Classic Eventing Nation

Marilyn Little and RF Scandalous. Photo by Jenni Autry.

Marilyn Little and RF Scandalous very nearly smashed a North American record today at the Bromont CIC Three-Day Event in Quebec. EquiRatings confirmed to EN that their score of 19.9 (29.9 in former scoring) is the second best three-star dressage score in North America this decade, bested only by Phillip Dutton and Mystery Whisper’s score of 18.6 (27.9 in former scoring) at Red Hills in 2012.

“For scores like that the stars always have to align on the day,” Marilyn said. “Coming into this today I thought there was a possibility she could get into the teens; we eked in there. We’ve been really in sync in the training leading up to Bromont. She comes out with her briefcase every day and is so ready to work. I think we’re seeing a level of relaxation we’ve never achieved before and are able to work on more of the details in the test.”

“Kitty,” a 13-year-old Oldenburg mare (Carry Gold X Richardia, by Lario) owned by Jacqueline Mars and Phoebe and Michael Manders, is one of the five horses named to the U.S. World Equestrian Games team, and is running here at Bromont alongside her teammates for the squad’s final outing before Tryon.

This is the mare’s first FEI outing since the Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event in April, where Kitty placed third to become the 2018 USEF National CCI4* Champion. She has one Open Intermediate run under her belt since Kentucky, when she cruised around Maryland Horse Trials last month alongside fellow WEG teammates Donner, Vermiculus and Tsetserleg.

“We chose our own path in terms of the prep so we were peaking right now and not doing too many competitions too early. I came here hoping for a really good week, and I have never felt her feel so good, and this is certainly the right time for that to happen,” Marilyn said.

“She is able to hold the balance and really stay seated and carry herself on her hocks through the entire test. Last year she would get a little fatigued at the end. Now she can carry herself through to the final halt.”

Boyd Martin and Long Island T. Photo by Jenni Autry.

Marilyn and Kitty have a 5.7-penalty margin ahead of Boyd Martin and Long Island T, who sit in second place on 25.6. “Ludwig,” a 12-year-old Oldenburg/Thoroughbred (Ludwig von Bayern x Haupstsbuch Highlight, by Heraldik xx) owned by The Long Island T Syndicate, “is a dressage machine,” Boyd said, and continues to solidify his form at this level.

Boyd’s WEG mount Tsetserleg, an 11-year-old Trakehner (Windfall X Thabana, by Buddenbrock) owned by Christine Turner, scored 32.3 to sit 14th at the conclusion of dressage.

“I was really pleased with his paces and his frame and the way he went. I just had heaps of little mistakes, which is frustrating — no excuses. I’ve been concentrating a lot of the four-star test (for WEG) and didn’t work on the three-star test as much, which showed up today. He’s going really well and the quality has gotten a lot better. I have to make sure the fine details — the halts, the strike-offs, the angles, the flying changes — are spot on.”

Phillip Dutton and Z. Photo by Jenni Autry.

Phillip Dutton and his WEG mount Z, a 10-year-old Zangersheide gelding (Asca X Bellabouche, by Babouche VH Gehucht Z) owned by the Z Partnership, were the first pair to go this morning and sit in third place on a personal best score of 27.1.

“I worked on keeping him a little more uphill than what I have before, and he handled it all well,” Phillip said. “It’s been a good preparation. We’ve been here for a few days and could concentrate on the test. It’s just attention to detail at this point. I was pleased with the way he settled, and he did his job very well.”

Selena O’Hanlon and Foxwood High. Photo by Jenni Autry.

We have a three-way tie for fourth place in the CIC3*. Selena O’Hanlon leads the way for Canada with John and Judy Rumble’s Foxwood High on 28.0, with U.S. WEG alternates Kim Severson and The Cooley Cross Border Syndicate’s Cooley Cross Border and Lynn Symansky and Mary Ann Ghadban’s Under Suspection tied on the same score.

Lynn Symansky and her WEG team horse Donner, a 15-year-old Thoroughbred (Gorky Park X Smart Jane, by Smarten) owned by The Donner Syndicate, scored 28.1 to sit in seventh place.

Lynn Symansky and Donner. Photo by Jenni Autry.

Our other U.S. WEG team pair, Lauren Kieffer and Jacqueline Mars’s Vermiculus, scored 32.4 to put the 11-year-old Anglo-Arabian gelding (Serazim X Wake Me Gently) in 15th place.

Looking to the CIC2*, Jessica Phoenix holds the top two spots on the leaderboard with her own Pavarotti and The Bentley’s Best Group’s Bentley’s Best on scores of 30.5 and 30.9, respectively.

Jessica Phoenix and Pavarotti. Photo by Jenni Autry.

Matt Brown and Anna Honeycutt’s Fernhill Chico lead the CIC* on 23.4, with Michael Nolan and Kara Andrew’s Bad Moon Rising topping the CIC*-Under 25 leaderboard on 27.8.

