Bella Innes Ker and Carolyn. Photo by Katie Neat Photography.

“I said that I was speechless yesterday, but today really is a complete dream come true,” said a delighted Bella Innes Ker in the collecting ring as all around her, the frantic scurry of prizegiving prep whirled around her. A moment later, runner-up William Fox-Pitt appeared and threw an arm around her.

“Absolutely brilliant, wasn’t she — and she’s only 24!”

As quickly as he’d appeared he was gone again, swallowed up by the hubbub, but the smile on Bella’s face was even bigger than it had been before. And who can blame her? Her victory in Blenheim’s CCI3* wasn’t just the biggest of her career — her previous best was fourth in last month’s Blair Castle CIC3* — it was also an incredible victory in its own right, with a colossal field of 101 horse-and-rider combinations vying for the title at the UK’s foremost autumn event.

Young guns blazing: Bella Innes Ker and Carolyn take the Blenheim CCI3*. Photo by Katie Neat Photography.

To win is one thing, but to lead from start to finish is another beast entirely, and that’s exactly what Bella and Carolyn, owned by Bella’s mother, the Duchess of Roxburghe, did. Together, they posted a 24.4 dressage — a personal best at the three-star level, and equal to their personal best across all levels — proving that their upswing in scores this season has been no fluke.

Bella Innes Ker and Carolyn. Photo by Adam Fanthorpe.

The ‘dressage diva’, known at home as Princess, might have all the sparkle (and occasional sass) of royalty, but the young rider and her horse have grown up together over their seven year partnership, and Bella has learned the ins-and-outs of the fourteen-year-old Carolyn.

“Sometimes it’s her way or the highway, but I’ve learned how to do things her way. If I please her and do it by her system, then she’s great,” she said.

A dream come true: Bella Innes Ker and Carolyn hold the lead in the CCI3*. Photo by Adam Fanthorpe.

Saturday was always going to be a big test over David Evans‘ huge track, but for Bella and Carolyn, who had never yet made the time in a CCI, the pressure was on to maintain their lead. They did exactly that, romping home exactly on the optimum time to lead without a pole to spare on the final day.

Though some had lamented the fact that the cross-country phase had been perhaps less influential than in previous years, Di Boddy‘s showjumping test more than made up for it. The time was tight and the fences were up-to-height, with related distances and combinations that didn’t allow for a moment of lost focus. As the poles started to tumble, Bella suddenly found herself with a fence in hand as she entered the ring.

As it turned out, she’d need it — the pair added four penalties but, as they landed over the last, the pin-drop-quiet crowd erupted and Bella’s elation was writ large in a beaming grin and a celebratory fist-pump. They’d done it.

“I’m thrilled for the whole team,” she said, extricating herself from a mass of well-wishers. “Carolyn has done her best all week, and has outdone every expectation, and I knew I just had to keep my cool in there. She’s one in a million, she really is — she’s a wonder horse. She’s a quirky little thing, and I’ve probably fallen off her more times that not, so it’s amazing to do this together after the journey we’ve had.”

Bella Innes-Ker and Carolyn. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Bella admitted that she’d taken a moment to dream earlier in the week, when she spotted one of the prizes on offer for the eventual winner.

“I looked at the winners’ rug on Thursday and wondered if I’d ever get my hands on it,” she said. “Now it’s mine!”

It was a fitting end to Bella’s time in the UK — she heads to Ireland to start a new job on an eventing yard this autumn. But there was one person missing when her big moment came: “The one person I’m gutted for is Gill Buckley, who’s been with me for nine years, but couldn’t be here as she had a baby last week.”

With a CCI3* victory under her belt and the blank slate of a new home and new job awaiting her, what’s next for Bella?

“We’re going to regroup and maybe think about Badminton in the spring — it’s scary to even say it!” she laughed.

William Fox-Pitt and Oratorio rise to the top. Photo by Katie Neat Photography.

“It was all very jolly, wasn’t it — it was my lucky day!” said William Fox-Pitt, who finished second on Oratorio. They added nothing to their dressage score of 28.7 to climb from an initial fifth place, and the tricky but talented young horse proved what he was made of throughout the week.

“I certainly came here hopeful of being up there, especially after he showed us at Bramham that he’s competitive, but when it’s a competitive field full of top four-star horses like Ceylor LAN and Zagreb, you sort of think the writing’s on the wall.”

Although their first-phase mark wasn’t quite what William had hoped for, the takeaways for the horse’s ongoing education were exactly what he’d hoped they would be.

“I was a bit disappointed after dressage — he can be quite flash, but it was just a bit lacking,” he said. But on the cross-country course? “He’s absolutely blood, and he doesn’t know the meaning of ‘hard’ in any phase, on any day, ever. It’s exhausting at my age — I’m quite looking forward to the day when he says, ‘right, okay, let’s go onto the bridle a bit now!’ At my age, I quite like them to purr around a bit, but he’s a double handful. Sometimes the ‘woah’ can take 25 strides!”

William Fox-Pitt and Oratorio. Photo by Katie Neat Photography.

Brimming with an enthusiasm only matched by his undeniable scope and talent, Oratorio finished Saturday’s test looking as well as he’d started, and he didn’t disappoint on the final day, either.

“He’s come out so well — dare I say, he’s a tough old chap. He doesn’t jump like [his sire, four-star winner] Oslo, but he gallops better. He’s got that go in him, and he’s a bit of a fighter, but when you go in before Pippa and Oliver, you don’t expect to climb — you just hope not to fall down the leaderboard.”

A Badminton campaign could be next on the cards for Oratorio, who will be aimed either at the spring feature or at Luhmühlen for his debut.

“We’ll work this winter on a bit of control and beauty. He’s never sorry or fragile — he’s just class, although the showjumping has always been his weaker link. I said to his owners that a clear round would come, he just won’t purr.”

Alex Bragg and Zagreb complete a successful post-Burghley campaign. Photo by Katie Neat Photography.

Alex Bragg and Zagreb posted a pleasing result in their Burghley reroute, finishing on their dressage score of 29.6 and rising from 9th to 3rd place.

“The aim was to come in the top three, but I didn’t think we’d done enough on the first day,” admitted Alex. “I think the time being tight in the showjumping made up for the cross country, though.”

The fourteen-year-old gelding is well-established at the top levels now, but after an early fall at Burghley, Alex was doubly pleased with how Zagreb, known at home as Rhett, went.

“He’s feeling so well being here — he was jumping around in the trot-up and very lively in the dressage, and for a fourteen-year-old horse to feel that well is something special.”

