sally Spickard.

Taking the win with just 3.2 time penalties added on cross country yesterday and a final score of 29.4, Commando now takes his place as one of the contenders Boyd will be putting forward for Olympic consideration in 2024. He’ll have some stiff competition for the nod, as the world #3 rider is currently blessed with one of his strongest strings of 5* horses in recent memory, but as he puts it, “he’s unbelievably elegant on the flat, he’s gallops like a racehorse cross country, he’s sharp and careful and scopey for the show jumping, and he trots up good. It’s very hard to find all those characteristics in a horse — it’s a needle in a haystack, so I’m just really feel a privilege to ride him.”

Caroline Pamukcu and Kings Especiale. Photo by Sally Spickard.

Caroline Pamukcu capped off a strong weekend, flip-flopping her two 4*-L rides and finishing second with Redfield King’s HX Group King’s Especiale, who jumped a double clear today to finish on a score of 39.8. Caroline’s quite high on this eight-year-old, who she’s had in her barn since he was five. She frequently practices at the 1.35m/1.40m height with “King”, giving her confidence to go in and ride a positive round (something Chris Barnard encourages with his designs).

“He’s really gonna be five-star horse too,” Caroline said of King. “He’s got the blood. He’s obviously got the movement we know. But going from a [cross country] course from there, you never know how their body’s going to cope the next day and he to me felt like… I was like, ‘Maybe I should go practice a second round because I think he’d be a really good Olympic horse, maybe I should go back in and see if I could do it!'”

Working for many years with show jumping legend Anne Kursinski for her jumping, and Erik Duvander as well, Caroline credits the mentors she’s had for the success she’s earning with her horses. Most recently, she spent some time in England with Pippa Funnell, who kept up with her rides via the live stream all weekend and sent encouragement throughout. “I’ve got good coaches and good, good mentors between Eric and Pippa,” she said. “I bounce ideas off of them, questions, and I just kind of lean on them totally.”

Despite lowering three rails today, Caroline’s second ride, She’s The One (Jaguar Mail – One to Watch, by Condios), the Pan Ams-bound rider (selected to compete in Chile with HSH Blake) was unfazed. “Our relationship’s new, I’ve only know her for a few months,” she elaborated. “And she gets a little bit blood in the ring. So we’re just trying to figure her out and just keep her relaxed — that’s where I got the three rails, just losing relaxation. But it’s gonna be there. She has more heart than anyone else. She’s unbelievable and she fights and gives you everything she has.” She’s The One is owned by Andy and Mollie Hoff, Sherrie Martin, and Caroline Pamukcu.

Lucienne Bellissimo and Dyri. Photo by Sally Spickard.

Two riders of the six to finish out the 4*-L secured double clear jumping efforts on a day where rails and time penalties were flying: Boyd and Commando 3 as well as Great Britain’s Lucienne Bellissimo and Dyri, who finished the week in fourth.

As strong as this field and finish were, it was sorely disappointing not to see more support for this 4*-L division that’s a newer addition to the fall calendar. It’s a truly top-class, 5*-preparing track designed by Derek di Grazia, there is plenty of atmosphere and centralized logistics to make this a truly top-caliber show, and the footing is spectacular. I’ll have more thoughts on that to come this week…

Will Coleman and Chin Tonic HS. Photo by Sally Spickard.

Will Coleman and Chin Tonic HS Win Again in CCI4*-S

Will Coleman and Hyperion Stud’s Chin Tonic HS collected their fourth win of the year together, taking the wire-to-wire victory in the CCI4*-S division. Originally slated to be used as a final prep for Pau, Will’s plans for the 11-year-old Holsteiner gelding were altered after he felt some minor health interruptions abbreviated the prep the horse would need for a fall 5*. It’s a disappointment for sure, as “Chin” would have been a serious contender to collect the second 5* title for the U.S. in 2023, but as Will says, “it’s a long game.”

