Tamie Smith and Mai Baum. Photo by Jenni Autry.
It’s not every day that we have an all-female press conference at a major FEI competition, and the leading ladies of The Fork (and Buck Davidson) gathered in the gorgeous tack room at The Fork this afternoon to rehash their dressage tests — and hold their noses while Tamie Smith’s adorable albeit stinky French Bulldog “Pig” made the occasion all the more memorable. Let’s break it down:
Not every horse and rider combination could pull off a 5-minute warm up before a CIC3* dressage test, but that’s what Liz Halliday-Sharp and Fernhill By Night did today at The Fork, scoring 41.8 to hold the overnight lead after the first day of competition here in Norwood, North Carolina.
Liz said she had diligently checked her ride time online the night before, only to find out it had been moved up by about 20 minutes when she arrived in warm up. Her super groom Gemma Jalinska calmly removed Blackie’s boots while U.S. Team Coach David O’Connor told her to pick up the canter. She trotted for about 30 seconds, picked up the canter, executed a flying change in both directions and went in the ring. It worked.
“I was really happy with the trot work, and I thought it was some of the best he’s done,” Liz said. “His changes were better than they were at Carolina, especially under the circumstances. He was a very good boy.”
This is the third FEI event in the row in which Liz and “Blackie,” an 11-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding owned by Deborah Halliday have been on or near the top of the leaderboard after dressage, and Liz said she’s benefited greatly from training with both Jacquie Brooks while she’s been based in Ocala for the winter, as well as working with her usual trainer James Burtwell, who also trains Francis Whittington.
“It’s always good to have someone who knows the horses really well,” Liz said, which is why she’s thrilled to have James traveling to the States for Rolex Kentucky later this month, where she’ll be competing in her first CCI4* with both Blackie and HHS Cooley, who is sitting fifth in the CIC3* on 45.3.
But if Liz wants to take home a blue ribbon here at the final prep event before Kentucky, she’ll have to go through Jennie Brannigan first, who has never finished lower than third place in the CIC3* here in three lifetime starts with Nina Gardner’s Cambalda, who delivered his personal best score today.
“I love this event,” Jennie said. “Knock on wood, I’ve always seemed to have a good weekend here.” Indeed, the weekend has started off very well for Jennie and her longtime partner “Ping.” The 13-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding scored 42.8 to sit in second place in the CIC3*, well within striking distance.
“He’s not a big mover, but he seems to throw down at every event,” Jennie said. “I have a nice partnership with him; he’s a good boy. At this point, you know your horse, and you know what you’ve got. You know he’s probably not going to score in the 30s, but he puts in an accurate test, and he’s a consistent player.”
Jennie said she hasn’t focused much on the flatwork with Ping lately since she’s been concentrating on galloping for Rolex Kentucky to ensure his fitness is up to par, so she was happy with the quality of work she was able to achieve today in the little white box.
Buck Davidson is enjoying third and fourth places in the CIC3* with Sherrie Martin’s The Apprentice and Carl and Cassie Segal’s Ballynoecastle RM, who are sitting very close together on scores of 44.3 and 44.7, respectively.
With both horses aiming for Rolex Kentucky, Buck said now is the time to put the polish on things, and he was happy with both performances, particularly with “Dirk,” as he feels like the 11-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding is ready to take the CCI4* step after giving him plenty of time to mature.
“He’s a bigger horse now, and he’s a stronger horse. It’s time now. He’s 11, and he’s done a lot of three-stars. It’s time for him to have a go at Kentucky,” Buck said. He was very happy with the performance on the flat today — and there’s something about this horse that judges really seem to love. He has a commanding, captivating presence in the sandbox.
Looking ahead, Buck said he won’t push for time on Saturday with Dirk — “Mentally, he’s not a horse you want to get too wound up — but his strategy across Tremaine Cooper’s cross country course will be different with his longtime partner Reggie, who is preparing to return to Rolex for a fourth appearance.
“He’s not a horse that goes well going slow. I’ve found over the years that he gets better with a hard go at Carolina and then here to set him up well, which has worked the last two years. If we get a lot of rain, we’ll adjust the plan. It’s not about winning or losing. It’s about getting him fit and having him competition ready.
Buck and the Segals have said repeatedly that Reggie has nothing left to prove. Every major competition the horse does at this point is really a gift, he said, and the horse truly looks better than ever. Like a fine wine, Reggie just keeps getting better with age.
“Every day he’s a dream. He’s amazing with what he’s fought through. He did Carolina so much easier than last year. He loped around there easy.” The horse battled a bit of pnemonia over the winer, as did owner Carl Segal, so this spring is just about having the whole team happy and healthy, Buck said.
“If we can get Carl and Cassie and Reggie to Kentucky all in good health, then we’ll have a go. I feel like we’re starting to peak at the right time. … I try to be realistic about how this can all go. They’re fragile animals, and we try to go the best we possibly can for them. We try to leave no stone unturned. But you have to have a little bit of luck, and we’ve got a long way to go until Kentucky.”
Buck has four horses entered at Kentucky, but he said the plan is for Ballynoecastle RM, The Apprentice and Petite Flower to be the three he actually competes, while Copper Beech will go to Tattersalls CCI3* in Ireland.
Caroline Martin is also enterd to compete in the CIC3* with Quantum Solace at Tattersalls, which she’ll use as a prep run for Bramham CCI3*, where the U.S. is hoping to put together an Under 25 team for the event.
As an aside, Buck wanted us to let everyone know that Carl and Cassie have decided to set Reggie’s stud fee at $100,000 — no live foal guarantee — after yesterday’s surprise news. (EN’s April Fool’s story about Reggie even fooled some key members of the BDJ team, not that we’re naming any names.)
