This weekend at the Ocala Jockey Club International Three-Day Event has rewarded cross country speed and final phase stamina, and so it’s no wonder that a Thoroughbred — Campground, ridden by Erin Sylvester — finished on top in the CCI4*-L. Another Thoroughbred, Arden Wildasin‘s mount Il Vici, won the CCI3*-L. An impressive 30 Thoroughbreds total contested the event, which takes place in a working race facility and offered $16,500 in cash prizes across the four divisions to top-placed representatives of the breed.

Marilyn Little and RF Scandalous won the CCI4*-S from pillar to post in their comeback to international competition, with another OTTB, Jessica Phoenix‘s mount Bogue Sound, finishing 2nd. Will Coleman with Chin Tonic HS also enjoyed a wire-to-wire win in the CCI2*-L. Let’s recap the day’s action!

Erin Sylvester and Campground. Photo by Shannon Brinkman.

CCI4*-L

Erin Sylvester and Campground, a 12-year-old Thoroughbred gelding (Forest Camp x Kneel) owned by Marnie Kelly, were in 3nd heading into today’s show jumping competition. The top two after cross country, Lauren Kieffer with Landmark’s Monte Carlo and Phillip Dutton with Sea of Clouds, both had a tough day over the colored rails, relegating Lauren to 2nd and Phillip outside the top 10. Erin and “Gideon” picked up four faults but had enough of a margin to take the lead.

“He’s a really special horse, but he is a Thoroughbred and every event isn’t his special day — and this was his special day,” Erin says. “He’s got a heart of gold.”

His big Thoroughbred heart and engine were evident yesterday when they clocked the second fastest round of the division, picking up just 0.4 time faults. Erin notes that he’s never had a cross country jump penalty. She wasn’t sure what she was going to have in the arena today, however, as she was trying a different bit and a different warm-up. Clearly the gamble paid off.

“He didn’t get as nervous as he has in the past,” she says. “I got a great feeling over the first few jumps and I thought, ‘All right he’s going to do this.’ I tried to pilot him the whole way around and get him to the distances he wants to be in. He just really tried out there. We had one down that I could’ve ridden differently and given him more space. I’m just super happy for him. It’s not in the bag for him to have a good show jumping — he has to try really hard and he did that today.”

Photo by Shannon Brinkman.

Erin and Gideon have a long history together. He’s owned by her longtime client, Marnie Kelly, who bought him in Kentucky as a 3-year-old when she went to watch the World Equestrian Games in 2010. He was trained as a racehorse, though he never made it to the gate. Marnie rides Gideon regularly and he humors her with the occasional Training level event.

“His owner rides him a lot and does a lot with him,” Erin says. “She loves to take him out grazing. I think that relationship he has beyond being a competition horse really keeps him relaxed and keeps him a bit of a pet which is nice. When they’re like that and you let them have a personality, I think they really try harder for you when it comes to the pressure of the competition because they’re trying for a person — and that’s exactly what he does.”

Marnie sadly missed being here for Gideon’s big win, but she and her mother watched it all on the live stream and were cheering the pair on from Pennsylvania and Virginia. Go Thoroughbreds!

It was an exciting day of show jumping over Chris Barnard’s turf course. There were only two double clear rounds in 22 CCI4*-L show jumping starters: Ema Klugman with Bendigo, who moved from 10th to 3rd, and Hallie Coon and Celien, who moved from 17th to 9th.

Marilyn Little and RF Scandalous. Photo by Shannon Brinkman.

CCI4*-S

Two horses made the time in CCI4*-L cross country yesterday, and none caught the clock in today’s CCI4*-S.

Marilyn Little and RF Scandalous, a 14-year-old Oldenburg mare (Carry Gold x Richardia, by Lario) owned by Ms. Jacqueline Mars and Phoebe and Michael Manders, had 16.8 time, but when the scoreboard shook out their final score was within the margin they needed to win.

After an injury sidelined “Kitty” in the lead-up to the 2018 World Equestrian Games, this pair has been MIA while the mare rested and, ultimately, recovered. Ocala Jockey Club marks their international comeback, and it’s great to see the pair come roaring back to form.

Of Kitty’s injury, Marilyn reflects, “Those kind of things really bring you to your knees. Every rider knows what it’s like when your partner gets injured — it’s terrible and you’re gutted for the horse.”

The mare did her rehab at Dr. Haynes Stevens Equine Service LTD, a clinic in Wellington. “He’s a close friend,” Marilyn says. “He knows the horse, he loves the horse and she’s comfortable at his farm.”

“Putting her on the truck to take her to the clinic in Florida, I felt so badly for her because she was ready (for WEG). She just loves it so much. The horses that we have out here that are good at it — they do it because they love it.”

Not knowing if or when Kitty would recover, Marilyn says the period before WEG was “a dark time … I went home for a couple days to try to just pull things together then I realized I needed to come back to Tryon and support the team. I needed to see this through and do whatever I could do to help.”

Leslie Law and Voltaire De Tre were 3rd in the CCI4*-S. Photo by Shannon Brinkman.

The time off had the unexpected silver lining of giving Marilyn, who has been going full-speed ahead since she shifted her focus from show jumping to eventing a few years ago, some space to reflect.

“It’s been a quiet year, but sometimes those things aren’t the worst,” she says. “I’ve come to it this year very differently mentally. Nobody else would know that, but I do. Why I was so nervous today? I don’t know. I have been trying to take a different approach for the sport. I’m here because I’m passionate and I like it. I’m not here because I’m earning a living here. I just love it and I love that horse. I’ve had to focus on making sure that the most important thing is that I love what I do here and I enjoy the time with her. I had to really get ahold of the question, ‘why do I event?’ The pendulum swings so hard. There are great days and then there are absolutely horrible painful days. Is it worth it?”

Alex Baugh and Mr. Candyman. Photo by Shannon Brinkman.

Marilyn has had a successful year in Grand Prix jumping but missed eventing. She came to Ocala with the caveat that they get the all-clear from Dr. Stevens: “He hasn’t seen her in quite a while, so he flew up before this event. I said, ‘I can’t go cross country unless you put your eyes on her and I know she’s ready.”