So this weekend, Will said the horse felt excellent and allowed him to gallop and “self-regulate” a bit more on cross country yesterday than he may have if Pau was the next stop. While he remains noncommittal on whether Chin Tonic will do anything else this fall, he’s pleased with the maturity he’s feeling from this superstar of a horse.

Will Coleman and Chin Tonic HS. Photo by Sally Spickard.

“I’m just really pleased with just how he just continues to feel more and more mature. It’s awesome, feels easier,” Will commented. “I haven’t actually given [what’s next] much thought — the Pau thing, we kind of just decided on this in the last kind of 10 days. So we were going to come here and run him and sort of see how he felt, and then I’ll probably talk with his owner Vicky [Castegren, of Hyperion Stud] and kind of decide what will be best for him.”

Liz Halliday lowered one pesky rail with The Nutcracker Syndicate’s Cooley Nutcracker, but remained in possession of third place in the 4*-S. “Bali” will next board a plane and meet Liz in Southern California for the Eventing Championships at Galway Downs (November 1-5), straight after Liz competes as a member of Team USA at the Pan American Games with Miks Master C. We’ll be keen to see how that entry list fills out, as the USEF CCI4*-L National Championships will be hosted at Galway this year.

Will wraps up the top three in the 4*-S with the Diabolo Group LLC’s Diabolo, the newest addition to his string who joined his program from Australian rider Gemma Tinney. This is another horse that will be supremely interesting to watch as he continues to build partnership with his new rider — keep an eye out! He’ll head to TerraNova’s CCI4*-L (November 17-19) in Florida to round out his first Northern Hemisphere season.

Dana Cooke and FE Quattro. Photo by Sally Spickard.

Dana Cooke Takes CCI3*-S Win with FE Quattro

Reserve pair for the Canadians at the Pan American Games, Dana Cooke and Kingfisher Park’s FE Quattro (Quaterstern – Elina, by Coriograph B) secured a first FEI win in the CCI3*-S on a score of 29.1. Sourced by Clayton Fredericks in Germany as a five-year-old, FE Quattro has been a long game horse for Dana, who’s taken her time producing the athletic and “super sweet” gelding who’s just stepping up to the Advanced level this season.

“Sometimes those big moving horses just take take a little extra time,” Dana elaborated. “So I’ve just been very careful. I don’t want to break him, so I’ve been very careful to bring him along. I probably could have, with this horse in particular, just kind of kept going up the levels right away. But again, I just decided to say a little bit slower because he is one that you could totally — I could have just done four Preliminaries and an Intermediate — he’s that type. He’s got that brain. I’ve got Clayton who helps me to slow down and kind of think about it. I use him as a sounding board quite a bit with my horses on what’s best for them, when I should move them up or if I should wait, or if am I being too cautious.”

Dana will next head to Ocala, where the named Canadian team and two reserve pairs await, one of which are Dana and “Quattro”. Should they not be called up for Santiago, Dana plans to head to California for the 4*-L at Galway Downs.

She also takes home the Sparrow’s Nio Partnership Award with Harlequinn, owned by the Harlequinn Syndicate, who also competed in the 3*-S this weekend. Chosen by the Ground Jury, the award in honor of the late Sparrow’s Nio, piloted by Allie Sacksen, rewards a rider for a strong partnership with their horse throughout the weekend. It’s a fitting award for Dana, who’s also taken her time to build a partnership with the quirky 10-year-old gelding who came to her as a horse virtually no one else could or wanted to ride.

“He tries really hard and he’s a good jumper and he’s a good mover, but he’s tricky on the flat. He’s super horse shy and he’s people shy around the fences. So I’ve had him for quite awhile, and he’s done three seasons at Intermediate. He’s just kind of just stepping up and he’s trusting me more and I was yesterday for the first time really able to kind of trust him. I totally trusted him cross country, and normally I’m babying him around and I didn’t, I just let him gallop and felt that he was with me. So it’s been cool because he’s taken a lot of work.”

