
Julie Wolfert and SSH Playboy. Photo by Sally Spickard.
Prior to this year, Kansas-based Julie Wolfert had not competed in a CCI4*-L, though she’s produced a handful of horses up to the Advanced level throughout her career. This season, she came out in determination with the 12-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding SSH Playboy (Cit Cat – Stomeyford Black Pearl), a horse acquired in 2020 after a marathon of trials in Ireland with the owners behind Team Pivot, Sherri Gurske and Renee Senter. Today, Julie and “Jaego” jumped a flawless clear cross country, stopping the clock inside the optimum time of 10:24 to move from sixth after dressage into first overnight on a two-phase score of 34.5.
But it wasn’t all smooth sailing getting to this point. This summer, things went a bit sideways for Julie and “Jaego”. After finishing sixth in the CCI4*-L at Tryon in May, Julie ventured to Montana to tackle the 4*-L at Rebecca Farm. There, she picked up 20 penalties on cross country and despite finishing fourth overall felt her horse was not jumping with the same aplomb he usually tackles this phase with.
“This summer, we just kind of…it hasn’t been terrible, but we just kind of hit a roadblock, maybe had some runouts that aren’t normally typical for us,” Julie recalled. “The entire course [at Rebecca Farm] was for us, like he just was sticky everywhere and just not completely himself. So I was really bummed. And of course, as riders, we get in our head about that and we try to go back to square one and try to fix things, but then it’s hard to try to fix things, and there’s really no big venues to cross country school where I’m at to set up combinations I need. So I try my best to make it happen at home. But it just really hard to replicate that.”

Julie Wolfert and SSH Playboy. Photo by Sally Spickard.
Julie took Jaego to the AECs at the end of August, where once again the horse came out stickier than typical and had an early frangible pin down on cross country. She decided to stick to her plan of picking up one more 4*-L on her fall schedule, traveling to Virginia early to stay with Jan Byyny, who helped her school some of the technical questions that had been causing trouble. “We walked off down banks until he was bored with life, and then we just thought we’d give [Morven Park] our best shot.”
Julie admits she was quite nervous to head out on cross country today. Morven Park is notoriously tough, a true prep for those wanting to step up the 5* level and in many ways a step up from the previous 4*-Ls Julie had done. She decided to really focus on the first part of the Derek di Grazia-designed track, injecting confidence early on and then worrying about speed.
“I decided, because [in] our last two runs, the beginning of the course has been a little bit sketchy, I would just take my time and really set him up properly in front of the combinations, get confidence going, and then I slowly let him just kind of ease into that gallop,” she explained. “I wasn’t even paying attention to my watch. I kept hearing it go off, and I know I’m behind every single minute until I hit the 10 minute mark, and then I was like, ‘Holy crap, I’m actually flying right now!’ I had no idea. Because he’s kind of kick ride; he’s a very slow, big Irish Sport Horse. He’s not this fast little Thoroughbred, just taking off with you and galloping and he just kind of keeps one pace about the entire course and that’s as fast he goes! So I was seriously in shock. At every event I’ve ever gone to, I’ve never made time with this horse, like never, not even at Prelim. So I literally — I can’t tell you how in shock I am right now. What just happened? I’m kind of pinching myself making sure this is real!”
Julie heads into show jumping tomorrow on a two-phase score of 34.5, without a rail in hand over second-placed Lucienne Bellissimo and Dyri (35.5). SSH Playboy is a strong show jumper, having one double clear under his girth after running a 4*-L cross country, though he did lower two rails at Rebecca Farm — the sole marks on his international record.
“He’s a decent show jumper,” Julie said. “So honestly, as long as I do my part and stay out of his way, he knows his job, and he wants to be careful.”
In the meantime, you can find Julie rewatching her ride of a lifetime today, if you need her. “I’m just trying to relive every moment again, because that was…yeah, I’m so fortunate that I was able to have that ride on him today.”