Alex Bragg produces the results on up-and-comer Barrichello, who he took over this spring. Photo by Katie Neat Photography.

Alex also finished ninth with new ride Barrichello, owned by Sarah Hughes. They rose from 17th after the dressage, cementing a developing partnership throughout the week and adding just two time penalties in the final phase to their 30.9 dressage score.

“I’m really pleased with him. He really showed his class, and those clear rounds are what it’s all about.”

Fourth place went to Selina Milnes, whose long-strided, plucky Iron IV had captured everyone’s attention the day before. They finished on their dressage score of 30.2.

“It’s all just gone to plan, to be honest — I’d have liked to get into the top ten, but I honestly didn’t think we’d be this high up!”

Kitty King and Vendredi Biats. Photo by Katie Neat Photography.

Kitty King‘s week might have ended early with her Olympic mount Ceylor L A N, who refused at the B element of fence four on Saturday and was retired, but redemption came in the form of a fifth-place finish with Vendredi Biats, who picked up 20 penalties here in 2017. Below them, Pippa Funnell and MGH Grafton Street relinquished their grasp on second place with a single pole that saw them finish sixth, and seventh place went to Emily Philp and Camembert, who recorded their 21st consecutive clear round over the poles in an international competition and rounded out a fantastic autumn campaign, which also saw them finish on the podium in Blair Castle’s ERM finale.

Emily Philp and Camembert prove their worth once again. Photo by Katie Neat Photography.

Franky Reid-Warrilow, a former winner of the Mark Todd Bridging the Gap scholarship, which helps talented riders transition from the young rider programme into senior competition, finished 8th with Dolley Whisper after a steady climb from 20th in the first phase. Australia’s Amanda Ross and her Koko Popping Candy rounded out the top ten and made the only non-British appearance in the upper echelons of the class — an exciting finish to the competition for the pair who travelled over as first reserves for Australia’s WEG team.

And that’s a wrap on what has been one heck of a week for eventing fans the world over — I’m off to  rewatch the final five minutes of the WEG showjumping on an endless loop while quietly and happily sobbing into a bucket of gin (no tonic, in true Tryon fashion). Catch you all at the next one — in the meantime, Go Eventing!

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Laura Collett and London 52 take top honours in the eight- and nine-year-old CIC3*. Photo by Katie Neat Photography.

It’s been one hell of a season for Laura Collett, and in more ways than one: second in the Event Rider Masters series standings, a win at Houghton CICO3*, third at Haras du Pin CICO3*, and second at Luhmühlen’s CCI4* with Mr Bass, and top 10 placings at ERM legs at Chatsworth, Arville, Barbury and Blair makes for an enviable list of accomplishments by anyone’s standards. But when the World Equestrian Games team was announced last month, she and Mr Bass hadn’t made the cut, and the disappointment was staggering for Laura.

It’s a funny old sport, this, with its endless peaks and troughs, emotional buoyancy tempered by occasional skids along rock bottom. Had Laura gone to WEG, she may well have produced one of the phenomenal efforts we saw from the team yesterday. She may have finished well in the hunt for a medal, sitting out Sunday in anticipation of the biggest moment of her career thus far. Or, it could have gone the other way — perhaps, despite a brilliant form line, she might have had the sort of wobble that pushed the likes of Julia Krajewski, Sandra Auffarth and Boyd Martin out of contention. The what-ifs are endless, tantalising and damning, but one thing’s for certain: if Laura Collett had gone to Tryon, she wouldn’t have won at Blenheim.

Laura Collett and London 52. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

The eight- and nine-year-old CIC3* at the SsangYong Blenheim Palace International Horse Trials is one of the most coveted CIC titles in the world. It’s bold, it’s beautifully presented, and its statistics are astonishing: since its inception in 2009, its victors have gone on to win four CCI4*s, often in the very next year.  To win here is to begin to feel very safe in the knowledge that the young talent you’re sitting on is going to be something very, very special.

Laura Collett and London 52 take top honours in the Blenheim eight- and nine-year-old CIC3*. Photo by Katie Neat Photography.

London 52, owned by Laura, Karen Bartlett and Keith Scott, has certainly been special so far. He stepped up to three-star at the beginning of the 2018 after several very good results at two-star in 2017, including second place finishes at both Ballindenisk and Millstreet. In May of this year he had never even run at Advanced; in the months since he’s finished second in the Event Rider Masters CIC3* at Arville, 11th in the Jardy leg, and 8th in the series finale at Blair, despite testing conditions and a technical course that proved testing for more mature horses. Today, he added just 0.4 time penalties to his dressage score of 27.5 to take the win.

“It’s scary how easy he finds everything,” said a delighted — and slightly breathless — Laura. “He’s pure class, and he always has been. He’s been a bit tricky in his brain, but that’s just because he’s so talented — he stepped up the levels so quickly that he never really had much time to think about it.”

Laura found the nine-year-old by Landos when she went to Peter Thompson’s yard to look for a cheap resale project. Instead, she found the 16.3hh London 52, who bowled her over with his obvious talent. The then-seven-year-old had never evented, but had experience showjumping at the 1.30m level. In mid-2016, he made his eventing debut, and the quick ascent up the levels began.

“It’s yet another young horse I don’t want to get rid of — I’ve got no business brain in me, but I love to find the good ones,” she laughed. That formidable talent — and its accompanying quirks — took some time to hone, but Laura has evidently found the key to getting the best out of ‘Dan’.

“Now, when I say ‘go’, he says ‘okay’, rather than doubting me. He’s not that blood, but he really covers the ground — sometimes he scares me with how quick he’s able to gallop. I have to shorten him and set him up more, and give him that extra time to assess the situation, but he just finds it all so easy. The scary thing is how much more there is to come from him.”

The win is doubly special because Karen Bartlett has been an integral part of the Blenheim steering committee for many years, though has never had a horse run in the competition herself. All being well, Dan will now head to Boekelo for next month’s CCI3*.

Laura Collett and Dacapo finish third in the CIC3*. Photo by Katie Neat Photography.

Laura also finished third on Diana Chappell’s Dacapo, who led after yesterday’s showjumping but added 3.2 time today to slip out of the top position. The Diarado-sired nine-year-old is quite a different ride to his victorious stablemate, but he, too, proved that his debut season at the level has been a productive one.

“He’s as honest as the day is long — as long as he can see the flags then he takes no setting up,” said Laura. “He takes longer than London 52 to get to that top gear, but once he’s there, you can keep motoring.”

