Phillip Dutton and Mr. Candyman. Photo by Shelby Allen.

When will Phillip Dutton cease to amaze the eventing community? Not likely anytime soon, as he added yet another CCI3* win to his lengthy resume, this time with Mr. Candyman at the 15th annual Jersey Fresh International Three-Day Event.

“To win at this level is a great achievement,” said the Olympic bronze medalist. “It cements my idea that he’s ready for a four-star now. It was very difficult conditions yesterday. He was fortunate that I probably got to go in the best of the conditions because I was early on. I liked the way he handled things. He was very mature even though he was slipping. He didn’t get rattled by it, and he came out and jumped well today.”

Phillip Dutton and Mr. Candyman. Photo by Shelby Allen.

Jump well he did. “Elmo,” a 10-year-old Holsteiner gelding owned by Annie Jones, Bridget Colman, Caroline Moran and Tom Tierney produced one of four double clear show jumping rounds today over Sally Ike’s course. Elmo has been like an understudy of Phillip’s string, but he’s spent the last year working to make his name known, and a CCI3* win seals the deal.

“He doesn’t have a lot of confidence in himself, so it’s taken awhile to get him to feel like he can get out there and own the cross country course. I set out a little too fast on him last year and ended up retiring him. I think it scared him a little too much. He’s starting to put himself on the map – it looks like he’s got a great future,” Dutton said positively.

Lizzy Jahnke and Princeton. Photo by Shelby Allen.

CCI3* first-timers Lizzy Jahnke and Princeton scooped up a second place finish. Just one pesky time penalty marred an otherwise foot perfect trip today for the Lightspeed Equestrian’s 11-year-old Thoroughbred.

“He’s awesome, a cross country machine, and he jumped fabulous. It was a really special weekend,” she smiled. They certainly proved their cross country prowess this weekend moving eight places up the leaderboard after the second fastest ride in the division in less than favorable conditions.

Wisconsin native Lizzy credits her trainer, Joe Meyer, for today’s outcome. She spent the winter with him in Florida, and it paid off big. She’s officially on the radar of all U.S. eventing enthusiasts.

Dom Schramm and Bolytair B. Photo by Shelby Allen.

Third place went to another pair of CCI3* newbies, Dom Schramm and The Naked Horse Eventing Syndicate’s Bolytair B. They had two rails today for a three-phase score of 87.4.

“I’ve been doing this for nearly 20 years and I finally got the three star out of the way!” The Australian rider joked. “He just moved up to Advanced four shows ago, so I was thrilled with him. He’s a cross country machine actually. We still have to manage his brain a little bit. Some shows he goes in the show jumping and he’s really soft and rideable, and sometimes he gets frazzled a bit like he did today, but there’s no shortage of talent. It’s just a matter of him getting more and more comfortable in the arena. He’s kind of a work in progress, but I think a world class horse.”

Dom has big plans for the 11-year-old Dutch Warmblood. He is looking at competing in the Blenheim CCI3* this fall, with the ultimate goal of putting himself up against the best in Europe and hopefully securing a spot on Australia’s World Equestrian Games team next year.

In addition to Phillip, three other three-star pairs had double clear show jump rounds: Daniela Moguel with Cecelia, Justine Dutton with Jak My Style (she also had a clear show jump with two-star horse Huck Finn), and Jennie Jarnstrom with Penelope.

Cornelia Dorr and Louis M. Photo by Shelby Allen.

Cornelia Dorr Wins CCI2* Debut

Many riders spend their careers dreaming of a big international win, and at just 19 Cornelia Dorr has managed one at her very first CCI2* with Louis M.

“I knew he’d be a little bit tired, but he’s done this before,” Cornelia said of the experienced 12-year-old Rheinlander. “I had trust in him that he would take care of me if he needed to and I just sort of supported a little bit to the verticals and I clucked at a lot of him to keep him off the ground. I was just hoping it would go well. I didn’t need to win, my goal was just to complete.”

Cornelia and Louis had one rail in hand thanks to finishing fast and clear around yesterday’s cross country, which was fortunate because they pulled one pole in today’s show jumping to finish on a winning score of 49.8.

Cornelia originally had two entries in the division, but her Sir Patico MH was unfortunately spun at the final horse inspection. She said he had a heel grab and they will be back to fight another day!

Boyd Martin and Kyra. Photo by Shelby Allen.