Beautiful Morven Park! Photo by Sally Spickard.

Results Recap

I sadly did not get a chance to catch up with every winner this weekend, but let’s go through and recap who won what at Morven Park:

CCI3*-S Young Horse: Caroline Pamukcu and HSH Connor (28.1)
CCI2*-S: Maya Clarkson and Clueso (30.9)
CCI2*-S Young Horse: Tim Bourke and Electric Quality (27.0)
Open Prelim A: Emily Beshear and Bad Moon Rising (29.2)
Open Prelim B: Kurt Martin and Kelodiena W (34.2)
Jr. Training: Mary Cooke Catlett and RF Eloquence (28.7)
Open Training A: Martin Douzant and BSF Frame Charleston (29.8)
Open Training B: Melissa Baumann and Arden Juliet (33.3)
Open Training C: Madison Temkin and Fernhill Bertus (30.5)
Training Rider: Devon Champlain and Champagne Event (31.9)
Jr. Novice: Alexa Pratt and Compromise Elsewhere (37.8)
Novice Rider A: Alicia Turner and Key Play (26.9)
Novice Rider B: Kara Goggins and Silver Bop (28.6)
Open Novice A: Rachel Livermore and Accuraat Z (29.4)
Open Novice B: Ashley Taylor and Excel Star Opportunity (30.6)

Many thanks to the whole crew here at Morven Park for such an incredible weekend. It’s truly difficult to do this venue proper justice — so you’ll just have to come and see it for yourself! Until next year, keep calm and Go Eventing (and maybe not commando).

Morven Park International & Fall H.T.: [Website] [Final Scores] [Live Stream Replays] [Volunteer] [EN’s Coverage]

EN’s coverage of Morven Park International & Fall H.T. is sponsored by Kentucky Performance Products, home to 5*-caliber supplements for horses from all walks of life.

Boyd Martin and Commando 3. Photo by Erin Gilmore Photography.

The organizers and officials at Morven Park International & Fall H.T. opted to shuffle the schedule for today’s cross country due to rain in the forecast, but by this morning — as the weather gods typically like to do in typical cruel joke fashion — the forecast had flipped, meaning the bulk of the downpour started just as the first CCI4*-L pair was set to leave the box.

Truthfully, the ground here holds water quite well and due to the dry summer Virginia has experience could have used some dampening anyway. But it didn’t make the already-up-to-standard track any less challenging, and in reality the issues we saw were just as likely to happen on a dry, sunny day.

As the mud settles, it’s still Boyd Martin and Yankee Creek Ranch LLC’s Commando 3 (Connor 48 – R-Adelgunde, by Amigo xx) in, well, command of the 4*-L, gritting out the quickest ride of the day with 3.2 time penalties collected and a two-phase score of 29.4.

By the time Boyd left the start box as one of the last in the division, the 15-horse field had thinned with seven combinations ultimately failing to complete and one withdrawing. The Leaf Pit, perhaps the most imposing question on the track, would be the biggest culprit, causing refusals for four pairs, all of whom would eventually decide to retire.

And for his part, Boyd had a bit of an inauspicious start to the day, taking a tumble from Miss Lulu Herself at the second fence, a frangible table, on course (both he and Lulu were unscathed).

“Well I came back and really knew how to ride fence one!” Boyd joked of the early ending to his first run, which could have yielded useful intel on the track. Back out with Commando 3, he said Derek di Grazia’s course “rode tougher than it walked. It was a true four-star Long track. I’ve been lucky enough to ride around a number of Derek’s championship tracks this year, from Kentucky to Bromont to Burghley. Definitely the combinations with big forward distances, they’re better off with a bold ride and trying not to cheat and sneak in extra strides. The great thing with Connor is he’s got a big step and he’s a bold horse. So then, it’s well suited for him.”