Dacapo will finish his season now, as, explains Laura, he requires far more fitness work than his winning stablemate, but his early season plans are yet to be confirmed.

Izzy Taylor climbs with Springpower. Photo by Katie Neat Photography.

Time proved a far more influential factor in today’s CIC3* cross country than it had in the CCI3*: where 20 pairs managed to come home clear inside the time yesterday, just one managed it today. That was Izzy Taylor, whose reputation for blazing speed and efficient riding precedes her, and today, we saw her produce the goods on a relatively new face in her string. Springpower, who moved to Izzy’s yard in the latter half of the 2017 season, is “nearly pure blood, with a bit of pony back there somewhere, too — so he’s fast, he’s cheeky, he’s fun, and he reads a fence like a pony does.”

“He’s quick and he travels across the ground very well,” said Izzy. “I’ve had him just over a year, and he’s very much become my horse now.”

The Irish-bred nine-year-old (Power Blade x April Imperator) made his CIC3* debut in this class last year with Izzy, finishing 7th and best of the eight-year-olds. Since then, he’s undergone a learning curve at three-star, with a slow early run at Belton and a CCI3* debut at Bramham in June. A dressage score of 28.7 put them well into the hunt going into the beefy cross-country phase, but it was there that an unravelling occurred: an inexplicable and uncharacteristic horse fall saw them eliminated, and left Izzy puzzling over what had gone wrong.

“It was a bit of an unfortunate fall. He just didn’t quite get his landing gear down — I watched and watched the video, but could never really figure it out.”

Izzy opted not to run the horse thereafter due to the hard ground at the height of the summer season: “but that’s not to say we didn’t do our homework, and I wasn’t worried coming here.”

Any worries would have been unwarranted: Springpower motored confidently across the ground today, cruising across the finish with thirteen seconds to spare and looking as though he’d been Izzy’s ride all along. It was enough to see them finish second on their dressage score of 29.5 — a climb of ten places from the first phase and the only FOD of the class.

Izzy, who also finished 13th with eight-year-old Direct Cassino, runner up at last year’s seven-year-old World Championships, was full of praise for David Evans‘ course, which had to both challenge and nurture a plethora of precociously talented up-and-comers.

“It’s a hard class to build for,” she said. “David always does a good job of using the ground to make us all pay a bit more attention. My eight-year-old was given confidence and finished feeling really well, while the nine-year-old was able to come out and feel more mature and competitive, so it worked for both.”

Richard Jones followed up a career high at Burghley, where he finished 7th, by adding just 0.4 time penalties to his dressage score of 31.7 and finishing 4th with Kilballyboy Bob. The nine-year-old is a half-brother to Burghley mount Alfies Clover — they’re both by the American Thoroughbred Tajraasi — and they share a few pertinent similarities.

“They’re both fast, although this one’s faster,” said Richard of the Sean Beston-bred gelding. “They’re class horses and they want to do the job.”

Richard first saw Kilballyboy Bob as a four-year-old, but turned him down as he thought he’d be too small: “He was gorgeous, though, and I ended up getting him as a just-broke five-year-old. He’s very game and just wants to do his job, so he’s been super easy to train.”

Despite this, Richard had his misgivings about fence 6AB, the Ariat Dew Pond. Contrary to the main, long water obstacle at 11, the Dew Pond featured just a small splash of water, framed by a hanging rail on the entry side and a house at the exit point.

“He used to be a bit ‘watery’, so I thought that would be a real test, more so than the lake, because horses often don’t really like or read those little puddles.”

It proved to be no issue, and, in fact, Kilballyboy Bob caught sight of the crowds bunched around the string and went up a gear.

“He got a bit lit up and little bit on my hand, so I probably lost some time there,” said Richard, ruing the lone second that precluded an FOD.

Vittoria Panizzon and Super Cillious overcome a minor mishap to finish 5th. Photo by Katie Neat Photography.

Italy’s Vittoria Panizzon and the British-bred Super Cillious came in five seconds over the optimum time and climbed from 8th to 5th place. This is a second appearance at the level for the nine-year-old (Deans San Ciro Hit x Lady Priscilla), who made his debut at Arville in June but clocked up twenty penalties on course. Today he proved that he’d learned from his experience, but Vittoria’s week wasn’t without its hurdles.

“He had a sore toe on Friday, and I was off competing my youngsters at a one-day event, so my team and the farrier on site worked incredibly hard poulticing and icing him while I was away,” she explained. “He came out yesterday and felt absolutely fine, and then show jumped brilliantly, but I didn’t really get into my rhythm until the second part of the course today because I wanted to make sure he was okay. Otherwise, we should have been inside the time — he has a very good gallop stride and is good up hills, too. But then, my whole season has been a bit like that — good results on the surface, but quite a lot of paddling to make it happen, really.”

Vittoria has produced the horse from a four-year-old, and the qualities that helped him come second in 2013’s four-year-old Championships at Osberton have, she says, been present all along.

“He’s always been very genuine, very straight, and has always looked to stay between the flags. His balance has sometimes been a bit wobbly, but if you can get his head pointed at the flags, he’ll look to go between them. He’s more of a blood type to ride than he actually is on paper, and he’s always tried hard — he can just get a bit cheeky in the dressage, but he’s got enough charm that the judges seem to like him.”

New Zealand’s James Avery adds another promising result to Vitali’s resume. Photo by Katie Neat Photography.

Dressage leaders James Avery and Vitali were looking for redemption today after a dropped rein led to a dropped rail in yesterday’s showjumping, knocking them to 7th place. They got it, but only just: a classy clear round with just 2.4 time penalties allowed them to climb a placing and finish 6th, another promising result for the eight-year-old in his first three-star. Last year, he finished in the same position in the World Championships for seven-year-olds, having led the dressage and cross-country, and the confidence with which the Holsteiner gelding tackled his first CIC3* — and, in fact, his first Advanced dimension track — bodes well for the future.

Pippa Funnell and Maybach record a top ten finish. Photo by Katie Neat Photography.

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The Old Guard and the New Head CCI3*

“There’s a first time for everything, isn’t there!” laughed a delighted Bella Innes Ker as she and her longtime partner Carolyn romped home inside the time around Blenheim’s CCI3* to retain the lead — the first time the pair has made the time in a CCI.

A dream come true: Bella Innes Ker and Carolyn hold the lead in the CCI3*. Photo by Adam Fanthorpe.

“It’s a dream come true, especially when you’re in that position,” she said. “I’m slightly beyond words! I was very lucky out there to be on such an awesome horse, and it was a bold, attacking sort of course, which is right up my street.”