Boyd Martin and Christine Turner’s Kyra finished in second place. They were one of seven pairs in this CCI2* division to have a double clear jump today. They finish on 52.2 penalty points.

“She’s a fantastic jumping horse. This would be the one phase I’m really confident with her. She’s pretty sharp, and fresh, a real redhead, but as good a jumper as I’ve ever sat on,” Boyd boasted.

Sitting pretty going into the 10-year-old Canadian Warmblood’s strongest phase, Boyd credits his unique preparation over fences. “She’s got so much quality – almost too much quality. She’s one of the only horses I hardly ever show jump at home. I only cross country school,” he explained.  

“I think it paid off yesterday because it was pretty treacherous conditions and a tough course and there was a couple of fences similar to where I’ve struggled with her before, but she soared over them and finished fresh.”

Jennie Brannigan and Twilightslastgleam. Photo by Shelby Allen.

Jennie Brannigan rounds out the top three with Nina Gardner’s Twilightslastgleam. A homebred of Nina’s the 10-year-old Thoroughbred “Comic” was originally destined for the track, but fortunately for Jennie, never quite got there.

“He got kicked off the track. He was bucking everyone off. He broke my knee a couple years ago. He was really tricky to start, but it was always worth it because I knew he was talented,” Jennie shared. “It’s fun for Nina to have one that I really do think will be a proper horse for the future. When they do their first two-star and finish on their dressage score in the conditions…He’s seven so he’s still young and I think it’s just really exciting for Nina to have one that she’s bred that maybe is something exciting for the future.” 

The only two pairs of the entire competition to finish on their dressage score were in the CCI2* division: Jennie with Comic and Caroline Martin with Cristano Z, who earned sixth place. 

The big CCI3* win may have gone to one of the most experience U.S. riders, but the CCI2* division reminded us that the young guns can rise to the challenge too! Thanks for following the action with us this weekend, EN!

Jersey Fresh Links: Website, Schedule, Live Scores, Millie Humphreys’ College Fund, EN’s Coverage, EN’s Twitter, EN’s Instagram

Marilyn Little and RF Scandalous. Photo by Shelby Allen.

Marilyn Little and RF Scandalous now have back-to-back CIC3* wins to add to their illustrious record after securing a first-place finish at the 15th annual Jersey Fresh International Three-Day Event today.

“I was really pleased with her effort this weekend. I thought she handled the weather well. Like I said yesterday, it’s easy to think of her as a fair weather horse because she is a bit of a princess, but she’s really quite courageous and she showed that this weekend,” Marilyn said of “Kitty.”

Jacqueline Mars, Robin Parksy, and Phoebe and Michael Manders’ 12-year-old Oldenburg had one rail down, but still finished with an 11 point lead, putting her in top form for her first CCI4* at Luhmühlen next month.

“I have a lot more confidence going next month to Germany where it can also pour,” Marilyn said thinking of yesterday’s wet weather. “I think she took away a really great experience and the fact that she felt good this morning can only say that much more for the effort that was put forth from the course designer and all the volunteers.”

Boyd Martin and Tsetserleg. Photo by Shelby Allen.

Boyd Martin and Christine Turner’s Tsetserleg, a 10-year-old Trakehner, were rewarded with a second-place finish after a careful and clear trip around Sally Ike’s show jumping track.

“I was thrilled with him. He’s a newer horse for me; I’ve had him for about a year. He was formerly produced by Michael Pollard and I’m very glad Michael retired from eventing because I got a couple of his nice horses!” Boyd laughed.

“It takes a bit to get the hang of it. He’s a bit awkward in his jump–he wouldn’t be the most conventional horse, but he’s an absolute trier. In eventing I think that’s actually the number one priority–a horse that really digs in deep and wants to do it,” he continued. 

Will Coleman and Boris O’Hara. Photo by Shelby Allen.

Kathleen McDermott’s Boris O’Hara was clearly no worse for wear after yesterday’s sloppy conditions. The 11-year-old Dutch Warmblood made sure to keep nearly a foot between him and the rails, making rider Will Coleman work to stay in the tack. A double-clear round moved them up two places to finish third overall in the CIC3*.

“I’m another one that’s kind of lucky Michael Pollard retired from eventing,” Will joked. “The McDermotts sent him to me and I’m really just thrilled for them. They’ve been great owners in the sport for a long time. They’re from New Jersey, they live about an hour away, and they’ve really stuck by this horse through some ups and downs that every owner experiences in the sport, and I just really feel very lucky that I have the horse and that they’re owners in my camp.”