“Really I came back to the fact that I do love the sport and I have an amazing horse to go back and do it with,” Marilyn says. “She was well enough to go to an event in the summer, but the idea wasn’t to just go compete and do events, but to say ‘OK how can we showcase her the best so that she can have a shot at the big days?,’ and save her for those. That’s hard on me because I can’t practice as much ,but I think if you do right by what the horse needs then you’re making the best plan.”

Peter Gray congratulates Arden Wildasin. Photo by Shannon Brinkman.

Jessica Phoenix and Bogue Sound steadily climbed the leaderboard throughout the week, from 8th after dressage to 7th after show jumping to 2nd after the final phase. They came closest to making the time in their division, picking up just 2.4 time penalties.

Amara Hoppner purchased the 12-year-old Kentucky-bred OTTB from Dorothy Crowell, who had bought him from the track. Amara produced him to the Young Riders level. When she switched over to jumpers Jessie took on the ride.

“He’s such an exceptional cross country horse,” Jessie says. “He’s just so quick and efficient off the ground. He’s really had a great season. He had a great Kentucky in the spring so he was qualified for the Olympics already, so we really wanted to give him a really good run and make sure we were in a good position for next year.”

As for whether he would be her top pick for the 2020 Tokyo Games, to represent Canada as an individual, Jessie says, “That’s a decision I think you have to make right before you leave and see how they’re all going. Right now he’s the most efficient cross country horse I have in the barn. He’s all heart and he’s just such a pleasure.”

Arden Wildasin and Il Vici. Photo by Shannon Brinkman.

CCI3*-L

Arden Wildasin took the CCI3*-L win with yet another Thoroughbred, Il Vici. Arden and the 16-year-old gelding (Galileo x Ladyeri, by Salieri), owned by the rider and Sarah Wildasin, hopped from 8th to 5th to 1st throughout the competition.

“I still can’t believe it. It’s going to be a great ride home I can tell you that,” Arden says. “The cross country was one of my best rounds on him. I was so in the moment. We were just speaking together. He saved me in there multiple times, but hard work and practice definitely pays off. I am so thrilled to have him. And this course, even with the rain the footing held up.”

Arden and Il Vici started the Fair Hill CCI4*-L, but withdrew after dressage and rerouted to Ocala. “He saw the Jumbotron in dressage and he didn’t like the horse in the sky,” she says. “I said, let’s end the year off strong and get our confidence back, and it paid off.”

Getting the win at Ocala Jockey Club on a Thoroughbred made it even more special. “Every single day he wants to try,” Arden says. “It’s a partnership. I will say having a Thoroughbred that they can run and they have the thrill of running, but he’s so careful and quick with his feet and agile.”

Arden got the horse from Australia and has been developing him up the levels. “It’s a partnership that’s still coming,” she says. “He’s 16 now but he keeps on coming foot forward everyday — he wants to work. To wake up every single day and have the horses that I have in the barn, it’s an honor.”

Leslie Law and Zick Zack were 2nd; Lauren Lambert and Fantastique were 3rd.

Will and Chin Tonic HS. Photo by Shannon Brinkman.

CCI2*-L 

Will Coleman enjoyed a wire-to-wire win with Chin Tonic HS, a 7-year-old Holsteiner gelding (Chin Champ x Wildera, by Quinar) owned by Hyperion Stud LLC. The pair added nothing to their dressage score to 24.2 and jumped a class show jumping round today.  “He was great all weekend,” Will says. “It’s his first long format and we’ve taken a long time developing him, but I think he’s got a bright future and I really couldn’t be happier with him, he did everything we asked for.”

Hyperion’s Vicky Castegren watched her horse’s win from afar — she’s getting married (congrats, Vicky!) and having her dress fitted this weekend. “She really wanted to be here,” Will says. “This event is hopefully just a stepping stone for this horse, though, and she’ll be at a lot of other downs the road.”

Will went into show jumping tied for second on his other ride, Steam Engine, but had an unfortunate few rails to fall down the leaderboard.

“They are two different horses and that was very uncharacteristic for the other horse,” Will says. “I think he just froze, I really can’t explain what happened in there. But I wasn’t thinking about it at all on (Chin Tonic HS). I could light the jumps on fire and he would jump them — he’s very brave and super quality and I knew he would jump a clear round.”

Next stop for Chin Tonic HS: they’re aiming for a CCI3*-L in the spring. But first, a well-deserved holiday. “He’s earned it, he’s had a long year and I think we’ll give him a nice break. His shoes will come off and he’ll have a little downtime into December. We give ours a good break; every horse is a little bit different, some of them don’t really like it, but I think he’ll enjoy it for at least a while.”

Buck Davidson and Cooley Candyman finished 2nd on their dressage score of 27.9; Jacob Fletcher and 5o1 Wyly Girl finished 3rd. This was a division full of super jumpers, with 11 double clear rounds across show jumping and cross country.

Congrats to all. Go Eventing!

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CCI4*-L Final Top 10: 

CCI4*-S Final Top 10: 

CCI3*-L Final Top 10:

CCI2*-L Final Top 10: 

Photo by Shannon Brinkman.

There are show photos, the kind that clinically portray horses and riders going through the motions: an extended trot, a cross country effort, a smiling awards ceremony shot.

And then there are Shannon Brinkman photos. Her work is equal parts art and documentary, the result of both years of experience and innate intuition. It captures something beyond the physical action of galloping, jumping or jogging before a ground jury —  it captures the intangibles that propel those kinetics: emotion, ambition, interspecies partnership.

Sometimes, a candid portrait of a horse and rider sharing a quiet moment speaks louder than any dramatic, high-speed action pic. It’s important work she’s doing, reminding us with her lens what a dynamic and three-dimensional sport this really is. And, like eventing’s own top athletes, she says she never stops learning and improving her craft.

