Classic Eventing Nation

EN reader Kasey Mueller was one of the first to start sending in her photos from Rolex this year.  Kasey has been incredibly generous with her beautiful photos, and we decided to share a bunch of them here in their own post.  We have received a vast amount of images from other readers as well– fear not, they will be published in another gallery, soon!

From Kasey:

My name is Kasey Mueller and I am a photography addict (more commonly called a  freelance photographer). I have a passion- to capture/create memories for Eventers and their fans at every level of the sport.  I get excited before every horse show, Pony Club outing, or Horse Trials, wondering who and what I will see and capture that day. I hope that the memories of the competitions, including the adrenaline rushes and the smiles, live on for my subjects, every time they see themselves in one of my pictures.  If you would like a copy of these images, send me an email at [email protected].

EN reader Kasey Mueller was one of the first to start sending in her photos from Rolex this year.  Kasey has been incredibly generous with her beautiful photos, and we decided to share a bunch of them here in their own post.  We have received a vast amount of images from other readers as well– fear not, they will be published in another gallery, soon!  If you have some great memories of Rolex to share, please send them to [email protected].

From Kasey:

My name is Kasey Mueller and I am a photography addict (more commonly called a  freelance photographer). I have a passion- to capture/create memories for Eventers and their fans at every level of the sport.  I get excited before every horse show, Pony Club outing, or Horse Trials, wondering who and what I will see and capture that day. I hope that the memories of the competitions, including the adrenaline rushes and the smiles, live on for my subjects, every time they see themselves in one of my pictures.  If you would like a copy of these images, send me an email at [email protected].

–

For me, these are the final days of a two-month-long Monday filled with 2 Year-Old’s in Training, Keeneland, Rolex, and finally the Run for The Roses.  Perhaps next week I will finally get some sleep and holy cow, I’m ready for it!  The rest of the world (well, really just the American racing world), however, is on the edge of their seats watching the final works of 25 or so horses with keen interest, pouring of Daily Racing Forum’s and The Bloodhorse, and scraping together every last penny they can pinch for their FirstSaturdayInMay Betting Bankroll.  I’m here to give you just a little bit of insight into the top contenders and help you spend your hard earned dollars wisely if you choose to bet.  First and foremost, bookmark these two resources that are key for knowing all there is to know about every derby detail and putting that knowledge to good use:  KENTUCKYDERBY.COM andXPRESSBET.  Now, on to the horses (listed in order of points with my picks in bold):

–

Orb: Coming off two wins in the Fountain of Youth and the Florida Derby, this horse has settled into Churchill like he owns the place and has a jockey on board (Joel Rosario) that just set a single-meet wins record at Keeneland.  Hard to look to any other horse to win but when it comes down to it, the Derby is really just about who gets the best trip.

Verrazano: Undefeated in 4 starts.  Need I say more? (however, traditionally and statistically, he’s got nowhere to go but down)

Goldencents: A Louisville favorite because of his part-owner Rick Pitino, this horse has really been laying down some nice efforts with wins recorded in 3 stakes this year already.  I expect a solid run from this horse for at least a mile.  It remains to be seen if he’ll relish the extra quarter mile.

Java’s War: I watched this horse win the Bluegrass Stakes at Keeneland in person and he really made an impression.  He should tolerate dirt better than most other horses who record wins on polytrack and target the Derby as well.  I expect a good showing from him.

Overanalyze:  One of the favorites for a reason, this horse comes off to big wins at a mile and an eighth on dirt.  A leading trainer, jockey, and owner combination virtually assure that this horse will be on the board but remember, it’s not about how nice the horse that wins the Derby is, it’s about how good his trip was. 

Revolutionary: According to my super-secret inside sources, this horse is the only one of all of the workers so far that has still been pulling his rider around the gallop out and appears to be peaking.  The vets say he’s sound and happy, he looks the part, and he’s coming off two graded stakes wins.  I’m seeing dollar signs already. 

Lines Of Battle: The only foreign contingent in the Derby, this horse is coming off a win on a synthetic surface, which works against him.  He does, however, earn some points back for beating tough company in that race at a distance of 1-3/16^th miles.  Owners Magnier, Tabor, and Smith (Coolmore) always like to have a Derby player, regardless of their aptitude, though.

Vyjack:  This horse would have to outrun his pedigree to do well on Saturday and is backing up with added distance.  Fun factoid though: this horse galloped for much of his career in a hackmore after a few episodes of freezing up on the track.