Lauren Kieffer and D.A. Duras. Photo by Shelby Allen.

Lauren Kieffer and D.A. Duras Earn Wire-to-Wire Win

The pressure was on for overnight CIC2* leader Lauren Kieffer this morning when nine of the top produced double-clear show jump rounds, but she and D.A. Duras were unfazed, ending the weekend as the best finishers for the win. 

Debbie Adams and Jacqueline Mars’ 9-year-old Dutch Warmblood added only four time penalties from yesterday’s cross country to their dressage score (46.9) to finish the weekend on a result of 50.9.

“He was great. He’s a really careful horse. He felt super fresh and yesterday didn’t take much out of him. He’s a horse you can really trust to show jump clean,” Lauren said.

This was Lauren’s last domestic competition before she heads to England for the summer with her top horses including “Duras” who is aimed at a combined test at Little Downham before heading to the CCI3* at Bramham. 

In addition to the pretty blue ribbon, Duras also received recognition for being the best conditioned horse, and Lauren’s groom, Jenn Cain, earned the First Place Groom’s Award. Since Lauren has hardly been home between Rolex Kentucky and Badminton, this recognition is a true testament to her team.

“I definitely have the best team. I’m so so fortunate that I’m allowed to have such great people in my group,” Lauren said. “Shannon Kinsley is taking care of the horses in England right now and Jenn Cain is going to fly out with them. She was at Badminton with us, too, and then Sara McKenna is running things at home along with Sue Clarke.

“Then I’ve got my girls, Kim Cecere and Lauren Mair riding for me so really they’re to thank for Duras going so well. Kurt Martin always steps in when my big guys need a jump. I’m really, really fortunate with everyone I’ve got. It would be pretty hard–next to impossible–to replace any of them.”

Sharon White and Cooley On Show. Photo by Shelby Allen.

Sharon White, Sara Kozumplik Murphy and Will Zuschlag held their overnight second, third and fourth-place spots, respectively, after leaving all the poles in their cups today.

Cooley On Show, a 10-year-old Irish Sport Horse owned by Sharon, finished less than a point behind Lauren and Duras. “Louis” added only 2.4 cross country time penalties to end the weekend on a final mark of 51.8. 

Sharon additionally was selected by the Ground Jury as the recipient of the Philippa Humphreys Memorial Sportsmanship Award, which was created this year to identify a rider who demonstrates outstanding acts of sportsmanship.

“I think the Philippa award kept it all in perspective this weekend. The one thing about Philippa is she would just loved riding her horse around. She loved her relationship with her horses, and that’s what this is all about,” Sharon reflected. “That’s the important thing about the weekend, that you’re out there with your horse and doing it for the joy of being with them.”

The award was given to Sharon for her exemplification of fairness, respect, responsibility, selfless equine management, passion and commitment for the betterment of eventing, and outstanding mentorship and relationship management skills.

“Right after last year’s event we knew this year we wanted to do something to recognize and memorialize (Philippa). It was decided that a percentage of the entry fees would be allocated to this award every year, so the more entries we get, the more money we can put into Millie’s fund. It will be perpetual, so this was the first year and we go from here,” explained Lisa Mackintosh, who is a member of the Jersey Fresh International Organizing Committee. 

Sara and Will both carried 11.6 cross country time penalties, and they both had clear rounds today. Sara ended third with Rubens D’Ysiuex Syndicate’s Rubens D’Ysieux and Will finished fourth with his own RF Southern Command, respectively.

Waylon Roberts and Anthony Connolly and Skye Levely’s Mindful started the weekend in 14th, but finished in fifth after adding 11.2 penalties on cross country and none today. Waylon is surely pleased as this was the 10-year-old Irish Sport Horse’s first CIC2*.

What a great way to end the CIC classes this weekend at Jersey Fresh! Stay tuned for the forthcoming CCI reports.

Jersey Fresh Links: Website, Schedule, Live Scores, Millie Humphreys’ College Fund, EN’s Coverage, EN’s Twitter, EN’s Instagram

Phillip Dutton and Mr. Candyman. Photo by Shelby Allen.

There were six horses held and one spun at the final horse inspection at the Jersey Fresh International Three-Day Event, leaving sixty-one pairs to continue to the show jumping phase.

