Classic Eventing Nation

Hannah Sue Burnett and Harbour Pilot. Photo by Jenni Autry.

A tough day of scoring at in the CIC3* at Red Hills Horse Trials gave us just three scores in the 40s at the conclusion of dressage, with Hannah Sue Burnett and Harbour Pilot leading on 44.1. “William,” a 14-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding owned by Jacqueline Mars, scored a bit off his average of 42.8 but still threw down the gauntlet.

Courtney Cooper and Who’s A Star are another strong pair in the dressage phase, scoring 46.3 for second place. “Tag,” a 14-year-old Irish/New Zealand Sport Horse by Aberjack, is one of Courtney’s homebreds and delivered a fluid, relaxed performance today.

Jessica Phoenix and Bentley’s Best were the last to go, scoring 47.6 for third place. This 10-year-old Trakehner gelding owned by Don Good has really blossomed over the winter, looking stronger and more powerful in his extensions and throughout the test. We’re calling it now to keep your eye on “Benny” this season.

Courtney Cooper and Who’s A Star. Photo by Jenni Autry.

Session bias has been a hot topic over the past year and an issue EquiRatings has discussed in depth. In our quest to analyze whether judges are getting the balance right, EN will be tracking session averages during the 2017 season.

Looking to the first morning session in the CIC3*, the ground jury of Sandy Phillips (C) and Wayne Quarles (E) trended 6.43 points above the expected average for the group. From the first morning session, only Lauren Kieffer and D.A. Duras bested their expected dressage average.

The stiff scoring continued through the second morning session, which averaged 6.15 points over the expected scores. Only two pairs in the first two groups bettered their expected scores, and none by more than 2.4 points.

Jessica Phoenix and Bentley’s Best. Photo by Jenni Autry.

With only three recorded scores in the final morning session just before the lunch break, the judges softened their scoring slightly, marking only 2.64 points above the expected group average. The afternoon session trended 4.18 points above the expected group average.

Overall, the CIC3* division saw marks that trended 5.45 points above the expected average scores for these horse and rider combinations. There was a 2.67-point advantage to going in the second two sessions of the division versus the first two sessions.

This year’s field averaged 59.07 penalties overall, which is 3.66 points higher than last year’s CIC3* average of 55.41. In 2015, the field averaged 56.62 penalties.

Buck Davidson and Petite Flower. Photo by Jenni Autry.

Looking to the rest of the division, Hannah Sue Burnett has a second ride in the top five in Under Suspection, a 13-year-old Holsteiner mare owned by Mary Ann Ghadban. Buck Davidson and Petite Flower, a 15-year-old Thoroughbred mare owned by Sherrie Martin, scored 51.3 for fifth place.

Click here for a full rundown on the scoring. Advanced, CIC2* and CIC* dressage is still going, so we’ll have much more to bring you later today, including comments from the top three in the CIC3*. In the meantime, be sure to click over to EN’s Instagram for more photos from the day (and the cutest dog ever).

Massive shoutout to EN’s data analyst Maggie Deatrick for crunching the numbers for this post. Check out more of her analysis on the CIC3* field at Red Hills in By the Numbers. Go Eventing.

Red Hills Links: Website, Entries, Ride Times, Live Scores, EN’s Coverage, Twitter, EN’s Instagram

Fence 8A - Boathouse Approach. Photo by Shems Hamilton.

Good morning from Red Hills Horse Trials in Tallahassee, Florida! CIC3* dressage kicks off this morning, with show jumping and cross country tomorrow. Now in his second year of designing the CIC3* course, Mike Etherington-Smith said in his Designer’s View that this year’s course is tougher than last year.

“The course itself starts and finishes in the same place and my feeling is that it’s a touch bigger than last year,” Mike said. “I am still mindful that it is early in the season, but this is a three-star competition and as such it does need to be, and is, up to standard.”

The course starts and ends in the same place as last year, and the lines and flow are similar to last year as well. Mike has opened up several additional areas, including a loop in the middle of the course, to give a different feel and continue bringing more open space to the course.

“As always I want horses and riders to have a positive experience and benefit from their round,” Mike said. “Quite often at this stage of the year there are a few cobwebs that need blowing out after the winter break, but competitors will be mindful that the event is an important qualification opportunity and will want to put in a good performance.”

Developing the footing continues to be one of Mike’s major priorities, and the footing is definitely improved this year, with the newer turf much more established. The live oak trees with Spanish moss make for picturesque viewing for spectators, but they also up the level of difficulty.

“As course designer I have to be conscious of the mental effect that this can have on the horses,” Mike said. “It is very easy to have a course that is too busy if not careful.”

Shout out to course builders Tyson Rementer and Levi Ryckewaert and course decorator Corinne Mathis — the track looks stunning! Many thanks to Shems Hamilton for providing these beautiful photos of each fence on the CIC3* course. Stay tuned for much more from Red Hills. Go Eventing.

Red Hills Links: Website, Entries, Ride Times, Live Scores, EN’s Coverage, Twitter, EN’s Instagram

Jennie Brannigan and Cambalda. Photo by Jenni Autry.