“I definitely learned [a lot], as this was his biggest test to date,” Boyd said. “And what I did learn about Connor was that he digs deep and he’s got true grit and toughness when the going gets tough. He really dug deep for me and was just awesome and fighting for me all the way and had plenty of juice left at the end. He proved to me that he’s ready for some big events next year.”

Though the ground certainly didn’t suffer from the rain — the footing held well and there weren’t many, if any, spots where there was any slipping — this stiff test proved the mettle of this 10-year-old, who looked confident and bold the whole way around. It would be no surprise, if this form continues and as the horse gains even more strength and experience, to see this one right up top with Boyd’s other superstars as considerations for Paris inch closer. “Our plan this year was to really get to know him really test him a couple of times, and this is one event to sort of came off and I feel like we’ve truly proven that he’s going to be a serious horse for the future,” Boyd said, noting the support of the backers behind Yankee Creek Ranch for their belief in his system of producing potential champions.

Caroline Pamukcu and She’s the One. Photo by Sally Spickard.

Caroline Pamukcu had herself a day on the 4*-L track, showcasing two of her younger horses in a real show of talent and promise for the future. The first away, especially on a soggy day, is a fairly unenviable position, but Caroline left the start box in the zone, her goal to give her mare, She’s The One (Jaguar Mail – One to Watch, by Condios), owned by Andy and Mollie Hoff as well as Caroline and her mother, Sherrie, a good ride with her age in mind, but also to go out to compete. She accomplished both, collecting 6.8 time penalties to be good for second place overnight on a score of 38.1. It was an exclamation point of a ride, further validated by the fact that the track did not yield a large number of clear rounds.

“So I went out when on cross country with ‘Gemma’ I was like, You know what, she’s eight, I planned to just jump all the jumps first but have a good rhythm and she’s very blood to ride. I thought for the first minute I just wanted her to settle in, so about at the second minutes, I was probably like 8 or 10 seconds down on the clock and it was fine because she was so good. After the double corners, that was the first real gallop we had and I dropped the reins and she took off, like proper took off with me. It was awesome, she’s such an engine. She just flew up the hill.”

“That was exciting, because to me in my head, she’s a Burghley horse. So I’m like great, got that checked off the list as a good practice,” Caroline continued.

Caroline Pamukcu and King’s Especiale. Photo by Sally Spickard.

Caroline’s second ride in the 4*-L was King’s Especiale (Connect – Cha Cha Special, by Vittorio), who’s quite a different ride to his much more petite stablemate at nearly 18 hands.

“King” also proved his mettle today in his first 4*-L as an 8-year-old, collecting 11.2 time penalties and taking third place overnight on a score of 39.4. “So with him, I set out and I just I kept one pace the whole time because he’s only done one three-star Long, which was the Ocala one,” she said. “I wanted to make sure I gave him a good ride and just kept a nice pace and didn’t push him too much. And with him also, he pulled up and I was like, I could go around another time. So I probably should have galloped a little bit more but I’m over the moon with him. He’s a special horse — he’s gonna win something big.”

Also notable in today’s 4*-L was the performance of Andrew McConnon and Wakita 54 (Plot Blue – Werusa, by Padinus), who now has two very solid runs at the level under her belt (she was 5th in the 4*-L at Tryon earlier this spring; she also won the 4*-S at Rebecca Farm in July). This quirky mare has been with Andrew for most of her eventing career, and if her progression this season is any indicator I think we’ll see this pair stepping up to 5* as soon as 2024.

Will Coleman and Chin Tonic HS. Photo by Sally Spickard.

Will Coleman Heads Up CCI4*-S

Will Coleman enjoyed a good day at the office today, bringing home both Hyperion Stud’s Chin Tonic HS (Chin Champ – Wildera by Quinar) as well as the Diabolo Group LLC’s Diabolo (Diarado – Roulett M, by Aljano 2) home clear with some time to sit first and third in the 4*-S division. It’s been “a year of paper cuts” for Will, who’s pulled out of Pau at the end of this month with both Chin Tonic and Off the Record. Chin Tonic, he said, had a bit of a respiratory issue over the summer as well as a small shoeing problem that set him back in preparation. At that point, he didn’t feel it was a worthwhile trip to ask the horse to compete at a 5* overseas. Off the Record will also be back in competition at some point, but he did sustain a minor strain injury after AEC that will force him to sit out the 5* plans.