It’s always a pleasure to work alongside Shannon and an honor to publish her photos. She’s played an invaluable role at EN this year, bringing us ringside from Kentucky to Peru. And now, to round out the year, Shannon (and her sweet, precocious, talented daughter Roya!) are here with all of us in Reddick, Florida, capturing the essence of this special event against the mossy-green backdrop that is Ocala Jockey Club.

Photo by Shannon Brinkman.

A roundup of the final horse inspection:

In the CCI4*-L, Nilson da Silva did not present Rock Phantom, his own 8-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding (Spirit House x Ballycroy Rose).  The pair was in 18th place overnight. Twenty-two CCI4*-L horses passed before the ground jury of Christian Landolt (SUI), Helen Brettell (GBR), and Gretchen Butts (USA) and will move forward to show jumping.

In the CCI3*-L, 27 horses were presented and passed before the ground jury.

In the CCI2*-L, Kimberly Keeton‘s mount Evita-Veron, a 14-year-old Dutch Warmblood mare (Veron x Tomlow) owned by the rider and Hope Thomas, was sent to the hold box and did not re-represent. Sara Kozumplik Murphy did not present Delta Queen, a 10-year-old warmblood mare owned by Edith Rameika. Sixty-four CCI2* horses will move forward to show jumping.

Photo by Shannon Brinkman.

Here are a few more of Shannon’s photos from Sunday morning here in Ocala — view more at the Shannon Brinkman website and be sure to follow her on Instagram. Stay tuned for the exciting conclusion!

Photo by Shannon Brinkman.

Photo by Shannon Brinkman.

Photo by Shannon Brinkman.

Photo by Shannon Brinkman.

Photo by Shannon Brinkman.

Photo by Shannon Brinkman.

Show jumping starts at 9:30 a.m. EST with the CCI2*-L, followed by the CCI3*-L and the CCI4*-L. All show jumping will stream live here on EN and on EQTV Network. CCI4*-S cross country takes place from 11:30-12:40 p.m. EST.

Go Eventing.

#OJC3DE: Website, Schedule, Entries,  Ride Times, Live Scores, Live Stream, EN’s Coverage, EN’s Twitter, EN’s Instagram

We’re in the heart of Thoroughbred country here at the Ocala Jockey Club International Three-Day Event, and so it seems fitting that the clock should play a heavy-handed role in sorting the field on cross country day. Let’s take a look at how the CCI4*-L, CCI3*-L and CCI2*-L scoreboards shook out post cross country and check in on CCI4*-S show jumping.

Lauren Kieffer and Landmark’s Monte Carlo. Photo by Roya Brinkman for Shannon Brinkman Photography.

CCI4*-L

As Maggie Deatrick noted in her “By the Numbers” preview, not only did no one make the time in this division last year, no one even came home inside of 10 seconds of optimum. The fastest pair in 2018 was Lauren Kieffer on Paramount Importance, who finished 10 seconds over; she’s back this year with Landmark’s Monte Carlo, who owns a deserved reputation as one of the fastest long format horses in the U.S. In his five clear rounds at the 4*-L level, two were inside the time and he has never finished more than four seconds over optimum time.

Lauren and the 13-year-old Irish/Thoroughbred cross (Formula One by Glamour), owned by his breeder Ms. Jacqueline Mars, delivered on their speed demon reputation today, turning in one of only two clear rounds inside the time of the 31-horse CCI4*-L division. They moved from 8th after dressage into the top spot on a score of 32.7.

Lauren says she was going for the time, and they came in right on it: “He’s always been a fast horse, and we were quick but it didn’t feel like we were taking risks, but he’s easy to be quick on … He’s one of those horses who has a snaffle on and you go 100 miles per hour and then you can come to a dead stop on a drop of a hat.”

Lauren Kieffer and Landmark’s Monte Carlo. Photo by Shannon Brinkman.

She says that while the course suited “Patrick” because he doesn’t pull and that the jumps themselves were quite fun, the roping was a hindrance to their rhythm.

“You had a lot of unnecessary yanking them off their feet, which was unfortunate because it’s such a great piece of ground and it feels a lot like Kentucky,” she says. “I think the sharp turns with the roping, the course didn’t suit a bold cross country course — in a weird way because those type of horses are pulling you along, but you had to put the handbrake on to do those turns. The rain made the footing great, but it also made those turns greasy too. I honestly had to put in more stud than I would have just because of the turns. The course suited ponies, not necessarily good, bold galloping horses.”

This long-established partnership has crossed the pond multiple times, and finished in the top 20 at Kentucky twice. They landed in 2nd at their last CCI4*-L start at Bromont this summer.

“He’s a homebred, so I’ve ridden him his whole life,” Lauren says. “We’ve got a good partnership … I had a great time on him. He’s an old pal now, and it was a fun course to ride around on him.”

Looking ahead to tomorrow, Lauren says, “Show jumping is his bogey phase. He doesn’t do well with pressure, so it will be an interesting mental exercise to go in like it doesn’t matter tomorrow. But we know that’s his thing, and Ms. Mars knows that’s his bogey. We do the best we can by him and try to prepare him tomorrow as best we can. We’ll enjoy tonight and just take it as it comes.”

The establishment of a second fall east coast CCI4*-L at Ocala has given riders the choice of which end-of-season event to point their horse at. Of her decision to aim Patrick for Ocala rather than Fair Hill, Lauren says, “This was always the plan with him. I know he’s a quick horse and he tends to prefer show jumping that’s on grass, and he’s done Fair Hill three or four times, so we’re going somewhere different and trying to cater a bit to his preferences. We’re trying something different and hopefully he likes it.”

Phillip Dutton and Sea of Clouds. Photo by Shannon Brinkman.

Phillip Dutton and The Sea of Clouds Partnership’s 8-year-old Thoroughbred gelding (Malibu Moon x Winner’s Ticket, by Jolie’s Halo) are 2nd, having delivered the only other double clear round of the day. The pair was held briefly on course early on course, which resulted in time penalties he had to protest. But ultimately they went on to a fast, confident round.