We have to give a special shout out to Helen Christie, Christian Landolt and Rossana Lagunes, all of whom spontaneously formed a ground jury for the Training divisions and gave the riders the incredible privilege of being judged by a panel of three top FEI judges.

Lauren Kieffer and Jacqueline Mars’s Get Gaudi lead the Open Training division on 22.1. Amanda Beale Clement and Megan Wilson’s BE Kilgoric Felix lead the Training Young Rider division on 26.9. Thank you to the volunteers and everyone in the office who processed those extra Training tests!

Looking ahead to tomorrow, the action on Marc Donovan’s show jumping course starts with the CIC3* at 8:30 a.m., followed by the CIC2* at 10:51 a.m., CIC* at 12:48 p.m. and Training at 2:49 p.m. Cross country for all divisions will be held Sunday. Click here for a fence-by-fence preview of Derek di Grazia’s CIC3* track. Go Eventing.

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Fence 1. Photo by Jenni Autry.

Bonjour from Bromont! We are delighted to be bringing you wall-to-wall coverage from Bromont’s inaugural August CIC, which has attracted substantial entries across the CIC3*, CIC2*, CIC* and Training levels. Most notably, the CIC3* is serving as the final outing for the U.S. World Equestrian Games team ahead of Tryon. Key Canadian horses are also running here on home soil prior to the team’s highly anticipated squad announcement next week. There’s a definite excitement in the air.

We are lucky to have the dream team of course designer Derek di Grazia and course builder Jay Hambly teaming up on this Bromont track. As course designer for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Derek has had a busy summer. Jay is also part of the course building team for Tokyo, as well as the course designer for next month’s inaugural CCI at Foshay International in New Brunswick, about 8 hours east of where we are in Quebec.

The CIC3* start box is set where the course usually ends, with horses and riders jumping the horse shoe that typically serves as the final fence on the CCI course for the June event. The first four fences are meant to invite horses into a flowing rhythm, with fence 4 set on a slight mound — a hint of the use of terrain that is to come later in the track.

Fence 5ABC. Photo by Jenni Autry.

Fence 5 serves as the first water complex and the first question on course. Right off the bat you get the sense that Derek is demanding a bold ride around this track — after jumping up the bank at B it’s a forward one stride to the skinny brush at C. The next combination of two angled tables at fence 6 is also set on a forward one stride. Fence 7 is an inviting open oxer with an ascending back rail pinned with MIM technology. The angled brush at fence 8 is set over a ditch with a good ground line.

Fence 9AB. Photo by Jenni Autry.

Fence 9 has an option that includes a time-consuming loop. The direct route takes horses and riders over a right-pointed open corner at the A element, with a right bending line to a sizable left-pointed corner at the B element. Riders will then turn left to fence 10 before continuing to circle left up the hill to the coffin at fence 11ABC. Once again the distances are set on attacking one strides, and the arrowhead brush at C invites a runout.

Fence 11ABC, with Kim Severson examining the line. Photo by Jenni Autry.

Next riders will jump a ditch and wall in the tree line at fence 12, followed by a skinny house set on the crest of a hill at fence 13. The next combination at fence 14 once again requires a bold ride, with a sharp drop on the landing side of the rolltop at A, followed by a brush at B and a right-hand turn to a brush corner at C. Fence 15 is an airy rolltop set on an uphill approach, which takes horses and riders to the second water complex at fence 16. After dropping in over a hanging log at A, riders will need to find their line to the narrow toothpick brushes at B and C and then — you guessed it — ride boldly forward to make the one-stride distance happen.

Fence 16ABC. Photo by Jenni Autry.

You definitely get the impression when walking the course that Derek invites riders to take angled lines at many of the jumps such as fence 17. Riders will turn sharply right to fence 18, which has a nice direct line on four strides to the triple bush at B if the open oxer at A is approached on a slight angle. Fence 19 is an open oxer with a not-so-ascending back rail.

A beefy table at fence 20 brings horses and riders to the final combination on course. The massive hanging log at fence 21A will demand full attention before riders loop right to jump the double brush at the B element. Then it’s a gallop home to the cabin at fence 22, the final jump on course. The CIC3* course is 3,685 meters in length with an optimum time of 6 minutes, 28 seconds.

Fence 17. Photo by Jenni Autry.

The Bromont area hasn’t seen much rain recently, and the ground feels super considering the lack of precipitation. With 1 inch of rain predicted in tomorrow’s forecast, we should have perfect footing come cross country day on Sunday. The action kicks off tomorrow with dressage starting at 8 a.m. EST. Show jumping will be held Saturday. There is no live stream from Bromont, but I’m delighted to report that David Frechette is on the grounds and will be posting videos to his YouTube channel.

Keep it locked on EN for all things Bromont, plus exclusive behind-the-scenes content featuring our U.S. WEG Team. Click here for dressage start times. Go Eventing.

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