Jessie Phoenix is a Total Bad Ass
We’re officially labeling Jessie Phoenix a total bad ass after she’s rebounded so quickly from the birth of her second child, a daughter named Jordan on Feb. 21, to totally dominate the CIC2* here at The Fork with Don Good’s Pavarotti. The 13-year-old Westphalian gelding scored 35 to lead overnight, and Jessie said she was really pleased with the test.
“He gets a little tension in the trot work in the ring; it looks better than it feels,” she said, noting that she thought the canter work was really solid. With her muscles still rebounding after giving birth, she said she couldn’t sit his powerful trot at Poplar Place two weeks ago, so she posted the mediums there. But she was a rockstar today, looking like she hadn’t missed a beat with multiple rides between the two-star and three-star.
She rode up until a week before she went into labor, she said, and Jessie was back on a horse two weeks after giving birth, so she really didn’t miss much downtime at all, meaning she is firmly looking ahead to Rolex, where “Rotti” will once again just do the dressage in preparation for bigger things to come later in the season.
“I’d like to take him to Pau,” Jessie said. “There’s still some discussion as to whether we run him at the Pan Ams. We’ll see how he goes.” Jessie and Rotti are no stranger to the Pan Ams, having won individual hold at Guadelajara in 2011, so it’s very possible Team Canada will choose him as an anchor horse in Toronto.
Lillian Heard and and Abbie Golden’s Arundel are sitting close behind in second place in the CIC2* on a score of 37.5. Abbie, a longtime, dedicated and much-loved member of the EN writing staff, started her first semester at the University of Virginia’s Law School last fall, passing off the ride on “Spencer” to Lillian at that time.
With Abbie focused on school and her future career, Lillian said the plan is for her to keep the ride on the 15-year-old Canadian Sport Horse gelding until he retires, so it’s really all about the journey at this point.
“I taught Abbie for two years before she went to school, and before that, she bought the horse while she was working for Boyd (Martin), so I’ve ridden the horse for a long time,” Lillian said. “That said, getting that score in the dressage was still pretty insane.”
Lillian had shown Spencer in one Prelim event — and won the Bareback Puissance at Plantation Field International Horse Trials — before taking over the ride, and they’ve just seemed to click. “He might not be the scopiest jumper, but he wants to jump everything and do the job, which is really fun to ride,” she said.
Tamie Smith and Alex Ahearn’s Mai Baum round out the top three in the CIC2* on a score of 38, and I really can’t emphasize enough what an exciting ride this is for her. With Alex off to college, Tamie is quickly getting to know the 9-year-old German Sport Horse gelding — with spectacular results to boot.
“Lexus” is a fierce competitor in all three phases, which makes him a serious contender for the U.S. Pan Ams team, a fact Tamie said she tries not to think about: “Whatever happens, happens. He’s a careful jumper, and he’s great cross country. He’s been so much fun. He goes in a snaffle. He has a great mind, and it’s hard to believe he can be that careful and that brave cross country.”
Ellie MacPhail on Top in the CIC*
Sally Crane’s RF Panamera is competing in her first CIC* this weekend with Ellie MacPhail, and she’s made it a memorable competition so far, leading after dressage on a score of 39.5. Marilyn Little found the now 9-year-old Hanoverian mare in Germany as a youngster, and Ellie bought her when she was 6.
After a bad injury, Ellie didn’t know if the mare would even recover to compete, but she’s rebounded beautifully, looking at home in an FEI ring on a busy day at The Fork. “The great thing about her is you can pull her out of the stall, and she comes out loose and quiet. She’s not a big, flashy mover, but she’s really consistent. The trot work scores really well, and the canter work is developing,” Ellie said.
With the mare still being very green, Ellie said she has no major plans for the spring and will look to aim for the one-star at Hagyard MidSouth later in the year.
Allie Knowle’s former upper-level ride Last Call is sitting in second place in the CIC* with Molly Tulley in the irons on a score of 43, and Beau Guimond and Filibuster ST round out the top three on a score of 43.3.
Lauren Kieffer and Veronica Continue Hot Streak
In continuing the leading lady trend at The Fork, Lauren Kieffer and Team Rebecca’s Veronica are sitting in first place in the Advanced Test A division on a score of 22. Lauren has emphasized that “Troll” knows her job in the little white box extremely well now. The 13-year-old Dutch mare goes into the ring and brings her A-game every time, and it’s an exciting place for them to be heading into Kentucky.
Phillip Dutton and Evie Dutton’s Mighty Nice are sitting in second in this division on 23.1, followed by Courtney Cooper and her own Who’s A Star on 23.8. The entire top 10 in this division are heading to Rolex, so Saturday will be all-important as they make their final preparations across the country.
Ellie MacPhail is enjoying another slot atop the leaderboard in the Advanced Test B division with RF Eloquence, the mount she’s been riding in the USEF Eventing 25 training sessions. Ellie and the 10-year-old Holsteiner gelding owned by Sally Crane will be contesting their first CCI4* in Kentucky later this month.
Lauren Kieffer and Court and Kylie Ramsay’s Czechmate, who are coming off a win in the horse’s first CIC3* at Red Hills, are in second place in this division on a score of 27.8, and Boyd Martin and the Pancho Villa Syndicate’s Pancho Villa, another horse targeting his first CCI4* at Kentucky, round out the top three on 28.7.
If you enjoyed the above videos taken by Thehorsepester, be sure to check out his YouTube channel for more footage from today’s dressage action. Stay tuned as we bring you much more from The Fork.
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