David Evans‘ course proved to be much less influential than we’ve seen it in previous years, and 20 of the 95 starters managed to come home clear within the time. Still, it was, as Bella says, big and bold, and required a positive approach to get the job done and to maintain a workable pace on the long, slow pull up its steady inclines.

“We got into the rhythm very early on, and it all came up so nicely,” she explained. “She can be quite heady and strong, but we know each other inside out, so I knew I had to keep my hands down and, as Chris Bartle says, just trust the system. I owe a huge amount of credit to Chris — he’s worked with me to be brave and to stop interfering and checking, which helped us get the time today and will help us in the future, too.”

Pippa Funnell, who remained in second place with MGH Grafton Street, agreed with Bella’s analysis of the course.

“If you go out there and you’re not thinking about getting the time, it doesn’t put you in the right frame of mind,” she said. “You need to ride forward to make these courses ride well at three-days.”

Pippa made the executive decision to cut down on her string of horses this spring, and now campaigns a select group. The change of pace was spearheaded by the sale of Sandman 7 to young rider Yasmin Ingham, a choice that Pippa said was “one of the hardest decisions to make. But now I’ve got this really classy bunch of horses I can focus on, and I’m enjoying it a bit more, so I’m very happy.”

Two years after his Blenheim debut, the Padraig McCarthy-sourced MGH Grafton Street showed his maturity when he and Pippa had a minor blip on course.

“He felt great. He really helped me out at 11 [a wide oxer hedge followed by a timber parallel] — he jumped the hedge lovely, and I thought, ‘right — I’m not going to take a pull back here, I’ll just sit up’, and then he sort of chipped in and put down again, but he really took care of me. I had to hold my mouth and just trust him.”

Oliver Townend brings forward a new star in Ulises. Photo by Katie Neat Photography.

A double-clear saw fourth-placed Ulises move up a placing with Oliver Townend, and though the Chatsworth CIC3* has flown under the radar in Oliver’s formidable string of top-level contenders, it was easy to see why Oliver had him on the list as one of his potential Burghley mounts.

“He’s very fast and has endless gallop, like [half-brother] Armada,” said Oliver. “He made it feel very easy; he could have gone round twice. If he comes out of this well, he’ll be ready to step up to CCI4* next spring.”

Any comparison to the great Armada is one that oughtn’t be ignored: Oliver finished second at Badminton in 2014 on the horse, who amassed an incredible number of enviable results at the upper levels with both him and former rider Andrew Nicholson.

William Fox-Pitt and Oratorio. Photo by Katie Neat Photography.

William Fox-Pitt was another British rider to move up a notch on the leaderboard, as he and Oratorio made light work of the course, in a season that’s proving to be the making of the tricky horse. William, who first competed at Blenheim in 1990, joked that it was nice to have his ‘old mate’ Pippa Funnell to keep him company in a class full of young faces.

“Isn’t that romantic — Pippa and I right up there on the leaderboard! Most of the field wasn’t even born when I first rode here — I felt like the schoolmaster at the riders’ briefing, I didn’t know anyone’s names or faces! I’m missing so many of my mates here,” he laughed.

Oratorio is brimming with talent, but the nine-year-old, who is one of the four offspring of William’s Pau winner Oslo and out of a friend’s racing mare, doesn’t come without his quirks.

“He’s absolutely blood, and he doesn’t know the meaning of ‘hard’ in any phase, on any day, ever. It’s exhausting at my age — I’m quite looking forward to the day when he says, ‘right, okay, let’s go onto the bridle a bit now!’ At my age, I quite like them to purr around a bit, but he’s a double handful. Sometimes the ‘woah’ can take 25 strides!”

Oratorio went clear inside the time at Bramham’s CCI3* too, finishing eleventh there after knocking two rails on the final day.

“He’s potentially a four-star horse next year, now. In the old days, I’d have taken him to Kentucky without a doubt, but then, the funding was in place and the GB machine was a different beast. Now, there’s no way we could do it ourselves with our own funding. On a day like today, he’d eat Badminton up, so we won’t count it out.”

William had had his doubts about the firm going on arrival at the event, but he praised the ministrations of the team on site for making the going considerably more rideable. Thus, “it was easy — but today was a bit easy, wasn’t it?”

Amanda Ross and Koko Popping Candy. Photo by Katie Neat Photography.

Australia’s Amanda Ross moved up to fifth place — and finished the day as the only non-Brit in the top 10 — with a fast clear round aboard her ex-racehorse Koko Popping Candy. The pair were first reserves for the Australian team at WEG, and had planned to mount a British campaign in 2019, when their plans suddenly changed.

“Her owners and I were looking to come over next year with four or five horses for a big campaign — I didn’t want to come just for pre-WEG training if I was going to have to leave those horses behind, but then the selectors called and asked me to get on a plane,” explained Amanda. Although they didn’t get the final call-up, Amanda and the mare, known as Zazzie, were able to benefit from all the team’s training sessions with Gareth Hughes and Nelson Pessoa.

“She spent 40 hours travelling from door to door, and she got off the plane feeling like she’d been plugged into a USB port the entire time,” laughed Amanda. “So we were really able to enjoy those training sessions, and we got a lot out of them, so to aim here was a great alternative.”

Amanda first came over to the UK when she was 19, and admits that a visit to Badminton was “the straw that broke the camel’s back — I saw so much in terms of how things should be done.” In 1998 she was shortlisted for the WEG, and in 2000 she represented Australia at the Sydney Olympics, but a big European campaign is the missing piece in the puzzle. Zazzie will be aimed at a Luhmühlen entry for her first four-star, while Amanda hopes to run the gamut of UK events, including the Event Rider Masters series, in her season here next year. Used to the hard, dry ground of Australia’s eventing circuit, Amanda and her plucky Thoroughbred played to their strengths today.

“William [Fox-Pitt] said to me earlier in the week that the ground is the hardest he’d ever seen — I said, it’s great, I don’t want it any deeper than this!”

Kitty King had a day of mixed fortunes: she finished double-clear with Vendredi Biats, who had a run-out last year, and moved up to sixth place, but the experienced Ceylor L A N ran out at the influential corner at 4B, and she opted to retire.

Alex Bragg and Zagreb. Photo by Katie Neat Photography.