Lucienne Bellissimo and Dyri. Photo by Sally Spickard.
Equally thrilled with her ride today was Great Britain’s Lucienne Bellissimo, who scored a clear round on cross country with Horse Scout Eventing’s Dyri (Diarado – La Calera, by King Milford xx), losing her top placing but still holding second and well within range to still collect a win should Julie and SSH Playboy have a rail. Producing the 12-year-old Holsteiner gelding to this point has been a practice in patience; he’s a careful horse, and Lucienne noted earlier this week that she was encouraging him to learn how to look at a jump without stopping at it — something that’s run them into trouble in the past. As a result, she’s not yet been able to really push for time, and to be fair, today that wasn’t her top goal.
Yes, after winning the Stable View Oktoberfest 4*-S last month, she felt things were really ticking, but she emphasized that her top priority was ensuring he could maintain his gallop and jump clear. She accomplished both, and in doing so only picked up four time penalties to go onto a two-phase score of 35.5.
“He was a really good boy. I’m really proud of him,” Lucienne said. “It was a little scrappy in places, but that’s as brave as he’s ever been. I walked the course this morning, and I sort of promised myself that I would wait until he had jumped that second water, which is before the big ditch brush, and I wouldn’t look at my watch until then. And I could see I was about like 15, 17 seconds down-ish, and that last stretch, I just thought, ‘if I can keep galloping with him, I will.’ And he was just traveling better today overall. He’s still a little bit looky, but so much more genuine and just felt like he understood his job better than last time I was here.”

Lucienne Bellissimo and Dyri. Photo by Sally Spickard.
Dyri did jump clear at this event last year, but did so with a hefty amount of time penalties (27.6), which makes today’s result that much more impactful and indicative of growth. “Something’s ticked in his head, where he’s now learning how to spook and travel at the same time,” she said. “He sometimes would hesitate and that’s where he sort of stalls, and he wasn’t stalling the same way today. He felt a bit like, ‘No, I get it, I can look and jump.’ He was finding it fun. They’ve got to enjoy it at this level, you know.”
Lucienne and Dyri jumped a double clear show jumping at Morven Park’s 4*-L last year, and while they do have some rails spotting their record we know they’ve got the chops to finish the job tomorrow. “It would be great if he could jump a clear tomorrow,” she said. “That is obviously what I’m going to aim for. But similarly, you know, if he’s tired — he’s not run this fast before around a four-Long — and sometimes they just surprise you, and they suddenly are a little flatter than normal. So, 100% I hope we can jump a clear but similarly, he’s proven to me today he’s good enough to do the distance. And if he needs to have a little bit more work with the show jumping, we will work with that.”

Allison Springer and No May Moon. Photo by Atalya Boytner for Erin Gilmore Photography.
Also jumping their way up the board, all the way from 12th after dressage into third, are Bromont 4*-L winners Allison Springer and No May Moon (Catherston Dazzler – Ebony Moon, by Mystic Replica). This pair is also the current top contender for the MARS Equestrian American Bred Trophy, which will award a cash prize to the two top-placed horses in the 4* divisions here that are bred here in the U.S. No May Moon, a Connemara/Thoroughbred mare, was bred by Allison’s longtime friend and supporter, Nancy Winter.
“Maizie” once again showed her chops as a true cross country horse today, earning one of the three clears inside the optimum time with Allison and adding nothing to her dressage score of 38.1. Despite the success Allison had with this 10-year-old mare, she admits she still had some nerves heading out of the start box today.
“There are definitely some parts in this course where it’s like, you’ve got to do your best job to give them a great ride in and then you have to have a partner. You have to have a horse that’s picking up on it and reading it,” she said, noting the serious nature of the imposing Leaf Pit question designed by Derek in honor of late former course designer here, Tremaine Cooper. “She was just spot on. She just kept looking for the flags and doing it. So I’m really pleased.”
Despite any nerves she felt about today, though, Allison expressed her full trust in Derek di Grazia as a horses-first designer, letting that trust and her preparation put those butterflies to rest. “I always feel like he makes courses that the horses really read,” she elaborated. “Even if you’re like, ‘Oh my God, I don’t know,’ I’m just then like, ‘well, Derek built this, so he knows right.’ So I have so much faith in him as a course designer. And it was great.”
As for the time, Allison says she really didn’t look at her watch until she was nearly home. She broke her left hand earlier this year and still wears a brace, so she focused on managing her ride instead of checking the time and messing with her hands too much. “She’s a very fast horse — she’s my little dirt bike,” Allison described. “She’s little, and she likes to jump out of pace a bit. I can really box her up and jump her around. So I have always just kind of let her run where she’s happy. The ground was fast today. Bromont was definitely heavier and she had one of the quicker times there too.”

