Classic Eventing Nation

Sharon White and Cooley On Show. Photo by Shannon Brinkman for Erin Gilmore Photography.

Sharon White and Meghan O’Donoghue are your Advanced winners at Morven Park following an influential cross country that shuffled the final leaderboards.

Sharon White is using this weekend as Cooley On Show‘s final prep for the CCI4*L at Tryon in November, and she expressed excitement at tackling Tremaine Cooper’s beefy track today. She would turn in a quick footed clear round with 17 seconds of time (no pairs would make the optimum time of 7 minutes) to overtake overnight leaders Will Coleman and Tight Lines for the win on a score of 36.3.

“It was definitely challenging in a good way,” Sharon said of Tremaine Cooper’s updated cross country track which can serve as a bit of a preview for what’s to come on the CCI4*L track. “There is so much space here and I think this is the most beautiful piece of ground for cross country riding. (The course) was very ‘gallopy’ and it was a great fitness run.”

Tryon with its terrain will certainly be a test of conditioning next month, so this run leaves Sharon with a great feeling as a benchmark of “Louie’s” fitness. She says she’ll go home and work on fine tuning the Irish Sport Horse gelding’s flatwork.

Will Coleman and Tight Lines. Photo by Shannon Brinkman for Erin Gilmore Photography.

Will Coleman and the Conair Syndicate’s Tight Lines wouldn’t fall too far and will take home second place for their efforts today on a score of 37.2.

Will told EN that his intention with “Phish” is to save the Thoroughbred gelding for five-star competition next year. To that end, we may see Phish get a well-earned break to finish out the rest of the abbreviated 2020 season. “He’s made to gallop those big tracks, so I’m really just thinking more toward next year,” Will said yesterday.

Buck Davidson and Carlevo. Photo by Shannon Brinkman for Erin Gilmore Photography.

Buck Davidson finishes both of his Advanced A horses inside the top four, with Carlevo LLC’s Carlevo (39.0) in third and Kat and Roberto Cuca’s Jak My Style (39.6) with a few seconds of time accumulated on each horse.

Many riders, aware of bigger goals still to come this fall, used this run as practice and fitness which made for some steadier rides. Time here is notoriously difficult to catch here at Morven Park; Ema Klugman and Bendigo were the quickest (“I had not planned to push for the time but he was having none of that and sped around!” she wrote on her social media) across both Advanced divisions with a time of 7:05, moving up from 20th after dressage into seventh to finish this weekend. This partnership is always fun to watch; you can usually count on these two to make some moves up the board with their strength in the jumping phases.

Meghan O’Donoghue and Palm Crescent. Photo by Shannon Brinkman for Erin Gilmore Photography.

A planned withdrawal from Advanced B overnight leader Ariel Grald (Leamore Master Plan) left the door open. Meghan O’Donoghue and her own Palm Crescent had themselves a day to move from fourth into first on a final score of 40.5. Meghan has patiently produced this 14 year old Thoroughbred gelding up the levels, who made his debut at the CCI4*S in 2019.

Meghan is also using this weekend as preparation for the Tryon CCI4*L, which is to be Palm Crescent’s third start in the longer format. “I thought Tremaine (Cooper) set a proper track and I’m thrilled my horse went around super today,” she commented. An ownership shift and the coronavirus pandemic has made for a lighter 2020 for Palm Crescent, but the former racehorse has proven to be a consistent performer for Meghan nonetheless.

Meghan expressed her gratitude to the gelding’s previous owners, the Shipka family, for giving her the opportunity to keep the talented horse in her program. “The horse deserves a win at this level,” she said. “He keeps showing up for me!” She also expressed her sympathies for Allie Sacksen, who tragically lost her partner Sparrow’s Nio on cross country today. “Amongst my joy I must acknowledge the sadness surrounding today,” Meghan said. “My thoughts are with Allie and her team.”

Boyd Martin and Luke 140. Photo by Shannon Brinkman for Erin Gilmore Photography.

Boyd Martin also put in a clear round aboard the Luke 140 Syndicate’s Luke 140 to retain his second position on a final score of 41.9. We’ll see this pair next on the West coast at the Galway Downs CCI4*L at the end of this month.