All eight CCI3* horses presented this morning were accepted, including overnight leader Mr. Candyman, who is ridden by Phillip Dutton. Kristen Buffamoyer withdrew ninth-placed Jim this morning before the jog.

Cornelia Dorr and Louis M. Photo by Shelby Allen.

While Cornelia’s first-placed Louis M was accepted, her second ride, Sir Patico MH who was in third place after cross country, was sent to the hold and unfortunately not accepted upon second presentation. One other horse, fourth-placed Jennie Brannigan’s mount Twilightslastgleam, was also sent to the hold, but accepted when presented again.

Marilyn Little and RF Scandalous. Photo by Shelby Allen.

Three were held in the CIC3* group: Boris O’Hara, who is fifth with Will Coleman, Geoni, who is 17th with Tracey Bienemann, and Celien, who is 10th with Hallie Coon.

All 21 CIC2* combinations will continue this weekend. One pair were held — Waylon Robert’s mount, Mindful — but accepted on second presentation.

Show jumping gets underway at 10:00 am with the CIC2* group kicking things off.

Jersey Fresh Links: Website, SJ Order of Go, Schedule, Live Scores, Millie Humphreys’ College Fund, EN’s Coverage, EN’s Twitter, EN’s Instagram

Cornelia Dorr and Louis M. Photo by Shelby Allen.

In her very first CCI2*, 19-year-old Cornelia Dorr has ridden two horses to the top three after a very influential cross country day at the 15th annual Jersey Fresh International Three-Day Event.

She earned not one, but two double clear results, standing in first and third with Louis M and Sir Patico MH, respectively.

Dressage winner Louis M, a 12-year-old Rheinlander, has two CCI2* wins in his arsenal with former rider Pia Münker and he shared his experience with Cornelia today over the saturated track.

“He was fabulous. He is much more used to these conditions than my other horse, so it was nice that I got to go out on him first and get that confidence in myself to make the less experienced one confident in himself,” Cornelia said.

Her second ride, Sir Patico MH, had the fastest trip in the division, coming in 13 seconds under optimum time. The 11-year-old Zweibrucker holds a two-phase score of 53.7 going into tomorrow’s show jumping.

Boyd Martin and Tura Lura. Photo by Shelby Allen.

Boyd Martin sits in second place between Cornelia on the leaderboard with Christine Turner’s Kyra. The 10-year-old Canadian Warmblood jumped nimbly around Captain Mark Phillips’ two-star track to pick up just two time penalties.

“She was phenomenal on the cross country at the end of the class. The ground was deteriorating, but she really fought hard and got close to the time,” he said.

Boyd appears again in the top five with trailblazer Tura Lura, a 9-year-old Irish Sport Horse owned by Gloria Callen and Nancy Hathaway. You can’t fault him for consistency, as he finished on the exact same time with both horses. Despite his good fortune today, Boyd and many other riders have spent the weekend reflecting on their friend Philippa Humphreys.

“To me it was an eerie kind of day because 12 months ago was arguably my worst day in eventing with the passing of Philippa Humphreys. All day long it was sort of crossing my mind how awful today was a year ago and how many lives it changed,” Boyd lamented.

“That being said, I’ve got to take my hat off to the Jersey Fresh Organizing Committee. They’ve done a complete 180 with the course–changed the designer, the path and the look to the fences. I thought it was a very inviting track and it was a contest still. It was really hard to make the time and you had to ride the whole way around. Mark Phillips I think is actually becoming a better course designer with age. The last couple of years I feel like Mark Phillips’ courses have been the best in his whole career.”

Jennie Brannigan and Twilightslastgleam. Photo by Shelby Allen.

Fourth place goes to Jennie Brannigan with Nina Gardner’s homebred gelding Twilightslastgleam. The 10-year-old Thoroughbred also had a faultless round to remain on their dressage score of 56.6.

The CCI2* class was very keen with all 12 starters coming home without jump penalties, and four of those under the time. In addition to Cornelia and Jennie, Caroline Martin also joins the fault-free club with her own Cristano Z.

Marilyn Little and RF Scandalous. Photo by Shelby Allen.

Rainfall was an exciting challenge for overnight CIC3* leader Marilyn Little, as she wanted to test RF Scandalous before they make the overseas trip to Luhmühlen next month.