Of Socs, Phillip says, “He went well. I didn’t think it would be quite as strong a course here. I wanted a nice move-up course, and obviously it didn’t ride like that but he stepped up and did his job. He’s a very fast horse and he’s a good cross country horse but he hasn’t been exposed to a lot of the stuff that he saw today, so I’m very proud of him.”

Ocala Jockey Club International Three-Day Event is once again giving away $15,000 in prizes to top-placing Thoroughbreds in each of the four FEI Divisions (CCI2*-L, CCI3*-L, CCI4*-S, CCI4*-L) to compete in the Thoroughbred Eventing Champion category. This incentive was launched in 2016 with the intention of highlighting and rewarding the use of off-track Thoroughbreds in second careers. The idea worked: 27% of that year’s OJC event were Thoroughbreds, compared to an average of just 6.5% in two other Ocala three-day events. Similar numbers have participated in each successive year of the event.

Sea of Clouds won a whopping $200 in his two starts on the track before beginning training with Phillip as a 4-year-old — he’ll have a chance to one-up those career earnings at OJC if he jumps around well tomorrow.

“Fair Hill traditionally has had more of a championship feel, but today rode a bit more like a championship here,” Phillip says. “I liked the idea of brining a Thoroughbred and coming here. It gave me a bit more time to prepare.”

Erin Sylvester and Campground. Photo by Shannon Brinkman.

Erin Sylvester and Campground, a 12-year-old Thoroughbred gelding (Forest Camp x Kneel) owned by Marnie Kelly, had the second fastest round of the division. They picked up just 0.4 time to make a big jump from 24th after dressage into 3rd place.

Ocala was the first long “Gideon” has done since Bromont 2017. He had a mild injury, and Erin says she has been battling a little bit with his rideability in the process of bringing him back. Most recently, they were 20th in the Plantation Field CCI4*-S in September.

“He loves cross country so much that he became a really strong horse this year, to the point where I was not really able to go fast on him anywhere because I was just spending so much time setting him up,” Erin says. They tried a different bit today, which she reports was strong — she got a little too much whoa in response to some half-halts — but suited him most of the way around.

“The time was getable, you just had to work pretty hard to get it,” she says. The pair was about 15 seconds up on the clock heading to the last water but slowed down over the road crossing that followed, which put them just a smidge behind where they wanted to be. Also, she recalls, “I almost fell off in the first water. I needed a re-group for the minute after that my tack was completely soaked. I felt like I was riding in the pouring rain and my foot was sliding out of my stirrup. So I probably wasted a bit of time there.”

Photo by Shannon Brinkman.

Their goal is Kentucky in the spring, so Ocala was meant to be a tough, preparatory test: “It was definitely a bigger, scopy track and I think it asked plenty of questions that are going to set us up for that.”

Looking ahead to show jumping, Erin says, “I’m cautiously optimistic. I’ve been working on his show jumping for the last month and a half, and we’ve gotten him jumping really well. He can get nervous and quick in the ring. He’s had plenty of great rounds and he’s had a few rounds that had two or three rails. I plan to do a jump school with him in the morning to get him as loose and as settled as I can.”

Like Lauren and Patrick, Erin and Gideon have a long history together. He’s owned by her longtime client, Marnie Kelly, who bought him in Kentucky as a 3-year-old when she went to watch the World Equestrian Games in 2010. He was trained as a racehorse, though he never made it to the gate.

Marnie rides Gideon once or twice a week, and humors her with the occasional Training level event. “It’s really impressive that she does that,” Erin says. “He’s so sweet and she loves him to death … He takes her out of the box and has a blast.” They went to Full Moon Farm H.T. in July and Erin says they were going so fast around the cross country that they ran right past the coffin and had no idea. “He thought they should be going Advanced speed,” she laughs.

Charlotte Collier and Clifford M. Photo by Shannon Brinkman.

“He has an absolute heart of gold,” Erin says. “He sort of struggles with the dressage just because of his build. Not because he doesn’t want to do it, but he’s made a lot of headway. He’s been cool to bring along. Those horses are really neat because they know you and know nothing else, so they try so hard for you.”

“He went good. I didn’t think it would be quite as strong a course here. I wanted a nice move up course, and obviously it didn’t ride like that but he stepped up and did his job. He’s a very fast horse and he’s a good xc horse but he hasn’t been exposed to a lot of the stuff that he saw today, so I’m very proud of him. It wasn’t ideal (to be held) and it wasn’t a very long hold. And it was only three fences before fence 7. It was a shame”

Photo by Shannon Brinkman.

Sharon White and Cooley On Show, her own 12-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding (Ricardo Z x Jogantina, by Grande D’Espagne), came home with 9.6 time penalties to move from 9th to 4th.

“I was really pleased with him,” Sharon says. “He’s only had one Intermediate for prepping, so our time is just from lack of runs. It was just an experiment to see how he would perform best.”

Of the course, Sharon says, “It was interesting. I thought there was a lot of turns. Line of direction was the harder thing than the actual jumps. My questions after walking it was ‘which way should I turn?’”

After what Sharon calls “an epic fail at Kentucky,” she says, “I’ve spent the rest of the year really trying to figure out how to perform better because he’s such a wonderful horse … Badminton is always up in the air, but I’ve got some Kentucky redemption coming my way.”

Looking ahead to tomorrow, Sharon says her goal is to jump clean: “So that’s my plan!”

Buck Davidson and Copper Beach had 13.2 time penalties and are 5th. Photo by Shannon Brinkman.

For a play-by-play of how the CCI4*-L cross country played out, check out our live updates here.

CCI4*-S 

Marilyn Little and RF Scandalous, a 14-year-old Oldenburg mare (Carry Gold x Richardia, by Lario), owned by Ms. Jacqueline Mars and Phoebe and Michael Manders, had two rails in hand heading into show jumping this morning and needed neither of them, turning in a clear round inside the time.

Sara Kozumplik Murphy and Rubens D’Ysieux, a 14-year-old Selle Français gelding (Balougran x Davidoff Silver Shadow, by Mr Blue) owned by the Rubens D’Ysieux Syndicate, held onto their second place from dressage.