Matt Brown and Alderwood. Photo by Sally Spickard.
Matt Brown also made some major moves up in the standings, leaping from 14th into fourth with Shelley Onderdonk’s Alderwood (Flex A Bill – Calandra Z, by Cobra), a 12-year-old Irish gelding contesting his second 4*-L this weekend after coming 11th in his debut at TerraNova last fall. This is the first horse Matt’s brought up to this level in a handful of years, so it’s a very warm welcome back!

Buck Davidson and Cooley Candyman. Photo by Sally Spickard.
Rounding out the top five are Buck Davidson (who did make it back from his whirlwind trip yesterday to pick up his kids in Florida, despite missing one of his flights!) and his own and Carl Segal’s Cooley Candyman (Sligo Candy Boy – Dashing Hill, by Flame Hill). This pair picked up eight time penalties to drop off the podium for now, but their current score of 40.3 is still within striking distance should he jump a clear and anyone in front of him lowers a rail or two.
Hannah Sue Hollberg and Business Ben Lead CCI4*-S

Hannah Sue Hollberg and Business Ben. Photo by Sally Spickard.
The first qualifier leg of the new US Equestrian Open is currently led by Hannah Sue Hollberg and former Allison Springer ride Business Ben (Artie Schiller – Min Elreeh, by Danzig), a 14-year-old Thoroughbred gelding owned by Ms. Jacqueline Mars and Christa Schmidt. This pair took over the lead after dressage leaders Jennie Brannigan and Connery had an untimely frangible pin penalty on course, and their score of 38.1 gives them a rail in hand over second-placed Ema Klugman and RF Redfern (42.9).

Ema Klugman and RF Redfern. Photo by Sally Spickard.
Hannah Sue emphasizes that she’s focused on building a partnership with Business Ben — always a challenge when a rider takes on a horse that’s competed Advanced already, though he was beautifully produced to the level by Allison. “I haven’t really tried to go fast at all,” Hannah Sue said. “He’s got a great record with Allison, so I figured he’s really good, and he knows how to do it and go fast. But I didn’t want to do that until I felt like it was worth it. He’s a freak. He’s so much fun.”
Looking to the remaining divisions, here’s a look at your leaders and winners crowned today:

Sara Kozumplik and Rock Phantom. Photo by Sally Spickard.
CCI3*-S: Sara Kozumplik and Rock Phantom lead the way in a very tough 3* today. The course claimed its fair share of victims, though no injuries to horse or human have been reported at this time. Sara is bringing “Rocky” back up the levels after he had surgery on his neck, and they delivered a confident clear today to add just one second of time and lead on a 29.2 — a healthy berth ahead of show jumping tomorrow.

Monica Spencer and Marvel. Photo by Sally Spickard.
CCI3*-S – Developing Horse Championship: Monica Spencer and Sandra Ray’s homebred, Marvel are the last team standing in this smaller 7-year-old Championship division after Jeff Kibbe’s course claimed the remaining five horses, primarily at the tricky first water complex that featured an angled brush on an island. Monica, who rides for New Zealand but is basing here in Virginia on a multi-year visa, and Marvel — in his first 3* this weekend — added 10.4 time penalties to sit on a score of 43.4.

Kelley Hutchinson and Cascadella 8. Photo by Chelsea Spear for Erin Gilmore Photography.
CCI2*-S: Riding for Ireland, Kelley Hutchinson and Lizzie Hoff’s Cascadella 8 moved up from fourth after dressage and show jumping to win the 2*-S on a score of 30.1.

Allie Knowles and Starburst. Photo by Sally Spickard.
CCI2*-S Developing Horse Championship: Leading the way in the 6-year-old Championship are Allie Knowles and Katherine O’Brien’s Starburst, who is making her FEI debut this weekend and retains her dressage score of 24.8 to stay ahead of the pack going into show jumping.
Tomorrow we’ll conclude the action at Morven Park with the final jog for the 4*-L pairs at 8 a.m. EST, followed by show jumping beginning at 11 a.m. with the Developing Horse CCI2*-S. We’ll see the 4*-S beginning at 1:45 p.m. and the 4*-L around 2:25 p.m. As always, you can tune in live on USEF Network or the Morven Park YouTube channel.
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