“I walked out there during the CCI3* and I thought it looked quite OK. I thought the footing was holding up quite well. It looked like the horses were reading it well. I didn’t have a question if I was going to go,” Marilyn explained. “By the time I went it was really heavy going. I was thrilled with her. She’s a beauty queen on the first day, so it’s easy to think she’s a delicate horse, but she’s actually a really courageous horse.”

She and “Kitty,” a 12-year-old Oldenburg owned by Jacqueline Mars, Robin Parksy, and Phoebe and Michael Manders, moved expertly through the unfavorable conditions. Although they came home with 16 time penalties, a two-phase score of 53.7 was enough to keep hold of their lead.

“I was looking forward to the chance to ride her in the weather. She hasn’t had a real run in the rain since Boekelo in 2015. She’s gotten lucky I suppose with fair weather events, so this was a big opportunity to see where she is in her training and fitness. Going into Luhmühlen it will have plenty of mud, and you want to know what you have before you head over,” she continued.

Jennie Brannigan and Cool As Ice. Photo by Shelby Allen.

Jennie Brannigan put the pedal down with Elisbeth Battel’s Cool As Ice, a 9-year-old Holsteiner mare, to jump from 12th to second place after this phase on a score of 66.8.

Boyd Martin also moved into the top three in this division, this time with Tsetserleg, a 10-year-old Trakehner gelding owned by Christine Turner. They added 23.6 time penalties on course today.

Two riders withdrew: Ryan Wood opted not to compete with Powell and Michael Walton with Woodstock Wallaby. Buck Davidson’s trip around with Halimey came to an early end when he and the 12-year-old Trakehner picked up three stops at fence 9A, the Jersey Shore water.

Second placed Phillip Dutton was making easy work of the course with Fernhill Revelation, but he had accidentally jumped the CCI3* first fence instead of the CIC3* one, so the pair were pulled up by fence six and received a technical elimination.

Courtney Cooper and Who’s A Star, who have rerouted from Rolex Kentucky, activated a frangible pin at an fence 22, an open oxer. There was subsequently a hold on course as builders worked at a feverish pace to get the fence reset.

Today’s conditions become apparent in this division as you look down the leaderboard. None of the 21 finishers came home within the optimum time of 6 minutes and 51 seconds. Woods Baughman and Montesquieu came the closest with a time of 7:29.

D.A. Duras and Lauren Kieffer. Photo by Shelby Allen.

In the final group of the day, Lauren Kieffer moved quickly to hold onto her CIC2* lead with Debbie Adams and Jacqueline Mars’ D.A. Duras. The 9-year-old Dutch Warmblood was looking very sharp in his last competition before heading to England for the summer with Lauren.

Sharon White and Cooley On Show. Photo by Shelby Allen.

Sharon White managed the quickest ride in this division with her own Cooley On Show. The 10-year-old Irish Sport Horse, who picks up at this event after retiring on course in Kentucky two weeks ago, looked confident as ever. The pair are less than a point behind Lauren and “Duras.”

Sara Kozumplik Murphy and Rubens D’Ysieux. Photo by Shelby Allen.

Sara Kozumplik Murphy and Rubens D’Ysieux round out the top three in this group. They add 11.6 time penalties to their dressage score.

Five two-star combinations withdrew this morning, two retired on course and one rider, Bevin Dugan, came out of the tack during her trip with Kemmerlin, but is reported to be OK.

By the time the CIC2* riders went out on course, the conditions had certainly deteriorated, but the Jersey Fresh crew was hard at work to keep it in working order for the final pairs out of the start box. From the entire team at EN, thank you JFI team for all you do!

Jersey Fresh Links: Website, SJ Order of Go, Schedule, Live Scores, Millie Humphreys’ College Fund, EN’s Coverage, EN’s Twitter, EN’s Instagram

Phillip Dutton and Mr. Candyman. Photo by Shelby Allen.

The cross country at the Jersey Fresh International Three-Day Event showed us once again that eventers are tough as nails. This weekend’s Nor’easter paid no mind to our pleas for warm sunshine as it descended on the Horse Park of New Jersey in the form of chilly temperatures, heavy wind gusts and buckets of rain.

But, eventers don’t back down from a little rain. Today’s international riders displayed some incredibly tactful riding, despite the conditions, as they took their first crack at Captain Mark Phillips’ new cross country course.