Will Take Charge:  My sentimental favorite, this horse goes to post with Jon Court up for D.Wayne Lucas, who holds more records than a Virgin store.  He is improving with distance, likes the dirt, and will be a good price.  Worth a $10 win-place-show bet for sure. 

Itsmyluckyday: A winner at a mile and a sixteenth only to back up to second in the 1 – 1/8^th mile Florida Derby, I don’t think the added distance will be to this horse’s liking.

Black Onxy:  Won the Spiral Stakes at Turfway but that race, run of polytrack, has not consistently produced a legitimate Derby contender, aside from Animal Kingdom (2011).  However, with a wide, even blaze and two tall socks (thought they are on the same side if I’m going to be picky), this horse may get the ‘pretty pony’ award.

Palace Malice: While this horse is bred for the distance, he’s bred to be a better four-year-old (Curlin/Royal Anthem).  While he has improved from third at a mile and a sixteenth to second at a mile and an eighth, it may be that the switch from dirt to synthetic moved him up more than they extra 1/16^th of a mile.  Not a huge in-the-money contender in my opinion.

Normandy Invasion: Coming off of two second place efforts on dirt at a mile and an eighth in which he was really storming home, a mile and a quarter should but this horse very near to the front.  A successful Derby jockey and an on-the-rise trainer also bode well. 

Frac Daddy: Coming off of a second in the Arkansas Derby, this horse is almost got up to win at a a mile and an eighth so he should relish the 1 ¼ mile distance with a little more room to close.

Mylute: The opposite of Itsmyluckyday, this horse has improved from third at a mile and a sixteenth to second at a mile and an eighth.  I expect the distance to help this horse’s chances, despite his pedigree that speaks to sprinting ability, and he has relished a surface at Fair Grounds that is similar to Churchill.  With female jockey Rosie Napravnik up, this horse will be getting some of my money, especially if it rains. 

Oxbow: The distance will likely not suit this horse, who has struggled at a mile and an eighth.  While he does like dirt, he really just doesn’t stand out to me as a solid contender for an in-the-money placing.

Falling Sky: This horse is bred to be a star at distances shorter than a mile and after two well-beaten efforts in the Tampa Bay Derby (3^rd) and Arkansas Derby (4^th), there isn’t much to write home about.

Charming Kitten: Third in the Bluegrass Stakes at Keeneland on polytrack, this horse isn’t really bred to be a dirt runner (sire Kitten’s Joy excelled on the grass).  I broke this horse’s full sibling, Queen’splatekitten, three winters ago and, as they are both out of a dam that failed to win in 11 tries, it’s astonishing they have run so well.

Golden Soul: Another horse bred for turf, this colt, out of an unraced dam, doesn’t seem to hold much promise at all and is backing up in his success with added distance.

Fear The Kitten:  This horse is squeaking in with only SIX points (while the rest of the horses have between 20 and 150) and is really just looking like a spot-filler in the starting gate.  I echo the comment from Charming Kitten that these Kitten’s Joy horses rarely take to dirt but, if anything is working for this horse, a little more distance might move him up.

Phillip Dutton and Fernhill Eagle at Rolex, photo by Kasey Mueller

Phillip Dutton hypothesizes that some of the “Tale of Two Courses” effect at Rolex this year– with the morning horses going great, and the afternoon horses having trouble– could possibly be attributed to the large lunch break and ride times spread widely throughout the day.  Perhaps riders lost their edge just sitting around all day, or took the course for granted after it rode so well in the morning?  Either way, Phillip suggests adding a CIC*** division in addition to the CCI****.  This is not unprecedented, as for many years Rolex ran two divisions; most recently back in 2004 with the CCI**** long format and “modified format” events, but the four-star started back in 1998 alongside the traditional three-star event.  Prior to that, it also ran with an Advanced horse trial (selection trials for Olympics some years), and even a CCI* alongside the CCI***.   Despite Rolex being the only four-star in the US, it is unlikely to ever be as oversubscribed as Badminton, and filling the day with another division would surely be enjoyed by spectators.

From Phillip’s Facebook Page:

“I think this year was a very successful Rolex for the sport. There was a great competition and an exciting finish for the crowds. I do feel however that the organizers need to look closely at the schedule on Saturday and how it runs. With only about 40 horses running cross country at five minute intervals there are a lot of breaks with inevitable scratches, and the long lunch break is particularly a problem. I feel this year with the morning horses doing the course so easily riders in the afternoon were pretty complacent and possibly not riding with enough aggression and respect for the course. I think that a complementary class should be added – perhaps a CIC***? The CIC*** could run in the morning and then the CCI**** could still be the feature class in the afternoon. This would be much more exciting for the spectators and better mentally for the competitors.”

