It is no mean feat to earn a wire-to-wire win in the sport of eventing. Three phases that each present a unique challenge also signify three opportunities to add penalties and lose out on a lead. This was not the case for the Long format winners at the Virginia Horse Center Eventing CCI & H.T., presented by Capital Square.
Karl Slezak Takes Top Two Spots in CCI2*-L
Canada topped the podium in the CCI2*-L, as Paris Olympian Karl Slezak held both his lead as well as second place with Elizabeth Leete’s Herald De La Rose (37.2) and Slezak’s own OBailey (44.4). The show jumping course set by Canadian Olympic rider-turned-course designer Michel Vaillancourt exerted plenty of influence, with just one pair – third-placed Claire Maloney and Phoenyx – managing to jump clear inside the time.
A rail lowered for each of Slezak’s horses wasn’t perfect, he admits, but he’s focused more on the big picture of this result, and says particularly his first-placed horse, Herald De La Rose, “felt the best he’s ever felt today.”
“The rideability was there,” Slezak elaborated. “It was a big, big improvement for Herald De La Rose that he was so rideable – the best he’s ever been. He’s not always let me shorten him, and then if I do try to shorten him, then he doesn’t always jump with a great shape. He let me ride into the distances; he turned very well. The course had enough problems, and there weren’t very many clean rounds, so I was thrilled with both of them.”
Karl Slezak and Herald De La Rose. Photo by Haley Boothe / Impulsion Media.
Speaking further to his decision to come north from his Ocala, Florida base, Slezak noted that it had been a few years since his last run at Virginia Horse Center. In fact, one of those most recent runs was during the development of his eventual Olympic horse, Hot Bobo, who ran her first CCI3*-L at this venue back in 2021.
“They’ve certainly made some big changes and a lot of improvements,” he said. “I would love to make this kind of a regular venue on our calendar, because they’ve done a great job, and it’s so good for the horses to experience it. I’m excited to honestly get these horses out to their next event, because I’m sure they’re going to come out so much better because of [this weekend].”
Australia Goes Wire-to-Wire in CCI1*-L
CCI1*-L winners Dom Schramm and Sneaking Suspicion. Photo by Haley Boothe / Impulsion Media.
Australia added to an internationally-flavored class of winners from this edition of Virginia Horse Center CCI & H.T., with CCI5* rider Dom Schramm clinching the win on his dressage score of 30.9 with his own, Horse Scout Eventing and Dana and Manny Diemer’s Sneaking Suspicion. For Schramm, this stepping stone was key to an eventual Preliminary and CCI2* move-up for the big, rangy 9-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding. The CCI1* level, which was instituted by the FEI in the 2018 with a restructuring of the star system for levels, has widely been heralded as a positive developmental step for both horses and riders new to FEI competition. This level and its corresponding National level, Modified, serves as a stepping stone to the more challenging and technical Preliminary and CCI2* level.
For Schramm, the most notable use of the one-star level is its cross-country courses. “I hadn’t done a ton of them initially, but [I’ve found] it’s really a nice in-between for horses that maybe are really confident in the dressage and the jumping, but maybe are a little careful cross-country,” he said. “Because I do think that sometimes in times past you would see Prelims that were really big and brushy, and those careful ones were like, ‘whoa, I’ve not seen anything like this quite yet.’ So I think that the one-star is really good for these horses that are a little bit more careful. I think it gives them some confidence, shows them all of the questions – turning to a corner and a proper coffin – without it feeling so ‘in their face’ that their eyes are bugging out of their heads.”
Dom Schramm and Sneaking Suspicion. Photo by Haley Boothe / Impulsion Media.
Today, Schramm was able to build off this freshman effort for “Crumpet” with a clear jumping round, and feels he’s come away with a more educated horse than he started with.
“It’s always nice to feel that the lead up events kind of culminate in them feeling more educated at the bigger event,” he said. “It felt as though each outing he’s gotten a bit better, and today was probably the most grown up that he’s felt thus far, so that’s always really reassuring.”
As an additional feather in his cap, Schramm also earned his second stripe in his newly-taken up sport of Brazilian jiu-jitsu – an accomplishment that comes en route to earning a new color belt – so “it has been a good week for once!”
The Virginia Horse Center Foundation extends its gratitude to all competitors, grooms, horses, staff, volunteers, officials, sponsors and all who play a role in any competition. We look forward to welcoming eventing competitors back to the Virginia Horse Center October 29 through November 1. A full calendar of all events at the Horse Center can be found at vahorsecenter.org.