When overnight CCI3* leader Tamie Smith withdrew Kevin Baumgardner’s Wembley, she left the door wide open for third-placed Phillip Dutton to take the lead with Mr. Candyman.

Phillip–a.k.a. The Mr. Miyagi of U.S. eventing–had the fastest ride of the day with “Elmo,” a 10-year-old Holsteiner gelding owned by Annie Jones, Bridget Colman, Caroline Moran and Tom Tierney.

“He’s a work in progress,” Phillip said. “He’s not the most confident horse in himself, so I can’t go 100 percent. I’ve got to go about 90 percent to stay confident on him. He handled it all easily today.”

The pair came through the finish flags with 8.4 time penalties added to their dressage score to sit on 58.90 going into tomorrow’s show jumping.

“I want to congratulate the organizers and everyone who tried really hard to make this as good as we can with the conditions. It stayed safe for horses and riders. It was obviously a bit more challenging as it got wetter and wetter, but part of becoming better on cross country in this country means we have to learn to deal with adverse conditions. I was excited to take mine out and see how they go and handle these conditions, so I’m glad I did,” he added. 

Lizzy Jahnke and Princeton. Photo by Shelby Allen.

Lizzy Jahnke and Light Speed Equestrian’s Princeton followed in Phillip’s footsteps as the second fastest round of the day, coming in 45 seconds above the optimum time to move from 10th to second place.

“He’s an amazing cross country horse. He is very fast and at the same time extremely rideable, so it allows me to gallop and then he easily comes out of his gallop so I can set him up for the fences quite easily,” Lizzy said. 

She and the 11-year-old Thoroughbred’s dressage score of 56.8 plus today’s 18 time penalties gives them a two-phase result of 74.8.  

“It was my first CCI3*,” she continued. “I wasn’t sure how he was going to feel at 10 minutes, so I was a little slow going out. As I went I got comfortable and put the pedal down more, so he felt great. Honestly, he had plenty of gas left in the tank.”

Dom Schramm and Bolytair B. Photo by Shelby Allen.

Dom Schramm battled more than just the elements with Bolytair B today, as he’s been dealing with a bout of food poisoning that has unfortunately been going around at the event. But in Dom’s mind it is mission accomplished, as he picked up a qualifying score with “Boly” as he looks ahead to his ultimate goal: representing Australia at the 2018 World Equestrian Games next year.

“All of the rain took a little bit of the pressure off because it meant I didn’t have to be concerned about going like a bat out of hell. My plan was to go out and not fight with him too much for about six minutes and then see what kind of horse I had left. To his credit he was strong and felt great the entire way. I felt him getting a bit tired at the end because the ground was getting holding, but he kept fighting,” Dom said.

The Naked Horse Eventing Syndicate’s 11-year-old Dutch Warmblood looked keen and confident. This pair had the third fastest trip round this course today.

“Running here has been part of our longterm plan with the horse, and we didn’t have a big margin of error in the spring without pushing him too hard. We’ll be more relieved once we get done with the show jumping tomorrow, but I have to say that it feels great to have this run behind us. I would be lying if I said the WEG next year wasn’t on the radar, but at the end of the day we have to take it show by show and do what’s in the best interest of the horse.”

Daniel Moguel and Cecelia. Photo by Shelby Allen.

Rerouting from Rolex Kentucky, Daniela Moguel and Aurelio Quinzaños & Jorge Eduardo Mtz. Castrejon’s Cecelia moved nimbly around the saturated cross-country course, adding 34 time penalties to carry 89.8 penalty points onto show jumping.

Buck Davidson found himself in fifth place with Cathy Dudick’s No Remorse. The game little 10-year-old Thoroughbred mare moved up from 13th despite adding 27.6 time penalties.

In addition to Tamie and Wembley, three other combinations opted to withdraw before cross country including Sara Moore and Polaris, Frankie Thieriot Stutes and Chatwin, and Ashley Johnson with Tactical Maneuver.

Two riders fell from their horses – Nilson Moreira da Silva and Buck Davidson. Nilson fell from Cash at fence 25, but was quickly on his feet. Buck parted ways with Park Trader at the Red Barn fence 30, and after a few worrisome minutes, the medical team here reported that he was OK. He went on to ride his two CIC3* entries.

Nilson also retired his second ride, Muggle, after the 13-year-old Thoroughbred cross came to a quick stop at the 9A at the Jersey Shore.