Believe it or not, there were other events this weekend aside from Rolex.  Here’s a helmet cam from Kyle Smith and Collinwood Super going Novice at Loudoun Horse Trials in Leesburg, VA.  Thanks to Jackie for sending it in to us!

 —

—

Why SpectraVET?

Reliable. Effective. Affordable.

SpectraVET is committed to providing only the highest-quality products and services to our customers, and to educating the world in the science and art of laser therapy.

We design and manufacture the broadest range of clinically-proven veterinary therapeutic laser products, which are represented and supported worldwide by our network of specialist distributors and authorised service centres.

We all know the type of physical prowess required to even think about competing at a CCI4*, much less successfully complete one. Leaving behind the athleticism of the horse, I want to consider the mental strength of the riders, and how I believe it is the most important factor in our sport. As mere mortals, we naturally tend to look up to riders like Mary King or WFP who casually compete multiple horses at each 4* every year, and beat the pants straight off us every time. ‘What do they have that I don’t, and how do I get it??’, we ask ourselves. My proposed answer is this: their mental game is so well honed that they have the ability to compete at a higher capacity than pure physical adeptness would allow.

Bear with me for a moment while I explain how I got to this conclusion. I spend almost every hour of my day on the back of a horse, and because I often ride alone, I have to entertain myself. Hello, podcasts. A favorite of mine is Radiolab (a show about curiosity, basically. Sound illuminates ideas, and the boundaries blur between science, philosophy, and human experience, etc), and recently I was listening to the “Deception” episode. One of the proposed ideas was that the ability to lie to oneself  can actually be a really beneficial talent, especially for athletes.

Self-deception can be defined as holding two contradictory beliefs at the same time, and allowing one of them into consciousness because you have a motivation for allowing to rise to the surface. “Self-Deception and Its Relationship to Success in Competition” by Joanna Starek and Caroline Keating from Colgate University investigated the relationship between competitive performance and individual ability towards self deception. Overall, the results were consistent with the proposition that self-deception enhances motivation and performance during competition. 

I found this pretty significant, because I consider myself a very rational and occasionally excessively logical person. I work my butt off in order to put myself in a position to climb one rung of the ladder at a time, to learn little bits and bobs along the way, and slowly but surely gain the skills that I imagine are just outside of my reach. But what if what I really need to do is practice lying to myself?

Let’s take a first time Rolex competitor. What makes the difference between a really awesome cross country round and one that reveals the greener aspects of the athlete? Nobody goes to Kentucky the first time, walks their cross country course, and says, “Yeah, totally“. However, perhaps the riders that have polished rounds at their first attempt at this level are the ones who can consciously move the “this IS possible” thought into the forefront of their mind, and make it happen out of more than a little willpower.

Rolex is different than any other competition, purely because it is the most prestigious and difficult event in North America, and with the advent of internet live streaming, you literally have thousands of eyes upon every move you make in all three phases. No pressure. How much mental strength do you think Caitlin Silliman had when she was cruising around cross country, and out of almost nowhere had a stop at the Hollow? Caitlin had to firmly place that moment in the back of her head, and continue with the rest of her course without dwelling on the negative. Or how about Allie Knowles who performed so beautifully in the Dressage phase, only to have a mishap early on in her cross country, and be forced to retire? Allie knows that the only way from here is to persevere, and go out again at Jersey Fresh to prove to herself and to the world that it IS possible.

I also admire the fortitude of the two riders who retired mere fences from home. Both Boyd and Mary were so close to the finish line they could see it, and yet they realized they had reached the end of their horses, and made the better decision. As soul crushing as this would be for any competitor, you can bet that they won’t let it get them down for too long. Eventing is one of the biggest emotional roller coasters available in the world, and you better have the courage for the ride.

You can bet Andrew Nicholson was imagining his foot perfect round before he went in the arena and delivered it. Don’t get me wrong; he had the ability, the training, the horse and the opportunity, but without his confidence and mental capacity for single minded domination, all would be lost. Mental tenacity is the secret ingredient to any top level rider, and despite countless disappointments, eventers who are truly successful manage to keep coming back, optimistic and determined as ever. That quality is what makes our community strong and more amazing than can be quantified.