Dana Cooke and FE Mississippi, a 14-year-old Selle Français gelding (Balougran x Davidoff Silver Shadow, by Mr Blue) owned by the Rubens D’Ysieux Syndicate, moved from 6th into the top three.

Photo by Roya Brinkman for Shannon Brinkman Photography.

CCI3*-L 

Leslie Law and Zick Zack, a 10-year-old Swedish mare (Blue Hors Zack x Mercedes, by Master) owned by Sally Cox, turned in a double-clear to slip past dressage leaders Phillip Dutton and Fernhill PickPocket.

Phillip and the 8-year-old Irish Sport Horse (Chacco Blue x Bracklin Mystique, by Solitair), owned by his stepdaugher Lee Lee Jones, her grandmother Annie Jones and Caroline Moran, picked up 4.4 time penalties.

“He’s strong and I was trying to go fast,” Phillip says. “The rideability is still a work in progress, so I think he’ll learn from today. He’s a great jumper, but sometimes he’s not quick off the ground. The course was very tough. It had a lot of turning and rollback situations. I think that made I harder to get the time especially on a big jumping horse.”

Looking ahead to tomorrow, Phillip says, “My plan is to jump clear. Hopefully he comes out of it OK and we’ll warm him up nicely and we’ll get him to forget about cross country.”

Leslie Law and Zick Zack. Photo by Shannon Brinkman.

In third is Lauren Lambert with Fantastique, who moved up from 5th thanks to a double-clear round. Lauren has had the 11-year-old Belgian Warmblood for six years, having picked him up from the show jumping world.

“He was wonderful today,” she says. “He was on him minute markers all the way around. This is the first non-Thoroughbred that I’ve brought to this level so I was waking up in the middle of the night concerned that he wasn’t fit enough or that he wasn’t going to be able to make time, but he was solid he was awesome.”

While he may have technically been a failed show jumper, Lauren says she was willing to take on a project. “I take rejects!” she laughs. “It’s been a patient partnership and I’ve figured out his show jumping. Figuring the flatwork out has helped with the show jumping. I’ve also had an Advanced horse who was a terrible show jumper so I dedicated a lot of my time to working for a Grand Prix show jumper in the States and then in Germany for an Olympic show jumper. So if I can sit up and ride somewhat well I’ll feel good. I hope that we can handle the pressure.”

Will Coleman and Chin Tonic. Photo by Roya Brinkman for Shannon Brinkman Photography.

CCI2*-L

Looking to the CCI2*-L, it wasn’t a particularly influential day of cross country, with the top 13 placings from dressage still intact from yesterday. Of 71 starters, there were 29 clear rounds inside the time and 24 clear rounds with time.

The top three remain Will Coleman and Chin Tonic in first on 24.2, and Buck Davidson with Cooley Candyman and Will Coleman with Steam Engine in equal 2nd on 27.9.

Will Coleman and Chin Tonic. Photo by Roya Brinkman for Shannon Brinkman Photography.

Many thanks to Shannon Brinkman and her team for the beautiful photos — and an extra special credit to daughter Roya!

Like mother, like daughter: Roya Brinkman, wunderkind! Photo by Shannon Brinkman.

Here’s a gallery from the day — enjoy!

Much much more to come. Go Eventing!

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CCI4*-L Top 10 After Cross Country:

CCI4*-S Top 10 After Show Jumping:

CCI3*-L Top 10 After Cross Country: 

CCI2*-L Top 10 After Cross Country:

Mara DePuy and Congo Brazzaville C. Photo by Shannon Brinkman.

Mara DePuy and Congo Brazzaville C got off to a blazing start at Fair Hill last month, snatching the dressage lead and enjoying the cross country run of their lives before taking an unlucky dunking at the final water. Mara figured that was that for the year, but Congo had other ideas.

After Fair Hill, Mara says, “My horse had about 10 days completely off. What made the decision was that he was squealing and running around his field and normally Congo would be having naps after a hard event. So he definitely was not ready to be done.”

Between Congo’s behavior, consulting with her team, and a cross country school with Phillip Dutton, all signs pointed to a redemption mission in Ocala: “I put him back into hacking and hacked and flatted for a week, did one cross country school, one gallop, and here we are.”

“Phillip is an advisor of mine, we talked about it — I’m the one who kind of threw it out there,” she says. “He just basically suggested that I need more practice going fast, which is true, but I need practice going fast in competition. And the fact that my horse came out of it so well — if at any point he told me he was tired or sore or whatever after Fair Hill, I would have waited until next year.”

In our “By the Numbers” Ocala Jockey Club preview, we noted that, despite leading the pack at Fair Hill after the first phase on a 28.5, this pair had yet to score in the twenties at two consecutive events despite breaking that mark in 30% of their starts over the last two years. That stat no longer applies after their test today at Ocala Jockey Club, where they scored a 28.6 to take the CCI4*-L dressage lead.

Of their performance, with her own and David and Mary Regamey’s 12-year-old Dutch gelding (Tangelo Van De Zuuthoeve x Mexico M, by Highline), Mara says, “The test was good enough — I still think it can always be better. My horse was good, he didn’t do anything wrong, I just didn’t feel like he was quite as through maybe as he was at Fair Hill. But still, very correct and still good.”

Looking ahead to tomorrow’s cross country test, Mara reflects, “This venue is amazing. I’ve never been to this event before, and it’s so not typical what you’d think of Florida. The land is amazing and it’s a proper, proper four-star — there’s certainly enough to do. Obviously it’s a good course, there are fair questions, I think there’s a lot to do out there, and it’s even a little bit longer than Fair Hill. The ground is perfect of course too.”

As for her game plan, she says, “I didn’t come down here just to canter around. I need to think about what the horse can do and how he feels, but I’ll give it a shot.”

Phillip Dutton and Long Island T. Photo by Shannon Brinkman.