Today’s rainy conditions meant for tough going in this group today. No one managed to finish within the optimum time, and today’s nine CIC3* finishers averaged 34.93 time penalties.

A huge congratulations are in order for the entire Jersey Fresh team. I have never seen a more active grounds crew doing everything in their power to preserve the footing. Additionally, today’s volunteers were outstanding–they stuck it out to the bitter end with smiles all around. Thank you!

Jersey Fresh Links: Website, SJ Order of Go, Schedule, Live Scores, Millie Humphreys’ College Fund, EN’s Coverage, EN’s Twitter, EN’s Instagram

The Jersey Shore complex got a facelift this year. Photo by Shelby Allen.

In its 15th year, the Jersey Fresh International Three-Day Event has welcomed new cross country course designer Captain Mark Phillips. He takes the reins over from John Williams who has served as the facility’s course designer for the past 14 years since the event’s inception.

“It’s very different,” Mark said of the CCI3*, CIC3*, CCI2* and CIC2* courses. “I think every designer has their own sort of thoughts and processes. John Williams did a great job here for 14 years, and I think I’ve probably come from slightly a different place and now I’ve put my stamp on it. I’ve tried to make the course flow as much as possible. I’ve tried to make the questions really clear to the horses, and perhaps gotten the riders to think and to ride.”

He joins forces with Morgan Rowsell who has been the cross country course builder since the event began in 2002. 

Phillip Dutton, who lead quite a large course walk yesterday, had a few moments to share his thoughts with the EN team as well: “My first walk out there was a little sad knowing it was a year ago that Philippa passed away here.,” Phillip lamented. “Mark has done a good job to incorporate more flow into the course. It walks reasonably straightforward, which I think is pretty appropriate for this year. It’s not as congested at the water complex. Overall it’s a little more forward-riding and horse-friendly.”

In addition to a new course designer, the track was also expanded to include a new piece of the New Jersey Horse Park. The new field, which was previously available to competitors for hacking, compliments Mark’s plan for a more open track. Only the CCI3* competitors get the chance to venture into this area to take on fences two through five.

“It’s new, therefore with the rain forecast that’s not going to be very good. Obviously, there’s not so much grass come up there,” Mark commented with the weekend’s wet forecast in mind. “It’s within the first two minutes of the course, so that’s a bit of a worry. The fences are quite straightforward, but with the rain it could be quite a tiring minute early on.”

So far, the new tracks have been well received by the riders, and many, including Buck Davidson, remain confident despite the looming forecast. “We’re supposed to have a lot of rain and that will be good because the ground is quite hard. I hear we are getting a lot of rain, but this place can handle it. It’s very sandy here and it will only help,” Buck said confidently.  

4AB – Your Choice Complex in the new area of the course. Photo by Shelby Allen.

“It’s very gallopy and open,” CCI3* dressage leader Tamie Smith said. “There are some technical questions, which I think with all the galloping might get the horses a little surprised because they’re just going along gallop fence after gallop fence. Phil (Dutton) thought the course would definitely be a fitness test. There’s a lot of turning and switching back. Mark has done a great job with keeping the course as open as possible, and it looks really great. I’m excited that I brought Wembley here for his first three-star.”

The CCI3* course includes 40 jumping efforts over 5700 meters, and riders will be aiming to finish on the optimum time of 10 minutes exactly.

Saturday might be a super-soaked cross country day, but EN will be there catching all the action for you. And if you are willing to do an anti-rain dance, I will love you forever!

Jersey Fresh Course Maps: CCI3*, CIC3*, CCI2*, CIC2*

Jersey Fresh Links: Website, Dressage Ride Times, Schedule, Live Scores, Millie Humphrey’s College Fund, EN’s Coverage, EN’s Twitter, EN’s Instagram

Tamie Smith and Wembley. Photo by Shelby Allen.

Tamie Smith and Kevin Baumgardner’s Wembley put themselves securely out in front of the CCI3* pack today at the Jersey Fresh International Three-Day Event on a score of 45.9. Besides having a four-point lead, the pair also boast the only sub-50 score in the division.

Originally ridden by Tim Price, Kevin Baumgardner brought the now-14-year-old Dutch Warmblood stateside and competed through the CIC3* level before turning over the reins to Tamie last year. Jersey Fresh will be his first CCI3* attempt, and Tamie has eyes on Rolex Kentucky in 2018.

