With all the excitement at Galway over the weekend, we neglected to mention all of the exciting developments that have been made to the Rolex entry list. I think Kentucky this year will be a really interesting one in the sense that there isn’t one type of horse/rider combination dominating the field. In the past, there have been years when all of the best US riders rode their best horses and dominated the scoreboard, there have been other years when a strong international field as flown across the pond and into all the top positions by the end of the weekend, and still there have been other years regarded as the ‘rookie’ years, where by virtue of being the year of an Olympics or international competition, the Rolex field was more open to newcomer success than it otherwise would have been.
This year is like a melting pot of all the different types. There are the usual US suspects entered on either their best, most experienced horse or in some cases a horse that’s new to the level. There are a fair number of first timers, a fair number of single-horse riders coming with a horse they’ve ridden at Kentucky in years prior, and then there are the Canadians. And then, besides the Canadians there are all the international competitors (most of which have competed at Rolex in prior years.)
As of today, there are 46 entries. The list is as follows, with the new additions in bold:
James Alliston/ JUMBO’S JAKE
James Alliston/ PARKER
Laine Ashker/ ANTHONY PATCH
Kristin Bachman/ GRYFFINDOR
Peter Barry/ KILRODAN ABBOTT
Kate Brown/ MOJITO
Diana Burnett/ MANNY
Hannah Sue Burnett/ ST. BARTHS
Hamish Cargill/ SANDHILLS TIGER
Tiana Coudray/ RINGWOOD MAGISTER
Sarah Cousins/ TSUNAMI
William Fox-Pitt/ SEACOOKIE
William Fox-Pitt/ NAVIGATOR
William Fox-Pitt/ NEUF DES COEURS
William Fox-Pitt/ IDALGO
Clayton Fredericks/ BE MY GUEST
Heather Gillette/ OUR QUESTIONNAIRE
Sinead Halpin/ MANOIR DE CARNEVILLE
Rebecca Howard/ RIDDLE MASTER
Mary King/ KINGS TEMPTRESS
Mary King/ FERNHILL URCO
Boyd Martin/ REMINGTON XXV
Martha McDowell/ GAELIC MARRIAGE
Joe Meyer/ SNIP
Heather Morris/ SLATE RIVER
Kristi Nunnink/ R-STAR
Karen O’Connor/ QUINTUS 54
Jessica Phoenix/ EXPONENTIAL
Jessica Phoenix/ EXPLORING
Michael Pollard/ ICARUS
Michael Pollard/ WONDERFUL WILL
Kelly Prather/ BALLINAKILL GLORY
Missy Ransehousen/ CRITICAL DECISION
Debbie Rosen/ THE ALCHEMYST
Katie Ruppel/ SIR DONOVAN
Colleen Rutledge/ SHIRAZ
Kim Severson/ TIPPERARY LIADHNAN
Jane Sleeper/ UN
Allison Springer/ DESTINATION KNOWN
Allison Springer/ ARTHUR
Polly Stockton/ WESTWOOD MARINER
Kelly Sult/ HOLLYWOOD
Frankie Thieriot/ FRIC FRAC BERENCE
Mark Todd/ MAJOR MILESTONE
Oliver Townend/ ODT SONAS ROVATIO
Jil Walton/ MY SEDONA
See, I told you this was getting exciting! Kristin Bachman and Gryffindor are back to big-time action after a couple years off the radar. If you’ll remember back to Rolex 2007, Kristin was leading the competition going into the show jumping but got lost and jumped the wrong fence, not only costing her the win but the completion as well. They’ve had a few setbacks and injuries in the past couple of years preventing them from playing at the top, so it’ll be great to see them back at the Horse Park this April.
In case you were wondering, Hamish on the entry list is the one and only. Up until now, all we’ve seen of Hamish has been his hilarious commentary/coverage alongside partner Dave that started at the WEG last year. His fame among EN’ers has grown considerably since October; I’m sure he’ll have quite a large cheering section when he jumps into Head of the Lake this year.
I wouldn’t say Tiana Coudray and her stunning grey ‘Finian’ are surprise entries for this year, I think she has been hinting in her competition choices and blog that Kentucky is her aim. Tiana competed at Rolex back in 2007 on a different horse called King Street. She was ninth after dressage but had a fall on the cross country and hasn’t been back since, so this year will definitely be big for her.
Heather Morris and Slate River are the Texas pair coming to Kentucky. Heather hasn’t been to the Horse Park since 2004, when she started the competition aboard a horse called Rebel Express.
Michael Pollard has two rides this year, Wonderful Will and Icarus. Michael had a tough time last year with Will, it was a series of unfortunate events with a fall in the water at Rolex, then a trip abroad full of minor injuries and bad luck. Michael is a great rider and handles all of the disappointments with unending patience and unwavering dedication; you can’t help but want to root for him.
Missy Ransehousen and Critical Decision are no strangers to Rolex as they have competed and placed well at several past year’s competitions, but this year will have a special significance. Last year at Southern Pines Horse Trials, Critical Decision fractured his tibia, so the past year has been one of rehabilitation. BG and Missy are tough, I’d bet on them to have a good showing this year.
The year since Kentucky 2010 has been a whirlwind for many, but especially for Kim Severson and Paddy. They went to Rolex Kentucky last year with a good showing in the dressage and cross country, but it all unraveled on the third day with a stop and several rails. Kim spent the last year putting the pieces back together, and came very close to being able to show it on the world stage if it hadn’t been for a bout of cellulitis in the final lead up to the WEG. Hopefully all the stars will align for Kim and ‘Paddy’ this year, as they are truly a world class pair.
As usual, we will keep you fully appraised of all things Rolex in the coming weeks. Stay tuned until then!
Go Eventing.
