Classic Eventing Nation

Fence 24 – Lucky Fresh Splash. Photo by Jenni Autry.

Welcome to cross country day at The Fork at Tryon, presented by Lucky Clays Farm! We are counting down to the start of CCI4*-S cross country at 11:39 a.m. There is no live stream, but I will be running live updates here on EN. Keep refreshing this page for updates.

Capt. Mark Phillips’ course is 3,850 meters with an optimum time of 6 minutes, 35 seconds. Click here for a fence-by-fence preview. We wish safe rides to all! Go Eventing.

The Fork at Tryon: Website, Ride Times, Sunday XC Starting Order, Live Scores, EN’s Coverage, Instagram, Twitter

11:46: We had a slight change in order, and Hannah Sue Burnett and Harbor Pilot were our first pair to go. They jumped clear in a time of 7:30.

11:48: Overnight leaders Fernhill By Night are home clear and 28 seconds over to add 11.2 time penalties. That opens the door for others — this will be a race against the clock!

11:50: Boyd Martin is on course with his first ride, On Cue, and has officially vanquished that pesky boat in the water. They completed clear with 18.0 time penalties.

11:52: Doug Payne pulled up Vandiver near fence 4 to check his girth and continued on. He then pulled up again at fence 7 as his saddle keeps slipping back. He is retiring.

11:57: Clear in a time of 7:27 for Allison Springer and Sapphire Blue B.

12:02: Clear in a time of 7:48 for Daniela Mougel and Cecelia. They are aiming for a return trip to Kentucky and ultimately the Pan Ams to represent Mexico.

12:06: We will have some gaps in the action due to withdrawals. Chris Talley and Unmarked Bills are on course now.

12:09: Ryan Wood and Woodstock Bennett fell at fence 10A when the horse hung a leg. They are both up and ok and walking home.

12:11: Clear in a time of 7:30 for Chris Talley and Unmarked Bills. These two are aiming for their first Kentucky. Go Rookies!

12:16: Clear with 24.4 time penalties for Daniela Mougel and Cecelia.

12:17: Felix Vogg and Colero complete clear in a time of 6:54 — that’s the fastest so far. That moves them ahead of Liz Halliday-Sharp for the provisional lead in the early going.

12:22: Kim Liddell and Eye of the Storm completed clear in a time of 7 minutes, 30 seconds.

12:25: Clear in a time of 7:08 for Hallie Coon and Celien. It’s Hallie’s birthday today. Happy Birthday!

12:31: Clear in a time of 7:06 for Will Faudree and Michel 233.

12:32: Dasha Ivandaeva has retired Autorytet after two runouts at the corner at 16B.

12:37: Clear in a time of 7:03 for Sydney Conley Elliott and QC Diamantaire in the horse’s debut at the level.

12:39: Meghan O’Donoghue and Palm Crescent picked up a runout at 16B and are clear on second attempt.

12:42: We are still waiting for someone to catch the time. Felix Vogg has been the fastest with Colero and added 7.6 time penalties.

12:43: Chris Talley and Sandro’s Star had s glance off at the boat in the water at 11B. Clear on second attempt.

12:45: Rachel Wilks and Great Expectations had a runout at fence 9, the boat at the lake, and then another runout say 11D at the skinny following the up-bank at the water. Clear at the option.

12:47: Clear with 15.2 time penalties for Mara DePuy and Congo Brazzaville C.

12:48: Rachel and Great Expectations have been eliminated on refusals after picking up a third at the corner at 16B.

12:53: Sharon White and Cooley On Show had a stop at fence 24, the skinny in the last water. Clear on second attempt.

12:54: Kate Brown and Victor Z picked up a runout at the skinny wedge at 7D. Clear at the option. They then picked up another runout at 11A, the drop into the first water. She got his feet wet and retired.

12:57: Allison Springer and Business Ben glanced off the skinny brush coming down the hill at 10C. Clear on the option.

1:02: Allison and Business Ben picked up another runout at the second squirrel at 22B.

1:04: Dom Schramm and Bolytair B completed clear in a time of 7:42.

1:06: Boyd Martin and Tsetserleg add just 4.8 time penalties to move into the provisional lead. That is the fastest of the day!