Her fellow countryman Alex Bragg must have found himself in similar mixed spirits: his CIC3* mount, Shannondale Percy, dropped from 2nd to 17th after knocking two rails, but both his CCI3* mounts produced double-clears. This moved Burghley re-router Zagreb from 9th to 7th place, and new ride Barrichello, formerly piloted by William Fox-Pitt and Caroline March, from 17th to 10th.

“It’s nice to be sat on a four-star horse going around a three star, but after Burghley I nevertheless had to keep my wits about me and think about rhythm, line, and balance,” said Alex. After an early tumble on Burghley’s course, Zagreb had a few days’ rest, followed by some physio treatment and plenty of stretching work — the result of which, laughed Alex, meant that the rangy gelding “felt like a seven-year-old at the first horse inspection — he was very fresh!”

Alex, who considers himself ‘a cross country rider, sitting on a cross country horse,’ rued the fact that the time wasn’t as influential as it could have been.

“Seven or eight seconds off the optimum time would have made it more influential; it’s not changed the top of the leaderboard much, which is a bit of a shame. But it’s a nice, inviting, solid track.”

Alex Bragg produces the results on up-and-comer Barrichello, who he took over this spring. Photo by Katie Neat Photography.

The nine-year-old Barrichello impressed not only the crowds, but Alex, too: “He did a fantastic job, and really flew around inside the time. I’m really proud of him; this is a step up in terms of atmosphere and the amount of people around. Coming into the long water at the lake feels like something from a film, and I think everyone enjoys that.”

But Barrichello’s cross country wasn’t without incident.

“There was a swan in the water, guarding the bridge like a Jack Russell guarding a driveway — it looked really tough until it saw Barrichello’s big feet storming at him, and then he thought better of it!”

“Everyone wants him”: Selina Milne’s Iron IV proves to be the horse of everyone’s dreams. Photo by Katie Neat Photography.

Selina Milnes jumped into the top 10, moving up from 12th to 8th after a seriously classy round with Iron IV that had everyone — commentators included — discussing how on earth they might be able to sneak a ride on the long-strided horse.

“He’s not that blood, so we’ve done loads of millwork to get him fit enough to come here,” explained Selina. Her hard work has paid off: Iron IV had barely broken into a sweat and, as he cantered home, he looked as though he was just setting off. This isn’t just down to careful fitness work; his success today comes down to tactical management throughout the season, too.

“I run him slowly at one-day events, because he has such a long stride to work with. Here, I was adamant that I wouldn’t take a pull, because he only gets stronger if I do. I rode him this morning properly so that I could just do a five minute warm-up this afternoon — he tends to half run his race before he even goes if I try to do him normally, as he gets so buzzy when the tannoys are going. It’s something we’ve worked on — I’ve put up flags in the arena at home to try to get him to stay calm, and it’s making a difference.”

Selina sourced the horse from Ireland’s Richard Sheane, head of the Cooley enterprise, but she wasn’t convinced by him on first viewing.

“I didn’t even ride him because I had a couple of broken ribs, and when I watched him go, I thought he was just a bit slow looking. But I’m quite a forward rider, and everyone insisted that I’d make him fast.”

Emily Philp and Camembert make a habit out of double clears. Photo by Katie Neat Photography.

Emily Philp and Camembert were incredibly impressive at Blair, where they made a surprise appearance on the Event Rider Masters podium, and they proved today that it was no fluke: another double-clear sees them in 9th after a seven place climb. Something to mull over? Blair’s three-star marked their 20th consecutive clear showjumping round at an international. They will be formidable tomorrow.

A Coup for Collett in the CIC3*

Laura Collett and Dacapo. Photo by Katie Neat Photography.

Saturday morning at the SsangYong Blenheim Palace International Horse Trials saw the eight- and nine-year-olds tackle a formidable showjumping course set by Di Boddy, and if anyone thought they were in for an easy ride, they were swiftly proven wrong. A treble combination, approached on a curving line, saw perhaps the most action of the morning: many, having made a big adjustment for the first fence, came to grief at the second, and with a tightly-bunched set of scores, a pole here saw claims to the leaderboard tumble. Near the end of the course, too, a long and meandering turn back to the final couple of fences led more than one horse to fall asleep at the wheel, only to scatter a pole when presented with yet another obstacle.

James Avery and Vitali: a lost lead, but an impressive impression. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Overnight leaders James Avery and Vitali were the most high-profile pair to fault at the treble, and their four faults and two time penalties leaves them seventh on a score of 30.2 as they look towards tomorrow’s cross country.

But for all that, the young horse, who has historically become distracted in an atmospheric showjumping arena, looked focused and professional in his trip around the arena, and it was in fact a dropped rein that led to the pole: “If I’d been able to ride him at the fence as I’d planned to, he wouldn’t have had it down,” said James.

James Avery and Vitali: polished and professional despite a minor mishap. Photo by Katie Neat Photography.

Though Vitali is tackling his first competition at the level, and in fact has yet to run at Advanced, he’s an exceptional cross-country horse. In eight international runs, he’s only ever faulted once in the phase, in his first one-star last year. Since then, he’s been clear every time, never adding more than 1.6 time penalties at two-star. He’ll be an interesting horse to keep an eye on tomorrow — there’s a lot to be said for the psychological effect of being able to head into the toughest phase without the pressure of the lead.

Laura Collett and Dacapo move into the lead in the CIC3*. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

That honour goes instead to Laura Collett, who produced clear rounds on both Dacapo and London 52, who moved from 4th and 5th place to 1st and 2nd, respectively. Both horses have begun to accumulate valuable experience at this level: Dacapo finished 6th in Houghton’s CICO3* in May and 9th in his ERM debut at Barbury in July, while London 52 has three ERM results to his name. He was 2nd in the tough class at Arville, while Jardy saw him in 11th place, and he powered through the heavy rain at Blair for 8th. Today’s CCI cross country taught us one thing: the time won’t be influential unless the horses and riders don’t make it, so Laura will have to draw on that experience against the clock to maintain her position and cruise home.

Pippa Funnell and Maybach sit in third going into Sunday’s cross country. Photo by Katie Neat Photography.

Pippa Funnell and Maybach, and Katherine Coleman and Monte Classico each produced clears as well, with Pippa rising three places to sit third, and a delighted Katherine rising from eighth to fourth. Monte Classico had to step up to the big leagues in a major way this spring: his first three-star was also his first team appearance, as he helped the U.S. team to second place in the Houghton CICO3* Nations Cup competition.

Katherine Coleman and Monte Classico make a move up the leaderboard. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Katherine has planned his entire season with this class in mind, and like Laura, she’ll need to accept nothing less than a double clear tomorrow.

