#43. Buck Davidson and Ballynoe Castle RM. Photo by Jenni Autry.
Buck Davidson and Ballynoe Castle RM were unbeatable on cross country today at the Jersey Fresh International Three-Day Event, and their double clear round will keep them in lead going into show jumping tomorrow on a score of 41.6. It’s a taste of redemption for Carl and Cassie Segal’s Reggie after the horse retired early on course at the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event.
It was just a matter of getting to the wrong spot at that fence, Buck told EN yesterday after Reggie’s leading dressage test. The horse is just fine both mentally and physically, and he looked like his usual self on course today — ears flicked back listening to Buck, galloping along eating up the course with his signature game face on.
“Reggie” is historically a very good show jumper, which is a good thing considering he won’t have much breathing room with Lauren Kieffer and Marie LeMenestrel’s Meadowbrook’s Scarlett waiting in the wings. Lauren and “Scarlett” also jumped clear in the mare’s first CCI3* to maintain their second place position on a score of 42.0 — a super showing in their bid for the U.S. Pan American Games team.
Lauren Kieffer and Meadowbrook’s Scarlett. Photo by Jenni Autry.
Kelly Prather and the Blackfoot Mystery Syndicate’s Blackfoot Mystery delivered a cracking double clear round as the trailblazers on this course, which moves them up one position to third place on their dressage score of 44.2. Not only did they accomplish that in the horse’s first CCI3*, but it looks like “B” might have turned a corner after struggling with blips on cross country at FEI events since last fall. Go OTTBs!
Boyd Martin and the Pancho Villa Syndicate’s Pancho Villa jumped around in good form, coming home clear just one second over the time to move into fourth place on a score of 45.9. Matt Brown and Mary McKee’s Happenstance jumped one of the eight double clear rounds in the division to round out the top five on a score of 47.7. Both Pancho Villa and Happenstance are very much on the Pan Ams radar, so they did exactly what they needed to today.
The West Coast riders simply dominated today on cross country. Tamie Smith delivered two double clear rounds in the CCI2* to sit in second and third places with Mai Baum and Fleur de Lis, respectively, and Matt also has two horses in the top 10 in the CCI3*, as Blossom Creek Foundation’s BCF Belicoso jumped clear with 6.8 time penalties in his three-star debut to sit in ninth place on 53.1.
Kelly Prather and Blackfoot Mystery. Photo by Jenni Autry.
Buck Davidson also has two horses in the top 10; in addition to holding the lead with Ballynoe Castle RM, he’s also sitting in sixth place with Wiley Post, who jumped double clear to remain on his dressage score of 47.8. Holly Payne and Santino delivered a cracking round in front of family and friends — I think the Payne crew bought about four tailgating spots at the Jersey Shore — to sit in seventh place after jumping clear with 6 time penalties.
Beaulieu’s Cayenne showed off her scope in the mare’s first CCI3*, jumping double clear to sit in eighth place on 53.3, and Michael Pollard — who is leading the CCI2* with Carl Bouckaert’s Cyrano after a double clear round this morning — and Ballingowan Pizazz round out the top 10 after jumping clear with 6.8 time penalties to sit on 53.3.
Like the CCI2* course, John Williams’ CCI3* course also rode well across the board, and the rain that pelted the two-star riders this morning dried up for the CCI3* action. In addition to the pairs already named, Nilson Moreira da Silva and Muggle and Colleen Rutledge and Escot 6 also jumped double clear around the course to sit in 12th and 13th places, respectively.
Matt Brown and BCF Belicoso. Photo by Jenni Autry.
Just three horses picked up jumping penalties on course. Allie Knowles and Sound Prospect had a glance off at fence 12, the brush wedge in the main arena. LCC Barnaby stopped at fence 9, the drop bank, to pick up 20 penalties there. Liz Riley and Renaissance had two stops, one at the table at fence 10 on the hill coming down into the main arena and another at fence 17, a brush coming into the Jersey Shore.
The only fall on course came when Phillip Dutton and John and Kristie Norton’s I’m Sew Ready fell at the corner on the final combination on course just two fences from home when “Jackson” left a leg. Phillip confirmed to EN that both he and the horse are OK.
You can relive a play-by-play of the action with our live CCI3* updates here. We are waiting word on Jessica Phoenix’s condition after she and Exultation fell at fence 6 in the CCI2* this morning. She withdrew her remaining horses from the competition and is reported to be in stable condition at Robert Wood Johnson Hospital. Stay tuned for more updates.
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