While Red Hills is no longer the first CIC3* of the season in North America, it does still draw the first big, star-studded field of the year. With the option to now choose to run stadium first by doing the CIC3*, or enter the Advanced to sharpen your skills jumping after cross country, Red Hills has made an effort to offer flexibility to riders and horses on their path to the big three-days.

With Mike Etherington-Smith taking over the design of the cross country last year, Red Hills has really stepped up the international caliber of the course. Now entering his second year, Mike will likely be pushing the design a bit as he gains more feel for the unique track and terrain this iconic event offers.

Chris Barnard is taking over the design of the show jumping this year, taking the reins from long-time designer Fuzzy Mayo. In years past, Fuzzy’s stadium course over a grassy, hilly arena stumped many of the best jumpers out there, but with the addition of a stadium arena two years ago, the difficulty of the stadium phase has vastly transformed at this venue.

Photo by Shems Hamilton

The Field

• Every winner of the CIC3* at Red Hills since 2013 has been in second place after dressage. Those winners were Mighty Nice, Trading Aces, Czechmate and Fernhill Fugitive.
• No one has finished clear and inside the time on a Red Hills CIC3* track since 2013, when Selena O’Hanlon did it with two horses: A Fine Romance and Foxwood High.
• Red Hills built a ring for their stadium phase two years ago. Since then the average number of rails incurred by the Red Hills CIC3* field has dropped below the national average.

Hannah Sue Burnett and Harbour Pilot. Photo by Jenni Autry.

Dressage Divas

• Harbour Pilot led the field after dressage at Red Hills last year in his first FEI start after recuperating from his Burghley injury. In the 12 months since, he and Hannah Sue Burnett have solidified their dominance in this phase. An average Advanced/three-star dressage score of 42.8 since their return gives them a good chance to repeat their lead again this year.
• This year the comeback kid is Cambalda, whose past performance indicates that he and Jennie Brannigan could top the leaderboard if their form has held through his time off. This pair flirted with the 30s when they won the inaugural Great Meadow CIC3*, but more often settle closer to their three-star average of 43.9 penalties.
• Who’s A Star lays down a strong dressage test show after show with Courtney Cooper in the irons. With a range that varies approximately 10 points within the 40s, this pair is a good bet to be within striking distance of the leaders after the first phase.
• Keep a sharp eye on Halimey, who laid down his best dressage score for the level at Rocking Horse Winter II Horse Trials with Buck Davidson in the irons. An equivalent performance could put this pair on top on day one in this horse’s first three-star.

Buck Davidson and Petite Flower. Photo by Jenni Autry.

Show Jumping Powerhouses

• Hannah’s other mount Under Suspection is one of the strongest show jumpers in the field, having put together a completely flawless record last year when show jumping was held prior to cross country. Overall, this pair only has one rail on their record when competing together at any level.
• When show jumping is held first, Petite Flower is in her element, jumping clean 11 of 13 times in her career. Her lone flaw in the past two years when this phase is first was at Ocala Jockey Club CIC3* last fall, when she and Buck Davidson incurred a single rail.
• Cambalda is another notable show jumper in the field, with only one rail in their four attempts that held show jumping first in 2015. Although Red Hills stadium used to be a bit of a weak spot for Cambalda and Jennie, that all changed in 2015 with a double clear when Red Hills moved their stadium from the challenging grass field to a new arena.

Lisa Marie Fergusson and Honor Me. Photo by Jenni Autry.

Cross-Country Machines

• Jennie knows Cambalda like the back of her hand, and it shows in their cross-country execution. At the CIC3* level they have a flawless jump record, paired with a speedy pace that averages only eight seconds over the time in 2015. However, Red Hills slows even the fastest of horses and these two are significantly slower at this venue than any other, averaging almost 30 seconds over.
• Petite Flower is one of the cattiest horses on the circuit, as proven by her blazing round at the Wellington Eventing Showcase. Buck and Petite Flower have averaged only 10 seconds over the optimum time in all of their Advanced and CIC3* runs since 2015. However, like Cambalda, this mare was considerably slower in her only start at Red Hills, clocking in 25 seconds over.
• I’m Sew Ready doesn’t have quite as extensive a resume, but benefits from having the master on board. With Phillip Dutton in the irons, this pair has averaged only 11 seconds over optimum time. However, this will be I’m Sew Ready’s first run at Red Hills, which has a proven record of slowing horses down.
• Lisa Marie Fergusson and Honor Me have really picked up the pace in the past 12 months. Their average A/CIC3* pace went from 31 seconds over optimum in 2015 down to only 6 seconds over optimum in 2016. Red Hills was the slowest pace they had at this type of show last year, clocking in at 18 seconds over optimum.

PREDICTED WINNER: Jennie Brannigan and Cambalda

Jennie Brannigan and Cambalda. Photo by Jenni Autry.

Keep Your Eye On …

• Hannah Sue Burnett and Harbour Pilot
• Hannah Sue Burnett and Under Suspection
• Buck Davidson and Petite Flower
• Phillip Dutton and I’m Sew Ready

Potential Spoilers

• Buck Davidson and Halimey
• Phillip Dutton and Fernhill Revelation