Completing the top three in the Advanced B are Will Faudree and Jennifer Mosing/Sterling Silver Stables’ Mama’s Magic Way, who collected just 5.2 time to finish on a score of 42.4.

Will Faudree and Mama’s Magic Way. Photo by Shannon Brinkman for Erin Gilmore Photography.

Two riders were listed with Mandatory Retirements on the live scores: Caroline Martin on Danger Mouse in the Advanced B and Ariel Grald on BGS Aurora in the Intermediate A. Both riders have reported that both they and their horses are uninjured.

Looking to the Intermediate divisions, Sara Murphy and Devil Munchkin (32.4), Ariel Grald and Anne Eldridge’s Caballe (32.1), and Allison Springer and Nancy Winter’s Crystal Crescent Moon (32.8) are your weekend winners following the cross country conclusion.

As we celebrate these highs, we are also sending our condolences to the Sacksen family, who lost their dear friend Sparrow’s Nio on course in the Advanced today. The loss of a horse is among the worst things to have to report, and we are so sorry to write of this tragedy. Rest peacefully, Nio.

Morven Park Fall HT: Website, Entries & Ride Times, Program, Live Scores, Order Your Show Photos, EN’s Coverage, EN’s Twitter, EN’s Instagram

Allie Sacksen and Sparrows Nio. Photo by Shannon Brinkman Photography.

We are devastated to report the loss of Allie Sacksen’s Sparrow’s Nio on cross country at Morven Park today. The pair was competing in the Advanced B division when the 17 year old Connemara/Thoroughbred gelding collapsed between fences 19 and 20. A necropsy to determine the cause of death is pending. Allie was uninjured in the accident.

Morven Park released the following statement this afternoon:

“The Morven Park Fall Horse Trials Organizing Committee and the Board of Trustees of the Westmoreland Davis Memorial Foundation regret to announce the death of Sparrow’s Nio, a 17-year-old Connemara-Thoroughbred gelding, owned and ridden by Alexandra Sacksen.

Sparrow’s Nio collapsed while competing in the Advanced Division at Morven Park Fall Horse Trials, between fences 19 and 20 of the cross-country phase. The cause of death is unknown at this time, pending necropsy. Sacksen was attended to onsite and sustained no apparent injuries.

The Horse Trials Organizing Committee, Board of Trustees of the Westmoreland Davis Memorial Foundation, and United States Eventing Association wish to extend their deepest sympathies and condolences to all connected to Sparrow’s Nio.”

Sparrow’s Nio was a fan favorite horse with his 15.3 Connemara-influenced stature – though you wouldn’t want to tell him he was smaller than some others. Together, Allie and Sparrow’s Nio tackled their first then-CCI4* at Kentucky in 2015, finishing 36th for their debut. Their partnership would take them all over the country, picking up where it was left off after Allie took maternity leave in 2017.

“It was almost like fate that he ended up with me,” Allie said in her Rolex Rookies interview in 2015. “He had come to my parents’ farm as a yearling, and then we reconnected years later after his owner had sent him to different trainers in an attempt to get him a little quieter. He just had a lot of spunk and buck in him.”

It is true friendship with a horse that often leads to success beyond one’s imagination. Sparrow’s Nio will be fondly remembered for his zest for beefy cross country tracks and for the love he shared with his best friend, Allie.

The team at EN sends their sincerest condolences to Allie and her team during this difficult time. We are so sorry for your loss.

Will Coleman and Tight Lines. Photo by Shannon Brinkman for Erin Gilmore Photography.

The Advanced divisions at Morven Park in Leesburg, Va. got underway today with both the A and B classes doing their dressage and show jumping phases. Many combinations will look to use this weekend as a prep run and mettle-testing for fall three-day events (Galway (10/29-11/1) and Tryon (11/12-11/15) will both host a CCI4*L this fall). Leading the way after the first two phases of competition will be Will Coleman and Tight Lines (28.4) in the Advanced A and Ariel Grald on Leamore Master Plan (30.3) in the Advanced B.