Izzy Taylor and Springpower jump a double clear to sit in sixth place. Photo by Katie Neat Photography.

We’ll be bringing you all the action from the fast and furious cross country phase tomorrow, so stay tuned!

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V.I.P Vinnie did a super test in the CCI*** to score 29.3 to lie in 7th overnight despite me doing a Mark Todd and going wrong 🙈 😁 @arcequine @fairfaxsaddles @falprorugs @high5sportsnutrition @hrpequestrian @nafuk @safe_riding @topspec_horse_feeds #3dayeventing #britisheventing #eventing #eventinghorse #eventinglife #eventingnation #eventingrider #eventingstyle #threedayeventing #dothework #motivation #training #trainingday #workout #workouttime  #equestrian #equestrianapparel #equestrianblogger #equestrianism #equestrianlife #equestrianlifestyle #equestrianproblems #equestriansport #hrpwings #hrpwingsaddlepads #falprorider #falprorugs

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Sometimes dressage days feel relaxed and leisurely; just one seven-minute test after another, the faint strains of Dua Lipa less pumping, more weakly trickling out of the smattering of speakers. When dressage consists of two days, two three-stars, and just shy of 180 tests, it can feel more like a marathon sprint. The sensory overload is replete with an autumnal chill, a draping of fallen leaves, and the inexorable thrill of watching some of the world’s best horses at work. Somewhere in the distance, the ghost of Churchill prowls, looking stern and ending wars, maybe. Maybe not. Either way, there’s no better place in the United Kingdom to usher in a new chapter. Today, that’s exactly what we saw for one major four-star contender and an Olympian on the comeback trail.

King Moves in on the Kingdom of Ker

Though the top two spots on the leaderboard remained unchanged after yesterday’s dressage, with Bella Innes Ker and Carolyn heading the class, Kitty King produced the goods with her Rio Olympics mount Ceylor L A N. The 11-year-old Dutch Warmblood, known at home as Sprout, has had a quiet couple of years since his trip to Brazil, but has since re-established himself at the very top of the sport, taking fourth place at Luhmühlen CCI4* in June and ninth at Hartpury CIC3* last month. There, he posted an incredible 22.3 in this phase. Today, he earned a 27 in a class that Kitty remarked was quite harshly marked.

Kitty King and Ceylor L A N. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

“I’m really pleased with him,” said Kitty. “He’s obviously quite established at this level, but we just made a silly mistake in the second change — he just got a bit ahead of me, because sometimes he thinks he knows what he’s doing better than I do! He did some really nice, positive work, but I was pleased with my horse yesterday and ended up disappointed with his score, so you never quite know.”

Kitty King and Vendredi Biats in yesterday’s dressage. Photo by William Carey Photography.

Kitty and her first ride, Vendredi Biats, currently sit in 9th place on yesterday’s mark of 29.6. The talented grey incurred 20 penalties on course last year at the highly influential coffin, and Kitty hopes to put those demons to bed this time around. But, she acknowledges, she’ll have a big task ahead of her: “There are plenty of places to have run-outs. It’s not that different to last year’s course, but it asks plenty of questions. The corner at 4 will come up fast if horses are running a bit keen, and then there’s another corner not too far along. The coffin caused carnage last year, and it’s not been changed much this year, so that could be interesting. I thought he might have changed it a bit more — that’ll definitely be a test!”

World number one Oliver Townend and up-and-comer Ulises produced a consistent and precise test to score 28, leaving them in fourth place overnight. The Spanish-bred horse might not be in Oliver’s first string, but he’s no new face at the level: he was previously campaigned by Andrew Nicholson, who debuted him at three-star in 2015, and who sent the horse to Oliver as part of a mass exodus following the major accident at Gatcombe that left him fighting to sustain his career. Though he didn’t have any international runs last year, he’s produced the goods on three occasions this season, with top ten placings at all of his three-star runs, including a win at Chatsworth CIC3* in May.

Former Junior team bronze medallist Richard Coney made a surprise entry onto the leaderboard with Kananaskis, who delivered a 28.7 to sit in equal fifth position with William Fox-Pitt and Oratorio. Richard and Kananaskis have amassed an impressive string of international results this season, never placing below 6th and adding just 9.2 time penalties across all four competitions. The pair finished seventh at last year’s Junior European Championships and thirteenth the year before. This is a CCI3* debut for both horse and rider, so we’ll be watching them closely across tomorrow’s cross country phase to see what they’re made of. We quietly suspect it might be rather a lot.

Alex Bragg and the experienced Zagreb. Photo by Katie Neat Photography.

Despite an error of course, Will Rawlin and VIP Vinnie sit in 7th place overnight on a score of 29.3, while Alex Bragg and Zagreb round out the top ten after rerouting from an early tumble at Burghley.

“He felt great, although he always seems to get electric in that arena,” says Alex. “I think it’s because the arena itself is so far from the stands, and so sometimes they go in and seem to lose themselves in all that space, like they’re still working in the training area. Then, suddenly they realise where they are and they light up, which can be tricky to manage. There was a microphone at H, and he spotted it and spooked just as we were going into our walk transition, so that was a bit tricky too, as I then had to release the reins and trust that he would walk on nicely. We got away with that, but then some of the tension crept in when I picked him back up for the collected walk, so we dropped a few marks there. Without the mistakes, I think we’d have been around the 26 mark, but in a way, the dressage isn’t that different from the showjumping — you’re either clear, or you have errors. We didn’t manage a clear round today, but we’re still there or thereabouts.”

CIC3* Gives Alex a Reason to Brag

Nobody could usurp James Avery and Vitali‘s claim to the throne in the eight- and nine-year-old class, but Alex Bragg came closest, posting a 26.4 for second place with Shannondale Percy, with whom he’s been quietly developing a new partnership.

Alex Bragg and Shannondale Percy. Photo by Katie Neat Photography.

“It’s been a really interesting season with this horse, because we’ve still been trying to progress him through the grades while I try to develop a partnership with him at the same time,” he explains. “We ran him gently at some early three-stars, where he jumped super, and it gave him an idea of the expectations of him coming into the autumn. We reaped the benefits of that approach today. We were hoping for a sub-30 score, but if things go your way and all the pieces fall into place, you can really get the marks that reflect the level you’re working at at home. He remained rideable today, which meant that we didn’t throw any marks out; if you make sure you’re not throwing anything away and you remain consistent, you suddenly find yourself in a very competitive position, and that’s what happened today. It’s brilliant to be here at this point in the competition.”