“It’s a long game, and it’s a very minor disappointment, but still a disappointment,” Will noted. “But you know, there’s still some things that we can keep kind of working at and get better over here. And hopefully, there’ll be another opportunity to do something like Pau down the road.”

Will Coleman and Diabolo. Photo by Sally Spickard.

Today, without a 5* to save fitness for, Will said he’d planned to let Chin Tonic HS out a little bit on cross country, if he felt the horse was taking the bit and attacking the fences. “I didn’t really go full to the boards but he just ran super. I thought he was amazing. I think it’s good for him to go out now and kind of not feel like I have the handbrake on him, just for him to just go in his natural rhythm and build his stamina. But his rideability is super and I just thought he was very professional.”

“He can be a little awkward at times,” Will continued. “Just he’s so gangly and elastic, it’s can be like riding a piece of cooked spaghetti. So I think now as he’s gotten more experience, you can sort of trust him to sort of organize himself a little bit more and I don’t feel like I have to, you know, maybe start that process as early and as I did a couple years ago. So just by nature of him becoming I think a little more self-regulating, he’s able to go a bit quicker.”

Liz Halliday and Cooley Nutcracker. Photo by Sally Spickard.

Will overtook dressage leader Liz Halliday and The Nutcracker Syndicate’s Cooley Nutcracker with a slightly quicker turn of foot, amassing 6.8 time to lead on a score of 29.9. He won’t have anything but a wee bit of time in hand over Liz and Cooley Nutcracker in tomorrow’s show jumping.

There was one Mandatory Retirement in the 4*-S — Andre Parro and Watusi, who fell at fence 7B but were reportedly on their feet and appearing to be ok afterward.

Dana Cooke and FE Quattro. Photo by Sally Spickard.

Score Recap for CCI3*-S, CCI2*-S

The 3*-S divisions also ran cross country, getting mostly dry but cool weather to cap off the day. Canada’s Dana Cooke and the FE Quattro Syndicate’s FE Quattro blazed around with a foot-perfect round to move from second into the lead, adding two seconds of time for a score of 29.1 ahead of show jumping.

Caroline Pamukcu continued her strong run with the sole double clear of the 3*-S, moving up to lead the Young Horse division for 7-year-olds with Sherrie Martin and Luann McEduff’s HSH Connor on a score of 28.1.

Maya Clarkson leads the 2*-S, which show jumped today and will run cross country tomorrow, moving all the way up from 5th to lead the way with Shannon Lilley’s Clueso on a score of 30.9.

Tim Bourke and Barbara Cassini, Lisa Takada, and Marley Stone Bourke’s Electric Quality maintained their lead after two phases in the Young Horse 2*-S, remaining on a 27.0 following show jumping.

Full scores can be found here.

Tomorrow’s schedule will kick off with jogs for the 3* and 4* divisions beginning at 8:30 a.m. ET. Show jumping will begin around 11 a.m. with the 3*, and 4* show jumping will begin after the 3* completes, most likely around 2:30 p.m. Don’t forget you’ll be able to see the action live thanks to a complimentary live feed provided by RNS Videomedia. Click here to bookmark the live feed page.

Morven Park International & Fall H.T.: [Website] [Schedule] [Competitor Info Hub] [Live Stream] [Volunteer] [EN’s Coverage]

EN’s coverage of Morven Park International & Fall H.T. is sponsored by Kentucky Performance Products, home to 5*-caliber supplements for horses from all walks of life.

Boyd Martin and Commando 3. Photo by Sally Spickard.