In second on 29.0 is Phillip Dutton with Long Island T, a 13-year-old Oldenburg/Thoroughbred gelding (Ludwig von Bayern x Haupstsbuch Highlight, Heraldik xx) owned by the Long Island T Syndicate. Phillip has the ride on “Ludwig” while Boyd recovers from, what is it this time, his hip? His leg? I couldn’t remember, so I typed “broken boyd Martin” into the EN website search field and this is what came up:

Which is to say, his most recent broken body part doesn’t even populate because he’s had so many. (But for the record, this time it’s his pelvis.)

This guy, seriously. From “Who Broke It Best? Thumbs Up Edition” in 2015.

Anyway, Phillip is piloting Long Island T this week, and so far things are going well. It’s the horse’s first international outing since Fair Hill International last year, where he finished 2nd in the CCI4*-L, although Boyd and Ludwig did enjoy a high profile Adequan Advanced Final win at the American Eventing Championships in September.

Phillip got to know the horse at Virginia Horse Trials, where they placed 3rd in Open Intermediate having taken their time around the cross country.

Phillip Dutton and Long Island T. Photo by Shannon Brinkman.

“I was ecstatic with Ludwig this morning, he went really well,” Phillip said of today’s test. “Silva and Boyd have done a great job with him, he just gets in the arena and understands what he has to do and goes about it in a pretty matter-of-fact way. There’s obviously a bit of improvement there but overall we haven’t been together too long so I was really pleased.

“It was helpful having Boyd here for my final warm-up: He told me Ludwig sometimes gets a little nervous in the halts, and that he thought he would come down a little lower in front once he got in the ring so that was useful to know as every horse reacts differently.”

Lynn Symansky and RF Cool Play. Photo by Shannon Brinkman.

In third on 31.1 is Lynn Symansky with RF Cool Play, a 10-year-old German Sport Horse (Condors Champion x Roxana, by Radscha) owned by The Donner Syndicate.

Lynn reflected, “I thought he was a good boy, he tried in there. I thought his trot work was quite good and his walk would be his weakest gait. I think this arena — there’s a lot of atmosphere with the flags and all the tents around, but I think it’s very hard for the horses to have that fishbowl feel when you’re doing your walk back towards that hill. I think that’s why a lot of them light up more than normal.

“It also is quite chilly compared to what the horses down here have been used to. So I thought I gave away some marks in the walk and canter, but he was quite a good boy. He’s been ridden a lot recently, I had a less than ideal lead-up coming into it and then he got here and was quite wild so I’ve been spending most of my time hanging out with him on his back and off his back.”

Looking ahead to cross country, Lynn says, “It looks good. It’s twistier than it has been in years’ past, so I think that’ll have a cumulative effect on them. I do think time will be harder to make than it has in the past because there’s a little bit less galloping. [Clayton Fredericks] has been clever about what he’s done with some of the lanes to ask a little bit of a different question or some of the same questions but just changed around how he gets you there. I think the ground should be good, I think it’s great that we had the rain. That did nothing but help it. It looks like a good track — it doesn’t feel soft for sure. I think there’s questions all the way up until the end.

“He’s a good cross country horse, he’s honest, he’s a little bit light on runs leading up into a 4*-L just because I aimed him at the Pan Ams instead and I missed his final run which was supposed to be Virginia. But he had a jump on Monday and Tuesday and I just have to rely on the fact that he’s a good cross country horse and loves his job.”

Valerie Vizcarrondo Pride and Favian. Photo by Shannon Brinkman.

In 4th on 31.3 is Valerie Vizcarrondo Pride with Favian.

William Coleman and Chin Tonic. Photo by Shannon Brinkman.

Looking to the CCI2*-L leaderboard, Will Coleman and Chin Tonic have the early margin on a score of 24.2. Buck Davidson with Cooley Candyman and Will Coleman with Steam Engine are equal 2nd on 27.9.

Phillip Dutton leads the CCI3*-L with Fernhill PickPocket — read our CCI3*-L report here.

Photo gallery from the indomitable Shannon Brinkman:

Go Eventing.

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CCI4*-L Dressage Top 10: 

CCI2*-L Dressage Top 10: 

Phillip Dutton and Fernhill PickPocket. Photo by Shannon Brinkman.

Phillip Dutton wins a lot of events on a lot of horses, but there’s something extra special about the winning streak his been on of late with Fernhill PickPocket. We were all dabbing at our eyes a bit when they swept the MARS Great Meadow International CCI3*-S from start to finish back in August, and then followed that up with two more wire-to-wire CCI3*-S wins at Morven Park and Virginia.

Phillip took over the ride from his stepdaughter, Lee Lee Jones, who is now a part-owner of the horse with her grandmother Annie Jones and Caroline Moran. Here at Ocala Jockey Club International, the pair is once again in the hunt for a win, taking the dressage lead on 28.9.

“It’s a little bit of an emotional relationship because he was actually Lee Lee’s horse, and she bought him originally from Ireland,” Phillip says. “So it’s kind of sad, but it’s also exciting to have him.”

Lee Lee acquired “Ollie,” an 8-year-old Irish Sport Horse (Chacco Blue x Bracklin Mystique, by Solitair), as a 4-year-old from Carol Gee and produced him up to Training level before her accident in 2016. The following spring, Phillip took over the ride, bringing the horse along slowly and methodically.

“We’re really excited about his future,” Phillip says. “He’s a little bit of a volatile horse, he’s not the most laid-back horse you’d ever see and so everybody’s in agreement we’re going to take our time with him and slowly produce him. He’s got the makings of a really top horse. He can move and operate on the flat, but he’s also a good jumper as well.”

Looking ahead to cross country, he says, “It’ll be the longest course he’s done but it should be well within his capabilities at this stage of his career. There’s some quite decent proper jumping efforts there and there’s also some jumps there that are a bit small compared to some of the course. The course varies a lot. He can be a bit of an aggressive jumper, so I’ll just have to make sure that he doesn’t get too flat and low at the smaller stuff so that he’s at his best for when the harder stuff comes.”

Katherine Coleman, winner of the 2018 CCI4*-L, is 13th in the CCI3*-L with Monbed Senna. Photo by Shannon Brinkman.