Laura Collett and London 52. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Laura Schroter and Willem Van Wup slipped into third place on 27.1, while Laura Collett‘s Blair ERM mount London 52 tailed yesterday’s mount Dacapo to take fifth place.

“London 52 is still green, but he tries so hard all the time,” says Laura. “Both of them are exciting horses, but this class wasn’t a definite plan for their autumn — we had it penciled in, but neither of them had done an Advanced this spring, so it was a big step up to look ahead to. It’s just so nice for Karen [Bartlett, London 52’s owner] as she’s been working at Blenheim for about 15 years, but she’s never had a horse here — so to finally have one, and for it to be one that’s so special, is very cool.”

“Just Wow”: a Sneak Peek at the Cross Country

We’d hate to be accused of being shallow, but David Evans really does build and dress a beautiful course. Blenheim is as much a feast for the eyes as it is a serious test of boldness and accuracy, and creatively nestled as it is within the grounds of Winston Churchill’s former estate, it’s a season highlight for riders, owners and spectators alike. Australia’s Amanda Ross has put together a preview of the course with some of her own notes about how to ride the combinations — click here to take a look around the tough CCI3* track. This weekend’s competition will be live-streamed; you can follow along with both days of cross country action here.

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Big enough for you Houdini? #shannondalezita #bestgirl #dreambig #superstar #advancedeventer #RafflesKay #blenheimpalace #threestarring #equestrian #instahorse #eventinglife #britisheventing

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Bella Innes Ker and Carolyn. Photo by Adam Fanthorpe.

CCI3*: Good Times Never Seemed So Good for Bella Innes Ker

It was another show of consistency between the boards for Bella Innes Ker and her 14-year-old Hanoverian Carolyn today as they posted a 24.4 to lead the CCI3* at Blenheim overnight. They come to Blenheim off the back of a fourth place finish in Blair Castle’s CIC3* and, having finished 15th here last year, they’ve got their sights set on bigger things this time around.

“She’s on amazing form,” says Bella. “She’s a smart dressage diva on the best of days, so it’s nice when you can go in there and get a goodie. It can be hard when you’re on a great dressage horse, because sometimes you expect a result and don’t quite match it, but I’m delighted that it all worked out today.”

Bella Innes Ker and Carolyn. Photo by William Carey Photography.

This is a longtime partnership for Bella and the mare, who is owned by Bella’s mother, the Duchess of Roxburghe.

“We call Carolyn ‘Princess’ at home — sometimes it’s her way or the highway, but I’ve learned how to do things her way. If I please her and do it by her system, then she’s great.”

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Was so glad to be able to get off the sofa to go watch @pipfunnell and Squirrel at @blenheimhorse do a beautiful test for 26.7 🤞🏼 for the rest of the weekend! @frankidoodle14 always making him look gorgeous 😍

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Pippa Funnell and MGH Grafton Street produced yet another impressive test, posting a 26.7 to sit second overnight. The 10-year-old gelding, who was sourced and produced by Ireland’s Padraig McCarthy, hasn’t been the most straightforward of Pippa’s rides, but he’s an undeniable talent: He finished fifth in this class last year, adding nothing in the second phase, and he’s a graduate of the eight- and nine-year-old class, too, finishing 18th in 2016. This season, he’s had two clear CIC3* runs — at Chatsworth and Hartpury — but has had problems on the cross country course at three of his international runs. This is a course that the horse has proven form over, though, and Pippa will likely push for a confident clear round to end his 2018 campaign on.

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29.4 & into 3rd on day one of dressage! Although we usually score better, Zarzy stayed the same from the warm up to the ring & was a very good bat! Let’s hope we can stay in the top few by the end of tomorrow! @batessaddles @horseware_australia @flexiblefitequestrian @bombersbitsaus @spooksridingaustralia @kepitalia @ariatequestrian @horsemate_ @rocktapeaustralia #kentuckyequineresearch #the10minutebox #equinebodysoul #crownequinevetservice #sallyannrobinsonequinedentist

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Holding third place on 29.4 is new kid on the block Amanda Ross, who has made the journey over to the UK from her native Australia with Koko Popping Candy. Amanda, who competed at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, isn’t short of experience, and she and the ex-racehorse have clocked up an impressive resume on their home turf. In their last nine internationals, they’ve never been out of the top five, and they’ve completed each of their seventeen starts without any cross country jumping penalties bar an 11 penalty blot for activating a frangible pin last season. This is the pair’s first international outside of Australia.

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Vendredi Biats was a star today @blenheimhorse and produced a super test. He refrained from any cheeky extra moves and did some lovely work. I was a little disappointed with his score of 29.6 but I’m delighted to sit in 4th overnight. Thanks @williamcareyphotography for the great photos. #horsesofinstagram #eventing #britisheventing #dressage #strutting @toggiclothing @championequestrian @topspec_horse_feeds @woofwear @fairfaxsaddles @equiclassboots @aqueos_care @tech_stirrups @flyingchangesbespokejackets @yeomanhaylage

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Kitty King and Vendredi Biats were reliable as ever in this phase, scoring 29.6 to slot in at fourth place on the tightly-bunched leaderboard. Last year, they faulted at the incredibly influential 18th fence on course, but they’ve posted top five finishes in Chatsworth’s CIC3* and Bramham’s CCI3* this season. They come to Blenheim off the back of a forgettable Hartpury — they picked up 20 penalties and dropped to 63rd there — but the eye-catching Selle Français has proven time and time again that on his day, he’s remarkable: he’s been in the top 10 in 15 of his 21 internationals.

Pats all around: Hamilton 24 makes Plan B a top option for Josefa Sommer. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Josefa Sommer and Hamilton 24 made a positive early impression in what has generally been considered a harsh-marking day, posting a score of 29.7 to take fifth place overnight.

“He was good, and very relaxed, which is good for him — in Aachen, he was very nervous,” says Josefa of the 16-year-old Hanoverian. The pair were first reserves for Germany’s formidable WEG team, and though the disappointment of not making the trip to Tryon stung initially, Josefa’s outlook quickly changed on arriving at Blenheim with her homebred gelding.

“I’ve never been here before, and wow! I hacked out this morning and I just couldn’t believe it, it is so beautiful, just wow. The course is big, and it’s so beautiful — I think it will really suit him, and I can’t wait to go out there.”

Josefa and Hamilton have an impressive form line — they haven’t been seen out of the top 20 in an international since mid-2016, which was the last time they had a cross country jumping penalty, too. Since then, they’ve logged 16 of their 67 international starts, and Josefa, whose father Joachim rode Hamilton’s dam, Fiorella, will be a rider to keep an eye on this weekend.