It’s an exciting time to be a part of Boyd Martin‘s team these days, with a full slate of top-quality horses steadily rising through the ranks in search of future team and 5* success. Among the top of Boyd’s ones-to-watch is the 10-year-old Commando 3 (Connor 48 – R-Adelgunde, by Amigo xx), previously produced and campaigned to the Advanced level by Swedish Olympian Louise Romeike and now owned for Boyd by Yankee Creek Ranch LLC.

Full disclosure: I’m refraining from making too many gone Commando jokes in this report, but if Boyd manages to win, it’s game on.

Back to the serious news, Commando 3 was seriously impressive today, showing the growing strength and development of partnership on the flat that comes from more time spent together. Barely a year into their partnership, Boyd says he’s excited for the future with “Connor”, who continues to show his prowess for these top levels. This is evident today in the 5.3 point differential between his first 4*-L with Boyd at Tryon earlier this year and the 26.2 he earned today.

“For for so many years I’ve always tried to take ‘average’ horses and make them better, and now it’s the opposite where he’s just a phenomenally talented animal. Now it’s more just a matter of presenting him well, and showing him off to the judges.”

Boyd Martin and Commando 3. Photo by Sally Spickard.

Boyd noted the flying changes as the mark to hone in on, as they’re still a bit green as the horse gains more strength for this phase. With dressage guru-in-residence Silva Martin temporarily out of the saddle ahead of welcoming the couple’s third son, Koa, Boyd jokes Connor has had to “put up with” his flying change practice. “My secret weapon Silva’s not been able to ride him at home, so poor old Connor has been stuck with me trying to figure out the changes! And, you know, the last couple events we’ve started to really get consistent there so I think next year when we take him five-star, he’ll be solid.”

Pan American Games-bound Caroline Pamukcu sits second with Redfield King’s HX Group King’s Especiale (Connect – Cha Cha Cha Special by Vittoro), sitting just behind Boyd on a score of 28.2 after the first phase of competition. The 18-hand “King”, Caroline describes, is a sensitive type who likes things *just so* — down to how you post the trot during trot sets — so it’s been a tale of getting him to feel his best, relaxed self in these atmospheres. Here, Caroline gives much credit to one of her assistant riders at home, Mason Reidy, for his help achieving this state of zen with King.

Caroline Pamukcu and King’s Especiale. Photo by Sally Spickard.

“[Mason is] a really, really good rider, and he’s helped me a lot a lot with the relaxation,” Caroline explained. “It’s just just keeping King happy; he gets so upset if he doesn’t do exactly what you want right away. So everyday when we ride him, it’s just telling him, ‘you’re doing a good job. You’re a good boy, everything’s okay. Just take a breath.'”

Caroline opted for this 4*-L with her two younger horses, She’s the One (currently inside the top 5 on a score of 31.3) and King’s Especiale, because of the quality track and designing by Derek di Grazia. For her, this is an educational run — but she’s not planning to hang about tomorrow, either. “I would say they’re here to win. I believe in them, and they’re high percentage Thoroughbred like She’s the One I think is 75% or 80%, and she did Le Lion with [French rider Gaspard Maksud], so I know she’s ready. My first goal on cross country is make sure I give them a good ride, so if I need to take a half-halt somewhere I’m going to do that, but I’m not planning on going with going out there for 30 or 40 time faults!”

Preferring to produce her horses from a young age, King is a perfect example of relationship building, having joined Caroline at the start of his eventing career as a five-year-old.

Caroline Pamukcu and King’s Especiale.

“It makes such a difference producing them since young horses,” Caroline elaborated. “I really try and make an effort to get them as four- and five-year-olds with my business partner Kelley Hutchinson. You just know them inside and out and they know you inside and out, and when I make a mistake they’re okay with it because they’ve known me since day one.”

