Lauren Kieffer and Veronica. Photo by Jenni Autry.
Lauren Kieffer and Veronica wowed the crowd in the second group today at the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event with a fantastic test to score 46.7 to take the lead at the lunch break. The late morning rain stopped before their test, and while strong winds continued to blow, Veronica stayed relaxed and focused for a very good performance. Lauren and Veronica are one of my picks to sit at the top of the leaderboard come Sunday, and they’ve given themselves some breathing room over Phillip Dutton and Mr. Medicott, Jan Byyny and Inmidair, and Michael Pollard and Mensa G, who are all tied for equal first place on 49.5.
Kim Severson and Fernhill Fearless. Photo by Jenni Autry.
Kim Severson and Fernhill Fearless, the last pair to go in this group, scored 55.7 for equal 19th place in the horse’s first Rolex. Sparky has a unique look about him, and the judges didn’t seem to be super fond of him in this test, which also had some bobbles. The crowd went wild for three-time Rolex winner Kim, and she definitely wins the loudest cheer of the day so far. The beginning of this group had a much different feel from the crowd, who all scattered as the skies opened up and a torrential downpour came down. Poor Kaitlin Spurlock and Expedience had to make their Rolex debut in the worst of it, and Spedy will be much more in her element tomorrow.
Rachel Jurgens and Ziggy. Photo by Jenni Autry.
The judges certainly aren’t letting up in the tougher scoring standards we saw yesterday. Based on the tests we’ve seen so far, the judges seem to be wanting to see relaxed tests that also maintain expressive movement with horses in a very correct frame. Riders with tense or dull tests are getting nailed in their marks, as are tests where the horse’s frame creeps above the bit. While Lauren and Veronica had a fantastic test, there’s still room for someone in the final two groups to sneak past for the overnight lead. That might happen when two-time Burghley winner Avebury takes the ring with Andrew Nicholson in the irons in this next group after the lunch break. Stay tuned for much more from Rolex.