The Conair Syndicate’s Tight Lines, a 13 year old French Thoroughbred gelding, threw down one of the best scores of his career today, earning a 28.4. “Phish” previously scored a 28.0 in the Advanced/Intermediate at Virginia Horse Trials in July but has otherwise never pulled in a sub-30 dressage. Will has worked tirelessly to coax greatness out of the gray gelding, and we certainly saw that work pay off today. A clear round on Kathy White’s show jumping would seal the deal and send this pair into the overnight lead in the Advanced A.

Will Coleman and Tight Lines. Photo by Shannon Brinkman for Erin Gilmore Photography.

It was easy to hear Will’s excitement at the “best version of himself” that Tight Lines put forth in his test this morning. The Thoroughbred gelding who raced in his previous career has taught Will a lot, he says, most of which involves patience and empathy for the horse and understanding how to reveal that best version consistently. “In his own way, maybe he’s trying a little too hard,” Will mused. “We’ve gotten some really great help from Ian Woodhead from last year…I’ve just learned to not give up, be patient, and trust that it’s going to come. He’s a funny horse; he’s definitely tricky, but I do love him and I’m lucky to have him.”

Boyd Martin and the Long Island Tea Syndicate’s Long Island T, who is bound for Galway Downs later this month, also added nothing to their dressage score of 29.1 to take second place in the A division following the first two phases.

Sharon White and Cooley On Show. Photo by Shannon Brinkman for Erin Gilmore Photography.

Sharon White, like many of her peers this weekend, is using Morven Park as a prep run for the new CCI4*L at Tryon International Equestrian Center next month. A 29.5 dressage score was enough for third place following dressage, and a double clear show jumping solidified her position with the 13 year old Irish gelding, Cooley On Show. “I was able to show him off a bit (in the dressage) today, and that was fun,” Sharon told EN. “And he’s such a super show jumper; he’s like a school horse in the warm-up. I feel like he’s always saying ‘just relax, Sharon, why do you get wound so tight?'”

With its established turf and rolling terrain, Sharon says it’s the perfect final prep for “Louie”. “I use this as a super fitness run for the rolling hills, the good pulls, and old, established turf,” she said. “Tremaine (Cooper) has done an excellent with the courses; they’re very positive, forward, proper cross country courses.” You can check out a preview of the track riders will see tomorrow from Course Walk App here.

Ariel Grald and Leamore Master Plan. Photo by Shannon Brinkman for Erin Gilmore Photography.

Heading up the Advanced B today will be Ariel Grald and Annie Eldridge’s Leamore Master Plan also put their best foot forward in the dressage this morning to earn a near-personal best of 30.3. Like Will and Tight Lines, this pair also showed their progression on the flat earlier this summer with a 28.6 on the flat at Virginia Horse Trials, and that hard work continued to pay off today. Ariel and Leamore Master Plan don’t have a spotless show jumping record, but records be damned today – they put in a clear round inside the time to remain on their dressage score overnight.

Taking second into tomorrow’s cross country for the B division will be Boyd Martin and the Luke 140 Syndicate’s Luke 140, also bound for Galway, on a two-phase score of 31.1.

Round out the top three in the Advanced B are Maya Black and Laurie Cameron’s Miks Master C on a score of 33.4. The 8 year old Swedish Warmblood gelding moved up to the Advanced level earlier this year, pre-pandemic, and the pair have since swung back into action nicely with two top-20 CCI4*S finishes leading up to this weekend.

The Advanced and Intermediate divisions will head out onto Tremaine Cooper’s cross country tomorrow beginning at 8 a.m. EST (the Intermediate riders will run cross country before the Advanced). You can check out the course preview from Course Walk App here.

Many thanks to the dream team of Erin Gilmore Photography and Shannon Brinkman for providing media photos throughout the weekend – you can order your own photos from Morven Park here. Stay tuned for much more from Morven Park. Go Eventing.

Morven Park Fall HT:Website, Entries & Ride Times, Program, Live Scores, EN’s Coverage, EN’s Twitter, EN’s Instagram