1:11: Hannah Sue Burnett and Lukeswell complete clear with 20.4 time penalties.

1:15: Liz Halliday-Sharp and Deniro Z jumped clear with 14.8 time penalties. Boyd Martin wins with Tsetserleg!

1:20: Doug Payne and Quantum Leap added 12.4 time penalties as our last pair on course. Stay tuned for the full report.

Lynn Symansky and Under Suspection. Photo by Shannon Brinkman Photography.

Lynn Symansky and Under Suspection won one of two Advanced divisions at The Fork at Tryon in 2018, and a year later they’re poised to defend their title — although Lynn is more interested in giving “Pippy” a good pre-Kentucky run than she is in a blue ribbon.

Lynn and the 15-year-old Holsteiner mare (Contender x Naomagic I, by Exorbitant xx) owned by Mary Ann Ghadban sat 2nd after dressage to Boyd Martin and Long Island T. When that pair dropped two rails, the door swung open for Lynn and Pippy to overtake the lead, which they did despite 4 jumping and 0.4 time faults.

Note: Will Faudree and Pfun, a 12-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding (Tadmus x Celerina, by Cento) owned by Jennifer Mosing and Sterling Silver Stables, posted a double-clear and would have moved into the lead from 4th, but withdrew after show jumping as per their own Kentucky gameplan.

“She was good,” Lynn says of Pippy’s round. “I ended up changing the bit from last time I went in the ring, and she was a bit sassy. I totally take credit for the rail we had down – she jumped really well, I just didn’t ride across the back rail of that oxer.”

Tryon International Equestrian Center’s busy main arena is good prep for being on stage at the Kentucky Horse Park.

“It was good to get in a little bit more atmosphere, because she’s been to places that were a little bit quieter, so it was good to get in here and practice in a venue that really prepares you for Kentucky,” Lynn says.

As for her plan heading into cross country, Lynn says, “The placing wasn’t really in my mind, but it’s nice to be sitting well going into cross country, absolutely,” she says. “The plan tomorrow would be to have a good run that prepares her for Kentucky. I don’t really have the clock in mind – the chips kind of fall where they do. No one really remembers in the end who won the Advanced A Division of The Fork a few years down the road, so it’s more just preparing her for the ride she needs in the long run.”

 Check out EN’s preview of Capt. Mark Phillips’ CCI4*-S cross country course here.

“I’m excited to ride around the track tomorrow,” Lynn says. “I rode it on a horse I knew very well last year, and this is one I’ve had the ride on for about a year now. The venue looks great – the ground is great and the courses look awesome.

“It’s too bad there aren’t more entries here because it’s crazy, because this place prepares you so much,” she says. “Especially for young horses to come see this kind of venue, and the courses and the footing are really good, with jumper classes going on at the same time so you could even bring young horses or students, too. It’s too bad that more people didn’t take advantage of this because it really is a fantastic venue for all levels and experience.”

Ariel Grald and Leamore Master Plan. Photo by Shannon Brinkman Photography.

In 2nd place overnight is Ariel Grald with Leamore Master Plan, a 10-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding (Master Imp x Aredragh Bash, by Cavalier Royale) owned by Anne Eldridge. The pair jumped a clear, quick round to move up from 6th place after dressage.

“My horse jumps super,” Ariel says. “He’s very careful. He gets a little strong, but I’m lucky that he really tries over the fences. There’s a lot of atmosphere in that arena, but I thought it was a great course that challenged accuracy. I didn’t give him the best ride going into the final line but he took care of himself and dealt with the mistakes. He jumped really well.”

Ariel is getting her first crack at Kentucky later this month. As for cross country tomorrow, she says, “I’m looking forward to going out and getting galloping. There are a lot of big jumps out there that are going to be fun, and there are some good accuracy questions, too. I think it’s going to be a great set up for future spring events. He’s really good at cross country. He loves to gallop and he’s brave. It’s both of our favorite phase.”

Boyd Martin and Long Island T. Photo courtesy of Shannon Brinkman Photography.

Boyd Martin holds down the 3rd and 4th places with Long Island T and Contestor respectively.

