Morven Park has garnered a serious reputation as one of, if not the, toughest tracks in the U.S. (and right up there with its European counterparts), and this year designer-in-residence Derek di Grazia has upped the ante in his typically subtle fashion. In anticipation of the start of the $200,000 US Equestrian Open of Eventing Final’s second phase of competition, we took a spin around the track for a quick preview.
Cross country day will kick off with the CCI4*-S, which is led coming out of dressage by West Coast phenom Tommy Greengard and That’s Me Z on a score of 29.1, at 9:30 a.m., followed by the CCI4*-L US Open division at 10:35 a.m., run in reverse order of standing after dressage. You can follow along live on USEF Network on ClipMyHorse.TV. USEF members will be able to watch for free by linking their USEF account (instructions on how to do that are here). Other viewers can access the live stream via ClipMyHorse here. A pro team of commentators including Annie Bishop, Sara Kozumplik and Sinead Maynard have teamed up to bring you all of the updates from on-site.
First, let’s take a look at the general flow of the course, which will follow basically the exact same layout of the 2024 track. You can also view the full course on CrossCountry App here.
The question I always ask myself when I come here is “when can we use this big, gorgeous field at the south side of the course?” I’m not a good measurer of space, but the field at this part of the course was last used, at least from my research, in 2016.
The 2016 iteration of the course had several features in the field at the south end of the property.
Anyway, there’s no real reason for me to die on this rolling hill, but the thought occurs to me every year. I asked Derek about the possibility of using it, and how much he’s considered this (I’m sure I probably asked him this last year, and the year before that, so at this point I’ll be surprised if he gives me an interview ever again).
“Oh, I think about it every year,” he said with a gentle eye roll. “And yet, if you start to say, ‘oh, I want to go over there,’ you can run out of distance so quick here. You have to be sort of cognizant of that, and also where you want to be in your distance. And so it’s a matter of if you add here, you’ve got to take away somewhere else, right? So you’re always thinking about that. It’s just like I’m thinking about next year’s course already, thinking about if I make a loop bigger in one place, I’ve got to figure out I’m gonna adjust.” He likes where the course starts and ends currently (just below the stabling and main venue infrastructure) and also wants to ensure the course takes the riders out to the Morven Park Mansion, which is a popular and recognizable spot on the course and the highest point of it.
So while a big change like utilizing the back field again is certainly on the brain, Derek focused on what he could have an immediate impact on with the US Equestrian Open CCI4*-L.
“This year, I think the course probably may be a little bit more challenging than last year’s,” he said. “But I think I think that’s good. This is obviously the US Open Championship. The great thing is we have probably almost twice the entries we had last year, which is really good. I try to, especially try to change the combinations here, and do a little bit of variations in the track here and there. We have to stick to pretty much what I call the core track, but there are ways that we can sort of go in and out of that, and then also based on the combinations and how they work, will determine that as well.”
Fence 4A
4BC
Said combinations kick off relatively quickly at the first water, at 4ABC. A big hedge will welcome riders onto a landing on ground before entering the splash for the first time to navigate a skinny before bounding out to an even skinnier C element.
“It actually looks quite straightforward to me,” Derek said. “They have to really jump that well. I think for some horses, that could be early enough that they may not be really out and jumping yet. The riders are gonna have to be on their toes there to make sure that they really jump that well.”
Which sets the tone for what’s to come. The excellent thing about this track is that it, like a true Long format should, allows riders room to find their rhythm between questions. The combinations come thick and fast, but this is the type of course that should allow for a flow. It’s the cumulative effect of the questions and their subtle challenges — an inviting angle here, a spooky approach there, changes in lighting scattered throughout — that will present the biggest challenge, along with the tough-to-get optimum time, this year set at 10:09.
“I think all of the combinations stand out because there are some striding…options, which Derek is very good at,” Sharon White, second after dressage, said, which adds the challenge of requiring riders to not be completely stuck in to plan A or bust. “Claus is so happy to do whatever I tell him to do, so that it requires being in the moment big time,” she added. “I can’t have a plan, but I have to have a plan, but then I have to be able to adjust that plan, and not mind that. I guess Derek is a great test of my presence, right? So I think all of the combinations [ask] ‘Can you hold a line? Can you react to what’s happening?'”