CIC3*: From Le Lion to the Main Stage

We talk a lot about the career importance of a good result in Blenheim’s eight- and nine-year-0ld CIC3* — after all, previous winners have included 2017 victor Cooley Lands, who represents Australia this week at the WEG with Chris Burton. Further back, the winners’ list is a veritable who’s-who of top-level talent: Andrew Nicholson‘s Quimbo won in 2012 and went on to take top honours at Kentucky the following spring, William Fox-Pitt‘s Oslo took the title in 2011 and then won his four-star debut at Pau a month later, and Mark Todd‘s NZB Land Vision was victorious in 2010, clinching Badminton the next season. Jonelle Price‘s Luhmühlen winner Faerie Dianimo was a winner here too, rising to the top of the leaderboard in 2014. Since its inception in 2009, the class has been eventing’s Magic Eight Ball, predicting with almost frightening accuracy which young horses will go on to make big waves.

But when looking at what is essentially an age class, it’s just as valuable to look back as it is to look forward. As in every other year, many of this year’s competitors are graduates of the Young Horse World Championships at Le Lion d’Angers, which hosts a CCI1* for six-year-olds and a CCI2* for seven-year-olds. Following on from British Eventing’s four- and five-year-old national classes, you can start to neatly sew a piece of string through the form of these talented horses and, insomuch as you can predict anything in eventing, you can get a pretty good idea of the cream of the crop.

James Avery and Vitali lead the way in the CIC3*. Photo courtesy of Uptown Eventing/SsangYong Blenheim Palace International Horse Trials.

Today’s leader is one such horse. New Zealand’s James Avery piloted Vitali around last year’s seven-year-old World Championships, leading the dressage on a score of 28. This was the horse’s first CCI2*, but despite Le Lion’s intense atmosphere, he jumped a stunning double-clear around Pierre Michelet’s inventive track, adding just 1.6 time penalties to hold onto his lead. On an incredibly influential Sunday, we saw him lose the title with two poles — but his show jumping form, which was chequered throughout his seven-year-0ld year, has been considerably better this season. Today, he posted an impressive 24.2 — a personal best for the horse at any international level — to lead the CIC3* by three marks.

Blenheim is a level debut for Vitali, who was formerly piloted by Jock Paget, whose Hungerford yard, horses and major sponsors were passed over to James when Jock relocated back to New Zealand. This season, they’ve completed four clear Intermediate runs, won the CIC2* at Rockingham International, and place seventh at Tattersalls’ CCI2*, but interestingly, Vitali is yet to run at Advanced — he ran Aston’s eight- and nine-year-old Advanced as a combined test. But don’t go scrambling for your rule books — he is, in fact, qualified for CIC3*, which only requires qualifying results at Intermediate and CIC2*. Baffling? Yes, but endlessly muddling FEI rules aside, that’s no good reason to discount this pair.

“I’m really pleased with him; he was pretty focused and he enjoys his job, so I was able to go in the ring and do what we’ve been practising at home, which is always a good feeling. He’s been going really well, so I’d hoped we could produce a test that reflected that,” says James.

Despite Vitali’s inexperience at the level, James remains confident about the mammoth task ahead: “He’s a good cross country horse, so I haven’t been too worried about that bit. He went well at Tattersalls, and from that I learned that he needs to have two steady runs before a big event, because he just loves it so much. He loves his job and loves working, but he can be cheeky — he likes to make sure you’re switched on, and he can be quiet as anything one second, and the next second he makes you work for it.”

Since losing the seven-year-old title in the final phase, Vitali’s showjumping record has been on the up and up — this season, he’s recorded more clears than otherwise, though an atmospheric arena like Blenheim’s could still be a factor in his success here.

“He’s not had a lot of experience jumping in a big atmosphere, so sometimes he goes in and gets a bit distracted by things. That’s what got him at Le Lion. But you can’t protect him — you have to dare him a bit more, and ride him like a jumper. The more you dare him, the harder he tries.”

Laura Collett and Dacapo sit second in the CIC3*. Photo by William Carey Photography.

Laura Collett currently sits in second place on 27.2, despite an error of course in her test with Dacapo. The nine-year-old gelding has only had seven international starts, but he’s racked up considerable experience in those starts: he was sixth in Houghton’s CICO3* in May and came ninth in his Event Rider Masters debut at Barbury. His score today is a personal best; he’s consistently a point or two above this, but Laura has developed something of a reputation for eking out the best in her horses in this phase.

In third place, Pippa Funnell made a second appearance on a leaderboard today, posting a 27.7 with Maybach in his second appearance at the level. Pippa took over the ride last season from Sweden’s Hedvig Wik, and has since produced some promising results with him, including second in the CCI2* at Tattersalls.

“He’s everything I’ve ever wanted in a horse,” said Ben Hobday after his third-place finish at Blair CIC3* with Shadow Man, and the dream certainly didn’t die today: the pair scored 28.1 to sit fourth. Shadow Man is another Le Lion graduate — he finished 10th last year, and has since made his first team appearance, coming 16th in the Nations Cup at The Plains.

Monte Classico shows his talent with Katherine Coleman. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Five marks behind James and Vitali there’s a three-way tie for fifth place: Millie Dumas and Fabien, Italy’s Vittoria Panizzon and Super Cillious, and sole US representative Katherine Coleman and Monte Classico all scored 29.2 to share the spot after the first day of dressage.

For Katherine and her talented nine-year-old, this class has been a season-long target. The pair was given the call-up for the second-placed US team at Houghton’s Nations Cup in May — there, they added just 1.6 time penalties across the country and 2 time penalties in the showjumping to their dressage score of 33, despite the fact that it was the horse’s first run at the level. But it’s been the first phase that has historically precluded them from earning higher placings — the German sport horse, who Katherine sourced from Bettina Hoy, tends to be a mid-30s scorer.

Katherine Coleman and Monte Classico. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

“I’m really excited about his test, because I feel like that’s actually where we’re at and really was the best we could do,” says Katherine. “He’s a little bit green in his changes, but he did them both today and got an 8 for one of them, so I’m thrilled. What’s so exciting is that there’s so much more to come – this is just barely scratching the surface. He’s such an amazing horse, and I’m so lucky to have him. I’m excited to hopefully do him a little bit of justice this weekend.”

We’ll be back with loads more dressage action from Blenheim tomorrow: stay tuned!

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