“Long Island T, I actually was really, really happy with the way he jumped,” Boyd says. “I felt like he was making a really good show, he was trying. He had two back rails down. The first one I set up a bit too early and the second one he just toed the line, so be honest he had eight jumping penalties, but I was very, very pleased with the way he jumped and he’s in good shape, so it doesn’t look that good on the score board, but he gave me a good feel.”

Boyd is headed to Kentucky with Long Island T, a 2006 Oldenburg/Thoroughbred gelding (Ludwig Von Bayern x Heraldik XX) owned by The Long Island T Syndicate.

Contestor, a 12-year-old Dutch gelding (Contango x Jer’s Princess, by Killer Jer) owned by Denise Lahey, is much greener but a rising star, having won his last two international outings. The horse put in a huge effort to jump clear today, Boyd says. “He’s been a hit-and-miss of a horse. He can put in some great rounds and he can put in some sharpers, and today he jumped as good as any of them.”

Much more to come. Go Eventing!

Many thanks to Sarah Madden for assistance with quotes for this story. 

[Two Horses and Two CCI4*-S Phases in the Bag for Elisabeth Halliday-Sharp at The Fork at TIEC presented by Lucky Clays Farm]

The Fork at Tryon CCI-S & H.T.: Website, Entry Status, Ride Times, Live Scores, EN’s Coverage, Instagram, Twitter

Advanced Top 10 After Show Jumping:

Liz Halliday-Sharp and Fernhill By Night. Photo by Shannon Brinkman Photography.

The Fork at Tryon CCI4*-S dressage leader Liz Halliday-Sharp headed into show jumping with a rail in hand and ended up cashing it in on the final fence. No mind, though — she still lays claim to the top two spots in the division (and the no. 5 spot to boot), and says she couldn’t have been happier with her horses’ performance.

“All my horses jumped incredible today,” Liz says of her first-placed ride, Fernhill By Night. “Blackie jumped out of his skin, and I thought I had it in the bag — he was my first ride of the group.”

Liz says she rolled down to the last fence with a little bit of a turn on him still, and he twisted the tiniest bit into his left shoulder in the air — a rare hiccup for the 16-year-old Irish Sport Horse (Radolin x Argentina XII, by Argentinus) owned by Deborah Halliday.

“It was probably my fault, maybe I was a little too casual about it because I thought I had it done and I know better, but the horse jumped amazing, they all did, so it’s not his fault,” Liz says.

Liz Halliday-Sharp and Deniro Z. Photo by Shannon Brinkman Photography.

Liz and Deniro Z, an 11-year-old KWPN gelding (Zapatero VDL X Zonne-Trend, by French Buffet xx) owned by The Deniro Syndicate and Ocala Horse Properties, jumped a clear, quick round to stay put in second place.

Liz’s third horse in the division, Cooley Quicksilver, also had a fault-free performance, boosting him from 8th after dressage to 5th. Liz has since withdrawn him from cross country, per her plan to give the horse a shot at defending his CCI3*-L title at Ocala International next weekend. The event is also a selection trial for the Pan American Games.

“He is incredible in cross country, he’s a wicked cool horse, but I’m gonna go ahead and do the selection trial for the Pan Ams because that would be my goal for him,” Liz says. After Ocala the 8-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding (Womanizer x Kylemore Crystal, by Creggan Diamond), owned by The Monster Partnership, will enjoy a little holiday then do a CCI4*-S in Germany and, should he be selected for the Pan Ams team, represent the U.S. in Lima, Peru.

Liz says she was thrilled with his performance at The Fork and is excited for his future. “He’s such a cool horse. He’s a total freak. He’s not normal and I think he kicked out behind over every single warm up fence, he always does, he probably did it over a few in the ring because he just loves it and he comes out and he’s like ‘Yeah! Come on, give me something harder!’”

“He is a cheeky monkey, he’s really naughty,” she says. “I love him, he’s so flexible and now he’s figured it out and he just thinks it so easy. It’s so fun to ride him. He’s one of my favorite horses to jump because we know each other really well, and he’s just an incredible athlete.”

Looking ahead to cross country tomorrow, Liz has a custom plan in place for both Blackie and Deniro.