In second is Leslie Law with Zick Zack, a 10-year-old Swedish mare (Blue Hors Zack x Mercedes, by Master) owned by Sally Cox, on a score of 30.5. “I thought the test went pretty well, I’m very happy,” Leslie says.

The horse is a new ride for Leslie, who is taking the reins until Ellie O’Neal has her baby in January. The pair got off to a super start, finishing 4th in the CCI3*-S at Stable View in September.

Of tomorrow’s cross country track, Leslie says, “It’s a great course, the terrain is so good here, the setting is so good, the ground will be really good after last night’s rain. It’ll be a good competition. There’s a few lines which are questions as to whether we’re leaving a stride out or adding a stride here or there and so I’ll have to feel my way a little bit since I don’t know the horse inside out so we’ll go out there and see where we are at about fence five or six and hopefully get the job done.”

“Ellie has done a great job with the horse and the mare’s been really well produced and she knows the horse very well. So where there is a question of, in a line whether it might be an extra stride or one less stride, I’ll ask Ellie what she thinks because she’s got way more experience on her and knows the horse way better. So any kind of information like that for me right now is only useful to have. You have to feel your way when you’re out there and so a lot of it then becomes instinct.”

Gratuitous pup pic! Photo by Shannon Brinkman.

Jon Holling is third on 33.0 with Prophet, his own 7-year-old Trakehner bred by Anissa Cottongim (Tatendrang x Pennant’s Valentine, by Pennant).

“I’ve had him for a long time, I got him when he was three. But it’s only his fourth Intermediate, so while I know the horse really well and I feel confident going out he is still green at the level,” Jon says. “Like Leslie was saying, there are some questions out there where I know in another 12 months’ time, he’ll be ready to attack it — I’d say tomorrow I’m just going to have to see how he feels when he leaves the box. He’s been really good and strong and bold on the cross country, the three competitions he has been at the level. But it’s still new enough to him that I’ll just have to see how he feels. He’s a pretty brave, bold, confident cross country horse so fingers crossed he’s up to the challenge.”

Jon is pretty easy to spot this weekend, having found himself on the losing end of a bet: Jon’s Green Bay Packers lost to Buck Davidson’s Philadelphia Eagles, leaving Jon relegated to wear an Eagles Jersey throughout the weekend — including on cross country. (“Buck tried to make me wear it during the jog but that’s where I draw the line,” Jon says.) Oh, you two. Payback is heck, I guess.

Regardless, we’re all looking forward to a sporting day of cross country tomorrow followed by a thrilling finale come Sunday. Everyone has glowing praise of Ocala Jockey Club.

“I can’t think of a better venue that I’ve been to, it’s beautiful here,” Jon says. “It’s the perfect time of year and setting for an autumn four-star. Obviously I’m a bit partial to it because I live 30 minutes away, but I’d travel to come to this event. To me, it’s on par with some of the best venues I’ve ever seen. The courses are built really well, and there’s a good team in place.”

Katherine Brown sits 4th with Carnaby, her own 6-year-old Oldenberg gelding (Cabachon x Clingolda, by Clinton H).

“This is a horse I got as a 3-year-old (from Harrington Horses in England), he’s still pretty young,” she says. “He’s awesome, he was really, really great in the warm-up, got a little bit distracted in the ring. But like I said, he’s young so I’m okay with that for now.”

Of the course, she says, “I think it looks very appropriate, very good  a little bit long. It’s his first CCI3*-L. See how he feels and take it one jump at a time.”

CCI4*-L dressage is underway, along with the conclusion of the CCI2*-L. Stay tuned for those reports later today! Until then, you can watch the action live on EN or via EQTV Network.

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CCI3*-L Dressage Top 10: 

Marilyn Little and RF Scandalous. Photo by Shannon Brinkman.

Marilyn Little‘s partner RF Scandalous has been tucked away on the shelf for much of the past year. After an injury sidelined the mare in the lead-up to the 2018 World Equestrian Games, they’ve been MIA while the mare rested and, ultimately, recovered. Ocala Jockey Club International Three-Day Event marks their international comeback, and they pair has come roaring back to form in the first phase, taking the CCI4*-S lead on 24.4.

“I can’t tell you how much fun it is to ride her here and have her back,” Marilyn says of the 14-year-old Oldenburg mare (Carry Gold x Richardia, by Lario), owned by Ms. Jacqueline Mars and Phoebe and Michael Manders. The latter missed today’s competition but will be here to cheer the mare on this weekend. “When you’ve lost something and you get it back, it’s really cool so this is a really special weekend for me. It’s been a long road. There’s been an incredible team of people that have helped get her back here.”

Marilyn says “Kitty” was all business today, although their test was plenty effervescent. “She was very excited — she was calm right up until the last moment she went in and got a little excited in the atmosphere,” she says. “Two years ago we were here, and that translated into not such a great test, and she’s just become so mature and such a great partner that she went in and did her job like she always does … She did everything I hoped she would and kept a lid on the excitement.”

Photo by Shannon Brinkman.

The pair’s preparations have been relatively light: a couple Prelim horse trials, an Advanced combined test, and a show jumping dress rehearsal at the Duke Horse Show in Raleigh, North Carolina en route to Florida (Marilyn won the Grand Prix with Karen O’Connor’s horse Clearwater). They knocked the cross country rust off at Liz Halliday-Sharp’s facility upon arrival. “I just have to rely a bit on the fact that she thinks she knows what she’s doing out there,” Marilyn says. “She has gotten to have a few outings, but not the steady preparation for an event like we would normally like to have.”

Certainly, the pair has experience in spades, including but not limited to a 3rd place finish at Kentucky in 2018, a 4th at Luhmühlen in 2017, and a win at Fair Hill in 2016.

“This is her first big event back,” Marilyn says. “In all fairness to her, the last big event she was preparing for was the Worlds and before that it was Kentucky. They absolutely know when it’s a big weekend and when it’s just a practice weekend, and she had a very big sense of that. I think she thought she was going in to a championship level event this weekend. She felt like it was that kind of day.