“Each combination on its own, everybody would come down and say, ‘Okay, this is not an issue.’ But when you put the whole thing [together], then it sort of changes how you look at the whole thing,” Derek said. “And again, the other aspect here is, if you want to be competitive, the time gets quite difficult. And as we know, when people go quick, they can make mistakes.”
Riders will quickly know what they’re sitting on at the second combination, fence 6AB, which is set coming downhill with an upright frangible rail followed by a left turn to a corner. A strategically placed shrub will offer riders the direct line — opting to go around will likely result in a less than ideal line to the B element here, but if rideability is a factor on this camber, it’ll get exposed here.
The Tremaine Cooper Leaf Pit.
The Tremaine Cooper Leaf Pit has also been slightly modified from its 2024 version, with flagged options for B and C but a generally flowing direct line if the horses jump well down the Burghley reminiscent drop. The Triple Crown Park Question at fence 11ABC stands to exert some influence particularly at the sharply-angled C element, but also potentially due to the lighting at the time of day this division will run. From there, they’ll run down to get their feet wet for the second time at the MARS Equestrian Smokehouse and the Taylor Harris Insurance Services Water Complex 13ABC, set on an S-turn with a brush right-handed corner in the water before a right turn to a triple-bar arrowhead.
The Lunar Eclipse Memorial Oxer to Corner is yet another turning question that could have a variance in lines taken to make the near-90 degree right turn to the corner possible. Then, at the highest point of the track the horses will get a true reality check on their fitness as they must also use their scope to navigate the enormous ramp at the Great American Challenge down to two angled cabins coming back down the hill. Fortunately, they’ll then have some time to catch their breath with a nice downhill pull to a let-up oxer and the Virginia Horse Industry Board Water Complex, which presents fairly straightfoward but will depend on how much rideability is left in the tank.
The USET Foundation Corner to Corner.
The USET Foundation Corner to Corner combination at 23AB is the penultimate combination that’s a scope question as well as a line question, with a true straight line from point A to point B not necessarily made clear, especially on a tiring horse. If riders can kick up the final hill and safely navigate the final combination at the Bullseye Transport Turning Question (25AB), featuring two brush chevrons set on a relatively blind turn, they’ll be able to get home to the finish just a few hundred feet away after clearing the Erin Gilmore Picture Frame at the finish.
[Click here to view photos of each fence on CrossCountryApp]
It’s a lot to do in 10 minutes, and here at Morven Park you’re somewhat always traveling up or down (or sideways) terrain. It’s not the steep, arduous pulls of a place like Burghley, but it’s also got sharper elevation changes and a general “always on a camber” feel to many parts of it. That said, though, I feel the course here offers a nice balance of room to gallop with accuracy questions made more difficult by the presence of terrain.
“It is quite a track where you can gallop here,” Derek said. “The terrain is the right kind of terrain because it’s not necessarily very steep, but it’s got a good roll to it, and there are a lot of little areas where you can place jumps. Which I think makes the combination. And obviously it’s got features, which as all events do, which make it unique to other events.”
The course here is always influential, and we’ll be waiting impatiently to see who emerges as our overnight leader as we inch one step closer to crowning our big winner of the inaugural US Open of Eventing.
Stay tuned!
You can follow along live on USEF Network on ClipMyHorse.TV. USEF members will be able to watch for free by linking their USEF account (instructions on how to do that are here). Other viewers can access the live stream via ClipMyHorse here. A pro team of commentators including Annie Bishop, Sara Kozumplik and Sinead Maynard have teamed up to bring you all of the updates from on-site. You can also follow Morven Park’s social pages (Facebook | Instagram | YouTube) for more content.
To keep up with our content and need-to-know info this week, click here to bookmark our Ultimate Guide.
Lastly for all of our competitors this weekend, while we have the incredible Shannon Brinkman shooting our photos here on EN, you can find ALL of the photos you want and then some from the crack team at Erin Gilmore Photography, your official moment capturers this weekend. Be sure to keep an eye on Erin Gilmore’s website for galleries for all competitors available to purchase.
Our coverage of Morven Park is supported by Ride EquiSafe, your go-to source for safety equipment and apparel for eventing.
Morven Park Fall International CCI / US Equestrian Open of Eventing Final (VA): [Website] [Entries/Ride Times] [Schedule] [Scores] [Live Stream] [CrossCountry App XC Maps] [Tickets and Tailgating] [Volunteer] [EN’s Coverage] [Support EN’s Coverage Sponsor: Ride EquiSafe]