Great Britain’s Lucienne Bellissimo took the early lead today with a picture-perfect ride aboard Horse Scout Eventing LLC’s Dyri (Diarado – La Calera, by King Milford xx), who is contesting his first 4*-L this weekend with extensive experience at the 4*-S and Advanced level prior. Lucienne and Dyri earned a 4* personal best 28.5 and will take third place into cross country tomorrow.

Lucienne Bellissimo and Dyri. Photo by Sally Spickard.

“Overall, I was pleased with the relaxation of the test,” Lucienne reflected. “At home he’s really starting to gain the confidence in his lateral work. I’ve certainly had a lot more of the ‘wow factor’ in practice and warm-up, but for this season I really want him to learn to breathe and be rideable.”

Mission accomplished today, I’d say. Looking ahead, Lucienne describes Derek di Grazia’s cross country as “beautiful, big, and bold (dare I say British!). I will learn a lot about where his brain is by tomorrow afternoon. This is his first time at four-star Long, and my goal is to keep him confident for now and I’ll step up the pressure in 2024.”

Liz Halliday and Deniro Z. Photo by Sally Spickard.

Liz Halliday and Deniro Z (Zapatero – Zonne-Trend, by French Buffett xx), owned by Ocala Horse Properties and Deborah Palmer, will sit fourth overnight on a score of 29.8. For Liz, there were a few points left on the board, including a bobble in the medium canter that resulted in an accidental lead change. “I was happy with how good he felt,” Liz said. “I was disappointed with the score — there was a mistake in the medium canter, so that was disappointing. But otherwise, I was pretty happy with him.”

Liz has said several times this year that she feels she has her horse back, after feeling she didn’t quite have the same horse she did a few years ago. Here she credits the use of a new product, Strydaflex from Hilltop Bio, for helping him get back into his top form. Now, she’s opted for Morven’s 4*-L to allow him to get in a good run without the additional ask of a five-star this fall. “I wanted him to do a really good four-Long again, and just feel good about himself,” she explained. “Because he’s not really been himself for two years, and I think he is feeling so much better. I just didn’t want to blast him straight to another five-star. He really doesn’t owe me anything, if I’m honest, and he’s always tried his guts out for me. And I’ve never been here [to Morven Park] before — I heard it was great track, and it is a great track. It’s a very serious four-star. So I think it’ll be a really good test.”

Will Coleman and Chin Tonic HS. Photo by Sally Spickard.

There’s also a strong CCI4*-S running this weekend, currently led after day one by Liz Halliday and The Nutcracker Syndicate’s Cooley Nutcracker, who earned a 22.6 as one of the last of the day to overtake Will Coleman and Chin Tonic HS (23.1). Liz is also in third with Ocala Horse Properties’ Shanroe Cooley (26.8).

Here’s a look at the rest of the leaders from the divisions that began competition today:

CCI3*-S: Lucienne Bellissimo and Caitane Z (26.7)
CCI3*-S Young Horse: Caroline Pamukcu and HSH Connor (28.1)
CCI2*-S: Sherry Pound and Carnaby (26.5)
CCI2*-S Young Horse: Tim Bourke and Electric Quality (26.6)

Tomorrow, we’ll see cross country beginning with the CCI4*-L, followed by the CCI4*-S and CCI3*-S divisions. The National divisions will begin their weekend with dressage and show jumping, and the CCI2* divisions will also show jump.

The weather forecast currently calls for rain throughout the day, though there’s a chance we’ll escape the bulk of it, which is currently forecasted to hit town later in the afternoon.

I’ll be back first thing tomorrow with a cross country course preview (but you can preview the course below!), and don’t forget you’ll be able to see the action live thanks to a complimentary live feed provided by RNS Videomedia. Click here to bookmark the live feed page.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Eventing Nation (@goeventing)

Morven Park International & Fall H.T.: [Website] [Schedule] [Competitor Info Hub] [Live Stream] [Volunteer] [EN’s Coverage]

EN’s coverage of Morven Park International & Fall H.T. is sponsored by Kentucky Performance Products, home to 5*-caliber supplements for horses from all walks of life.