“It’s great that I’m back at an event with this horse. She’s such a special horse for me, so it’s wonderful to be back at an event, but it’s even better being back with a best friend, it’s that much more fun. For me, if I didn’t have this horse I wouldn’t be eventing so I event for her because I love her and it didn’t really make sense for me to be at them without her.”

Sara Kozumplik Murphy and Rubens D’Ysieux. Photo by Shannon Brinkman.

Sara Kozumplik Murphy and Rubens D’Ysieux, a 14-year-old Selle Français gelding (Balougran x Davidoff Silver Shadow, by Mr Blue) owned by the Rubens D’Ysieux Syndicate, are 2nd on 32.5.

This pair is something of a comeback story as well, as the horse has been recovering from colic surgery in April. “I haven’t really dealt with that before — he’s never been sick ever and I’ve actually never had a horse that had to go through that,” Sara says. “I’ve just been sort of taking my time making sure he feels good and playing it one day at a time but he honestly feels really good, I was very happy with him, he feels very strong.”

Their last international outing was the Bromont CCI4*-L in 2018, where they finished 8th.

Sara says, “He’s always a competitor, he’s a very kind horse, he’s a sassy horse, so I never have to worry from that perspective because he doesn’t like to be embarrassed. He’s a really, really good boy.”

She admits she was a bit surprised at their score, that she thought she’d be a couple marks lower. Her serpentine may not have been accurate enough, she reckons, and she may have lost some ground on her halt and reinback. “But I couldn’t have been happier with the horse,” she says. “He was super so I can’t really get too fussed about it.”

Looking forward to cross country, Sara says, “I’m expecting a nice course, they’re always really good courses here at the Jockey Club, it’s amazing terrain and it’s a proper galloping cross country place.”

Rebecca Brown with Dassett Choice. Photo by Shannon Brinkman.

Rounding out the top three is Rebecca Brown with Dassett Choice, her own 10-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding (Caricello x Vilja), on 34.7.

“It’s his second Advanced,” Rebecca says. “Actually, I didn’t love (my ride). He can really do a kind of amazing test, and I had two little blips but we’ve been working really hard and so obviously even that was still pretty competitive. I was obviously still pleased, but always knowing you can do better, right?”

Rebecca shared her first impressions of the cross country course: “The short does look nice, a little bit friendlier than the long which I appreciate. They always present it so well and I feel like it always rides really well.”

Alyssa Phillips and Oskar. Photo by Shannon Brinkman.

Alyssa Phillips and Oskar are 4th on 35.1, and Jessica Phoenix and Humble GS are 5th on 35.7.

Elsewhere, in the CCI3*-L, Leslie Law and Zick Zack have the overnight lead on 30.5. In the CCI2*-L Buck Davidson with Cooley Candyman and Will Coleman with Steam Engine are in equal first on 27.9. Dressage for those divisions continues Friday at 8 a.m. The CCI4*-L begins at 10:20 a.m.

Much more to come, stay tuned. Go Eventing!

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CCI4*-S Top 10 After Dressage:

Photo by Shannon Brinkman.

You know that feeling when you’ve just nailed your dressage test and it’s like BOOM!!!!

(I don’t know that feeling, personally, but hopefully you do.)

Photo by Shannon Brinkman.

Photo by Shannon Brinkman.

Segway to adorable pic of the Coleman fam.

Photo by Shannon Brinkman.

A hard act to follow, but these pups are pretty stinking cute, too:

Photo by Shannon Brinkman.

Good vibes are in the air here at Ocala Jockey Club International Three-Day Event, taking place through the week here in Reddick, Florida.

Photo by Shannon Brinkman.

Photo by Shannon Brinkman.

Photo by Shannon Brinkman.

Photo by Shannon Brinkman.

CCI4*-S dressage completed today, and CCI2*-L and CCI3*-L are back for more tomorrow along with the CCI4*-L. We’ve got a full report on the day forthcoming shortly, but thought we’d share a little teaser photo gallery by the great Shannon Brinkman as an appetizer.

Much more to come. Go Eventing!

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EN’s own Maggie Deatrick is contesting the CCI2*-L with Cthulhu. Best of luck, Maggie! Photo by Shannon Brinkman.

If the Ocala Jockey Club International Three-Day Event was a race, the starting field would be loaded in the gate following the first horse inspection today here in Reddick, Florida.

In the CCI2*-L, one horse was sent to the holding box, Natasha Erschen’s mount Chai Tea Latte, but was accepted after re-presenting. Across the three- and four-star divisions, only one horse did not pass: Joe Meyer’s mount Gortglas Crazy Love, in the CCI3*-L. Emily Beshear’s mount Deal With It was sent to the hold in the CCI3*-L but passed upon re-presentation.

Black fences criss-crossing emerald fields, Spanish moss fluttering in a cool autumn breeze … it’s hard to capture the magnificence of this venue, a jewel in the crown of Thoroughbred country. Enjoy these sun-drenched snapshots of the first horse inspection by the brilliant Shannon Brinkman:

Emily Renfroe-Dailey and Point of It all in the CCI2*-L. Photo by Shannon Brinkman.

Rebecca von Schweinitz and Limited Edition in the CCI2*-L. Photo by Shannon Brinkman.

Emily Beshear and Deal With It in the CCI3*-L. Photo by Shannon Brinkman.

Laura Szeremi and Toxicodendron in the CCI2*-L. Photo by Shannon Brinkman.

Photo by Shannon Brinkman.

Photo by Shannon Brinkman.

Photo by Shannon Brinkman.

Photo by Shannon Brinkman.

Madeline O’Brien and Casarino. Photo by Shannon Brinkman.

Photo by Shannon Brinkman.

Dressage starts at 8 a.m. tomorrow for half the CCI2*-L and the full CCI4*-S division — father-daughter team Rick and Elisa Wallace will be their test riders, respectively, beginning at 7:40 a.m. The first of two days of CCI3*-L dressage kicks off at 12:20 p.m. Click here for dressage start times.

There will be a live stream on EQTV Network beginning Friday; you view the schedule at the website.

Keep it locked on EN for everything you need to know from #OJC3DE. Go Eventing.

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