“This year Kevin and Gretchen and I were looking at what horses could be ready for Kentucky for me to compete next year, so they offered to have me take over the ride,” Tamie said. “I’m really fortunate they are one of my biggest supporters. I hit the jackpot meeting them.”

Each year, Tamie makes the trek from California to Jersey Fresh for a chance to test herself against the competition on the East Coast. Tamie has has been drumming away with dressage trainer Niki Clarke to sharpen their performance in the sandbox. Their rhythmical ride today pays tribute to their hard work, and shows that Tamie remains a West Coast force to be reckoned with.  

A video of their ride is available thanks to the amazing David Frechette aka The Horse Pesterer:

It’s a tight race for the next three spots as Buck Davidson, Phillip Dutton and Dom Schramm are all separated by less than a point for second, third and fourth place, respectively. 

Buck Davidson and Park Trader. Photo by Shelby Allen.

Rerouting here after a fall early in the cross country at Rolex Kentucky, Buck is looking for redemption this weekend with Carl and Cassie Segal’s Park Trader.

Buck said that something was a little off with “Kobe” two weeks ago. “At Kentucky he was not at all himself. That horse is the bravest horse I’ve ever ridden, and I couldn’t get him to go in the warm up,” Buck explained. “We did some blood work and it turns out he had a little bug.”

Buck says the 15-year-old Irish Sport Horse is feeling right as rain again, biting and pestering anyone who dares to come close to his stall, and showing some exuberance in his test. “We had one major moment where he was maybe a bit excited in the extended canter. I put a little too much right leg, I guess, and he told me,” Buck laughed. “He jumped in the air and played around for a second, but then he went right back to work.”

Despite the excitement in the canter, the pair still produced a score of 50.2.

Phillip Dutton and Mr. Candyman. Photo by Shelby Allen.

Phillip Dutton piloted Mr Candyman, owned by Annie Jones, Bridget Colman, Caroline Moran and Tom Tierney,  to third place on 50.5, besting his two other attempts at this level (51.4 at Jersey Fresh and 52.9 at Fair Hill International last year).

“Mr. Candyman is certainly improving all the time,” Phillip said. “There were a couple parts in the test where I left marks on the table, but he is gradually getting better and better.”

“Elmo,” a 10-year-old Holsteiner, is certainly no newbie at the level anymore, and with cross country master Phillip Dutton in the irons he will remain one to watch this weekend.

Dom Schramm and Bolytair B. Photo by Shelby Allen.

Dom Schramm and Bolytair B, an 11-year-old Dutch Warmblood owned by the Naked Horse Eventing Syndicate, have come out swinging at their first CCI3*, ending the day on a 50.6 for fourth place.

Also starting their first CCI3*, Jennie Janstrom and her own Penelope have landed in fifth. The 10-year-old Swedish Warmblood carry 51 penalty points, their best mark at the three-star level to date.

Sixth place goes to Frankie Thieriot Stutes who earned a score of 52.3 aboard the Chatwin Group’s Chatwin. Though this is their first CCI3*, the pair have proved again and again their prowess on the flat, never scoring above 42.1 at the three-star level.

Daniela Moguel and Cecelia. Photo by Shelby Allen.

Caroline Martin and her own and Sherrie Martin’s Danger Mouse fall in seventh on a score of 54.5. Nilson Moreira da Silva and his own and the Phoenix Syndicate’s Muggle ended the day in eighth with a 55.1.

Ninth place goes to Daniela Moguel and Aurelio Quinzaños & Jorge Eduardo Mtz. Castrejon’s Cecelia, who have also rerouted from Rolex to post a 55.8 on the leaderboard today. Lizzie Jahnke and Light Speed Equestrian’s Princeton round out the top 10 on 56.8. 

We would be remiss if we covered the weekend without addressing the looming sadness that each and every one of us feels this weekend as we remember Philippa Humphreys, who died tragically while competing here last year. Philippa was a remarkable mother, wife, friend and horsewoman who is missed very dearly.

Philippa is survived by her husband, Peter, and daughter Millie. Last year, a college fund was created to ensure that Millie has access to the best education possible. The fund is still growing, and getting closer and closer to its goal. Those who feel inclined can donate at this link.

Jersey Fresh Links: Website, Dressage Ride Times, Schedule, Live Scores, EN’s Coverage, EN’s Twitter, EN’s Instagram