“They are both slightly in a different place because Deniro really needs a good prep run for Kentucky,” Liz says. “I don’t plan to run him slow because I don’t think that would suit him. I need to get him a little bit more with me — he was a bit of an animal at Carolina. He’s like an airplane now, he’s so strong and has so much power, and I just need to make sure he’s sort of listening to me and that I can put him in the same place looking ahead to Kentucky, so that will be my goal with him.”

She aims to let Blackie have a run at the blue ribbon. “I’m gonna have a damn good crack and try and make the time and try and take him to the win,” she says.

Check out EN’s preview of Capt. Mark Phillips’ CCI4*-S cross country course here.

“I think it’s a stronger track than Carolina, in my opinion,” Liz says. “I think there’s a lot more to do than there was at Carolina, so it will take some riding for sure, especially if you’re going fast. So I’m just going to go out and try to give them a really great run and lots of confidence and kick on.”

Boyd Martin and Tsetserleg. Photo by Shannon Brinkman Photography.

Boyd Martin and Tsetserleg, a 12-year-old Trakehner gelding (Windfall x Thabana, by Buddenbrock) owned by Christine Turner, came into show jumping in equal third place with Felix Vogg and Volero. The tie was broken when the latter pair picked up two time penalties.

Boyd had four rides today — two in the Advanced (Contestor and Long Island T, who sit 5th and 4th respectively) and two in the CCI4*-S (Tsetserleg, 3rd, and On Cue, who is 25th).

“I had an up and down day,” Boyd says. “The two horses I was worried about having tough rounds on jumped like bunny rabbits. Contestor and Tsetserleg, they were fantastic. My two reliable jumping horses were a little bit spooky.” (Long Island T had two rails; On Cue had three.)

Boyd was pleased with Tsetserleg’s fault-free round. Because “Thomas” can be tricky sometimes in combinations, Boyd schooled him early this morning over a couple small combinations over and over again, which he says got the horse thinking, waiting and slow. The preparation paid off, as he was foot-perfect through the combinations in the ring.

“I was pleased that he jumped not only clear, but in good fashion,” Boyd says. “I think leading into Kentucky it’s not so much the result, but the feeling they’re giving you when you ride them.”

Boyd is heading into cross country tomorrow on a mission for redemption after he and Tsetserleg’s WEG blip at the water.

“It’s a very weird sport, this eventing, because one jump can just destroy emotion or feeling and everyone’s moral for months and months and months, so it’s good to be back here to be honest,” Boyd says. “And obviously, the boat in the water, I really want to give him a good ride there and I’ve probably gone over that jump [in my mind] more times, you know, what I did wrong or what could have happened differently than any other jump I’ve ever jumped. So I’m looking forward to going in there and riding that in a better way.”

The Fork is a final pre-Kentucky run for Tsetserleg and Long Island T. Boyd aims to give them a quick round, taking advantage of the good footing, without being reckless, so that they come off course with their composure intact. “Like sometimes if you them real fast, the next time you ride them they’re a bit out of control, so you try and give them a good blow out here, a good fitness run, but then also schooling them a little bit so that they’re waiting and thinking for you, so it’s a catch 22.”

Meanwhile in the CCI3*-S, Doug Payne remains in the lead with Starr Witness. The 8-year-old Dutch mare (Chello II x Carmen, by Veneur) owned by Laurie McRee will head into cross country on her dressage score of 27.6.

Courtney Cooper and Excel Star If Never, a 7-year-old warmblood cross (If Ever 111 x Wuberlina H, by Wuberlina H) owned by The Constellation Partners, are out front in the CCI2*-S on their dressage score of 36.3.

Much more to come. Go Eventing.

Many thanks to Sarah Madden for assistance with quotes for this story. 

[Two Horses and Two CCI4*-S Phases in the Bag for Elisabeth Halliday-Sharp at The Fork at TIEC presented by Lucky Clays Farm]

The Fork at Tryon CCI-S & H.T.: Website, Entry Status, Ride Times, Live Scores, EN’s Coverage, Instagram, Twitter

CCI4*-S Top 10 After Show Jumping:

CCI3*-S Top 10 After Show Jumping:

CCI2*-S Top 10 After Show Jumping: