Classic Eventing Nation

Phillip Dutton and Ben won the CIC3* at Bromont.

Phillip Dutton and Ben led wire-to-wire all weekend to win the Bromont CIC3*. The horse’s plans for the rest of the year are still in the works, but Phillip is hoping to take Ben across the pond to Blenheim. Phillip said in the press conference that the horse isn’t quite ready for a CCI4*, but Blenheim will certainly be a step in the right direction to help this horse prepare for Rolex down the road. This horse is slowly coming back into a regular competition schedule after taking time off from an injury he sustained last year, and his performance this weekend was very solid across all three phases. He laid down a 46.9 in the dressage — which would have led the CCI3* — and jumped clear across the country in a division where all the pairs picked up a lot of time. Phillip and Ben pulled one rail in the show jumping to wrap up the weekend.

Jessica Phoenix and Pavarotti were second in the CIC3*.

Jessica Phoenix and Pavarotti jumped clear with one time penalty to move up one spot from third to finish in second place, much to the delight of the Canadian crowd. This pair chased Phillip Dutton and Ben all weekend but couldn’t quite catch them in the end. Rotti is an incredible jumper and looked fantastic in both jumping phases, showing he’s a horse for the future. His dressage is also coming along really well, and Jessica joked about his quirks on the flat — such as his very exuberant flying change to the right — in the press conference. David O’Connor told the Canadian riders during his tenure as their coach that they needed to build a string of five to six Advanced horses. With Rotti in her string, Jessica is well on her way to accomplishing that goal.

Lauren Kieffer and R.F. Cosima finished third in the CIC3*.

Lauren Kieffer and R.F. Cosima pulled one rail and picked up five time penalties to finish in third place in the CIC3*. The tough going in the cross-country phase — during which four of the nine riders in the division parted ways with their mounts — meant many horses were tired today in the show jumping, but Lauren really piloted “Big Mama” around expertly, giving her the ride she needed to conserve the mare’s energy. Caroline Martin and Titanium finished in fourth place with three rails and four time penalties. Sally Cousins and Westerly — who was raring to go and didn’t seem the least bit tired after the cross country — jumped the only double clear round in the CIC3* division to finish in fifth place. Go Bromont.

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Will Coleman and Obos O'Reilly jumped clear to win the Bromont CCI3*.

Will Coleman and Obos O’Reilly jumped double clear today around a tough show jumping course to clinch the win in the Bromont CCI3*. Sitting in second after the dressage, Will said this horse is very green at this level and, as a result, he was cautiously optimistic about how Obos would fair across the country. But the horse jumped beautiful yesterday, coming home clear with eight time penalties. After that smashing cross-country trip, Will said he really being coy with us about the horse’s abilities. In reality, Will rode Obos perfectly all weekend, giving him a confidence-building run across a very tough Derek Di Grazia cross-country course and piloting him to a perfect round today around a show jumping course that only produced two double clears.

Selena O'Hanlon and Foxwood High finished in second place.

Selena O’Hanlon and Foxwood High claimed the other double clear round, which moved them up from fifth to second place in front of an enthusiastic Canadian crowd. It’s super impressive that Selena completed the Bromont CCI3* on all three of her horses; she finished in fourth on Bellaney Rock and 12th on A First Romance. Sally Cousins and Tsunami pulled one rail to drop to third place, but Sue jumped really well and didn’t look the least bit tired after delivering the only double clear cross-country trip in the entire division yesterday. If all goes according to plan, Sally and Sue will be representing the U.S. at Burghley this fall. Best of luck to Sally and Sue as they continue preparing for their trip across the pond.

Sally Cousins and Tsunami finished in third place.

As was the case in the CCI2* earlier this afternoon, rails fell frequently all throughout the course. I’ve been rooting for Kyle Carter and Madison Park all weekend, and Parker tried his heart out on the cross country yesterday to come into the show jumping in third place. Unfortunately, Kyle and Parker pulled four rails to drop to ultimately drop to eighth. But Parker looked so good all weekend, and I’m pumped to see him back in action. Allison Springer and Copycat Chloe pulled one rail to finish in fifth place, and Chloe also earned the honor of Best Conditioned Horse at Bromont. Of course, the real question surrounding the CCI3* is how Will Coleman will be celebrating his victory. Will he continue the tradition Jon Holling started last year of streaking by the famous Bromont sign? Stay tuned, EN.

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Erin Sylvester and Mettraise won the CCI2* at Bromont

Erin Sylvester pulled two rails with Mettraise in the CCI2* show jumping but still held on to her lead to seal the deal in a division where clear rounds were hard to come by. This pair came into the weekend scoring a 60 in the dressage to sit in 12th place. But trouble for many pairs across the country yesterday gave Erin and Missy the opportunity they needed to rocket up the leaderboard to first place after coming home with no jumping penalties and 2.4 time. Buck Davidson and Santa’s Keeper came into the show jumping in seventh place and ultimately moved all the way up to finish second after putting in one of five double clear trips in the division. This pair looked fantastic and stalked the leaders all weekend; I’m excited to see how their partnership continues to develop.

Buck Davidson and Santa's Keeper finished in second place.

Buck Davidson and Knight Lion also shot up the leaderboard from 20th place to second yesterday thanks to the only double clear cross-country trip in this division. Unfortunately, they pulled four rails in the show jumping, although that only dropped them down to third place to finish the weekend on an 82.4. Rails fell all around the course, with the last fence coming down five times to repeatedly play spoiler. The first fence fell twice — Erin and Missy were one of the pairs to have trouble here — and the rainbow plank fence halfway through the course also fell multiple times. The double clear trips went to Buck Davidson and Santa’s Keeper, Elena Ceballos and Nounours du Moulin, Alexandra MacLeod and Railroad Man Jim, Robin Walker and Rowdy Friend, and Abigail Wilson and Fernhill Flag.

Buck Davidson and Knight Lion finished in third place.

In a heartbreaking turn of events, Erin Freedman and Viola, a new friend of EN who came into the CCI2* show jumping in fifth place, had to pull up halfway through the course and retire. It looked like the mare tweaked her right front shoe after an awkward jump over the rainbow planks, and she instantly went hopping lame. Erin pulled her up right away and hopped off as Viola hobbled out of the ring, where a farrier immediately examined the foot and removed the shoe. The whole crowd sat in stunned silence empathizing with Erin. To travel so far and come just a few show jumps away from completing Bromont is devastating. We say it all the time, but that’s eventing — the highest highs and lowest lows all crammed into one crazy weekend. Best wishes to Erin and Viola, and I hope the injury isn’t anything serious. The ring is being dragged for the CCI3* riders now. Stay tuned for much more from Bromont!

[Full Results]

Will Coleman and Obos O'Reilly lead the Bromont CCI3*.

All but one horse passed the final horse inspection on a drizzly, chilly morning at Bromont. The 37 remaining CCI* horses jogged first, and Amy Tunney and Olympus were held and ultimately spun. Samantha said the horse pulled both shoes yesterday on the cross country. All of the 15 horses that presented in the CCI2* cruised through the inspection. Kyle Carter and Madison Park, who are in third in the CCI3*, gave us all a scare when the horse was held in the jog. Clayton Fredericks helped Kyle jog Parker in the holding box, and Parker was ultimately accepted on reinspection to enthusiastic applause and cheers from the bystanders. The other 17 horses that presented in the CCI3* were accepted.

The steady rain that’s fallen all weekend turned the jog lane into a quagmire, and we saw some conservative jog outfits and sturdy footwear as a result. Rain coats and colored jeans were the most popular wardrobe choices for the ladies, though no one who started up the jog lane with white jeans returned without plenty of mud splatters. Emily Beshear looked practical and fun wearing purple rain boots and a pink blazer. I also thought Kate Chadderton looked great in bright coral skinny jeans and a grey trench coat. The guys kept it conservative, with most wearing navy blazers and khakis. Where’s Will Faudree and his butterfly vest when you need him?

The CCI* horses show jump first at 10 a.m, followed by the CCI2*, CCI3* and CIC3*. Waylon Roberts and Yarrow lead the CCI* on a 45.7 and can’t afford to drop any rails if they want to maintain their lead over Erin Sylvester and Paddy The Caddy. Erin and Mettraise lead the CCI2* on a 62.4 and would match Buck Davidson and Knight Lion’s score of 66.4 if they drop a rail. Will Coleman and Obos O’Reilly lead the CCI3* and have a rail in hand over Sally Cousins and Tsunami. Phillip Dutton and Ben can’t afford to drop a rail in the CIC3*, as Lauren Kieffer and R.F. Cosima are hot on their heels. Stay tuned for much more from Bromont, and keep checking back for more photos from the final horse inspection.

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Will Coleman steered Obos O’Reilly, one of the most inexperienced horses in the CCI*** field into the lead by jumping clear round Derek Di Grazia’s challenging cross country course at Bromont in the rain on Saturday afternoon. Having admitted he considered it more of a ‘three and a half star track’  on Friday afternoon, he came back to the press tent after his cross country ride to tell us all about it.

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Sadly none of the owners in the syndicate were able to make it up to Canada to watch their horse this weekend, but as super-groom Shannon said proudly as she led him back to the barn, “He’s not such a naughty pony now!” and I doubt this will be the last time we’ll be seeing either of them in this position.

Phillip Dutton, 6th, galloping Annie Jones’ and Tom Tierney’s Fernhill Fugitive for home

Allison Springer and Copycat Chloe, 7th,  looked great where I saw them – building a great partnership together. I spoke to Allison before she went this morning and I do have such confidence that these two are going to be an incredible partnership in the future. If anyone has the  skill, talent and patience to bring out the best in a horse it’s Allison, and listening to her talk about Chloe you know she already adores her, and today Chloe tried really hard for her.

Go Bunnie Sexton and Rise Against! Moving up to 8th place, they looked super on the first half of the course where I saw them, and Jenni reported seeing them finish looking very happy too.

Lauren Kieffer and Veronica slipped to 9th after a glance off at the corner in the arena following a long hold on course while the course builders repaired Fence 13. Rick Wallace and Ultimate Victory had hit the back rail hard breaking the pin, and we have since heard from Rick to let us know how ‘Cody’ is, “He seemed a bit tired coming up the hill to 13 and stalled over the top hitting his right stifle hard and breaking the pin. I trotted him and cautiously started back up but felt I should pull up!  He went back to the barn in good shape but came up very sore on that stifle ! We had him X-rayed to rule out any fracture. He is badly bruised and resting comfortably in his stall! He will have some time off and be ready for the fall season!”

I didn’t see Emily Beshear’s 20 penalties on course but everywhere I saw her and River King they looked fabulous

Kate Chadderton and Collection Pass looked awesome  – she told me this morning that she was slightly concerned about the going but that she was happy to be sitting on an OTTB – of the top 8 horses in the CCI***, except for one (Selena O’Hanlon’s Foxwood High Hanoverian) all are either Irish Sport Horses or Thoroughbreds.

Selena O’Hanlon’s A First Romance looked very strong but Selena is becoming renowned for her skills in this phase – remember Red Hills earlier this year? She’s three for three at Bromont too today and sits in 4th, 5th and 13th place.

Susan Beebee and Wolf had a great ride through the coffin – such a lovely, extravagant horse; they had a silly fly-by at the corner at 22 and then sailed over it.

Jumping in the rain: Jon Holling and Zatopek B recovered from a run-out in the arena to finish well.

Polar Storm and Katie Willis, 17th

More rain is in the forecast for tomorrow, and the Horse Inspection is scheduled for 8am. Most people I have talked to will be starting the long drives home after the show-jumping so Sunday will be a long day, and Eventing Nation will be with you every step of the way. Sleep Well tonight, and Go Eventing!

Phillip Dutton delivered owner Sarah Kelly the perfect Birthday present Saturday by jumping a steady clear around the challenging CIC*** track at Bromont in fine drizzle and maintaining his dressage lead going into the final phase.  Ben has had a year off due to injury and Phillip has only competed him lightly this year but said he was pleased with his fitness and how he responded to Derek Di Grazia’s course, and now he hopes to talk to Sarah about possibly taking him to Blenheim in the Fall.  Like most of the riders, Phillip agreed that the course was tough, and the overnight rain made it even more testing, but added that the footing at the fences was fine, it was just in between the jumps that it was what in racing terms might be described as ‘slow’; not deep by any means but definitely tiring for the horses, and for some horses or riders that might have been a new experience he said, “but that’s all part of the sport”.

Lauren Kieffer and R.F Cosima moved up into second place after what seemed to be a lovely clear, they certainly looked to be going beautifully everywhere I saw them, and pulled up to lots of pats, and of course David O’Connor close behind in the golf cart!  Hopefully this will be some small consolation for the very annoying glance off at the corner in the arena on Veronica shortly after a lengthy hold  in the CCI*** division earlier – I didn’t see it, and I haven’t spoken to Lauren about it, but I saw them before she was held and they were cruising along and sailed effortlessly through the coffin, and then I saw them towards the end of the course when they’d got their groove back and they made the massive table on a bending line to an open corner look easy. I realise that’s just part of the sport, but nonetheless…..grrrr!

Jessie Phoenix dropped down one place from 2nd to 3rd with time penalties; she was trying out a new bit today on Pavarotti on Clayton’s advice  – a pelham and as usual with this horse, no noseband. Undeniably talented, but very, very strong she rides him incredibly well and sat like a limpet when he hit the solid corner after the downhill upright rails before the arena.

Caroline Martin and Titanium moved up four places into fourth position with the fastest clear of the division, and looked copybook through the arena fences

In an already tiny field of just nine starters, Derek’s cross country decimated the field even further and Sally Cousins with Westerly rounded out the top five and the only finishers. Ian Roberts and Faolan fell on the flat before Fence 17, but both horse and rider are fine although Waylon did say his dad will be a bit sore Sunday. Nicole Parkin and Lexus were having a super round until she admitted to taking a bit of a long one at Fence 17 and they stumbled on landing and couldn’t recover, and Nicole’s coach Phillip Dutton told us she’s kicking herself.  EN’s Abbie Golden fell with Arundel at the solid corner where Jessie Phoenix had such a lucky escape, and Sally Cousins, who looked to be having a fantastic go on Ideal Contini also fell later on course.  Sally had a smoking round in the CCI*** on Tsunami though, and said that she’ll see how she comes out of the weekend as to whether Burghley is on the cards this fall, but she did add that ‘Sue’ jogged all the way back to the barns from the cross country and was full of beans so I’d say that’s a pretty good sign. Sally ruefully observed that although the damp, chilly weather certainly hadn’t done anything to improve Sue’s dressage performance it seemed to have given her extra energy on course, and she was feeling terrific, so I suggests she bring me with her to England in September just to make sure there’s plenty of rain and cold weather!

Sally Cousins and Ideal Contini

Abbie Golden and Arundel

Ian Roberts and Faolan

Nicole Parkin and Lexus

Well Done to all the jump judges, volunteers and of course the grooms and support crew who worked all day in the drizzle, rain and damp  – EN salutes you and thanks you! The Final Horse Inspection starts bright and early Sunday morning at 8am so hopefully all the  horses and their connections will be tucked up in bed, with cosy blankets in time for a good night’s sleep. Thank you again to everyone who helped make today such a safe and successful one, and looking forward to seeing you at the show-jumping tomorrow – Go Bromont Eventing!

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Erin Sylvester and Mettraise moved up from 12th to lead the CCI2* at Bromont.

Erin Sylvester and Mettraise made quick work of Derek Di Grazia’s CCI2* cross-country course at Bromont this afternoon, coming home clear with just 2.4 time penalties to move up from 12th place to take the lead. This Thoroughbred mare is a super scopey jumper and locked on beautifully at 13ab, a combination that caused numerous problems for the riders on the CCI2* course. Buck Davidson and Knight Lion were first out on course in the division and flew around, coming home with the only double clear trip in the CCI2* to move all the way up from 20th to second place. Booli Selmayr and Castle Diamond hold third place after putting in a clear trip with 16.4 time. The horse looked a bit tentative in the middle of the course, and Booli gave him a really smart ride to get the horse around safely.

Buck Davidson and Knight Lion moved up from 20th to second place.

The CCI2* leaderboard changed drastically this afternoon when things didn’t quite go as planned for numerous riders. Overnight leaders Sharon White and Don Sheffield unfortunately had a runout at the skinny at 13b — the fence that caused the most problems on course by far — and dropped to ninth place. Jordan McDonald, who was sitting in second place overnight with Prince Mayo, had two stops on course and retired at the corner at 16b in the arena. Unfortunately, Jordan’s bad luck continued with Glencento, who was sitting in fifth place overnight and had a chance to take the lead as the last horse out on course. They had two runouts at 13b and called it a day. Benita Strini and Sammy Jo also had two stops at 13b and retired, and Jessica Phoenix and Extraordinaire also retired after glancing off 13b.

Booli Selmayr and Castle Diamond stayed in third place with a clear trip.

The second water on the back of the course also caught out several riders. Buck Davidson and Santa’s Keeper, who came into the cross country in fourth place, had a stop at the water and subsequently dropped to seventh place. Jennifer Simmons fell from GV Tuscany at the water and reportedly landed on her feet. Caroline Martin and Petite Flower and Alexandra MacLeod and Railroad Man Jim both had stops at this water complex as well. Anita Nemtin-Gilmour had the only other fall in the division when she popped off Topper just three jumps from home. The other tricky spot on course proved to be the corner at 16b in the main arena, where Jordan and Prince Mayo had their runouts, as well as Abigail Wilson and Fernhill Flag. In all, 10 riders made it home without a jumping penalty, six riders retired on course and two fell from their horses.

Kate Chadderton and VS McCuan Civil Liberty are in fourth place.

The waterlogged footing continued to deteriorate throughout the day, which likely contributed to many of the problems for the CCI2* riders and made the going very heavy. We managed to dodge the rain for most of the day, but a fine mist started about halfway through the CCI2*, and a steady rain was falling by the time Jordan McDonald and Glencento started out as the last pair on course. We just can’t seem to catch a break here at Bromont. Last but not last, I have to give a shoutout to EN’s Got Talent superstars Kate Chadderton and VS McCuan Civil Liberty, who had a super trip to move up to fourth place, and Erin Freedman and Viola, who Samantha and I chatted with while we walked the course yesterday. In an example of EN’s karma at its finest, Erin and Viola rocked it with a clear trip to move up to fifth place. Stay tuned for much more from Bromont!

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