Liz Halliday-Sharp and Fernhill By Night. Photo by Jenni Autry.
Jennie Brannigan and Nina Gardner’s Cambalda nearly caught early leaders Liz Halliday-Sharp and Fernhill By Night with a lovely test this afternoon in the big CIC3* division here at The Fork. Their score of 42.8 slots them just into second place behind Liz and “Blackie” at the conclusion of dressage, though if history tells us anything, Jennie and “Ping” may not be sitting in second place for very long.
In the three times they’ve competed in the CIC3* at this event, Jennie and Ping have finished no lower than third, winning it in 2011, placing second in 2013 and finishing third last year. Indeed, the stars seem to align for them every time they travel to Norwood, North Carolina, and we’ve predicted them to take the win this weekend. Of course, anything can happen between now and Saturday, when riders tackle Tremaine Cooper’s cross country course.
Buck Davidson will be waiting in the wings with both Sherrie Martin’s The Apprentice and Carl and Cassie Segal’s Ballynoecastle RM, who scored 44.3 and 44.7 this morning, respectively, to sit in third and fourth places at the end of the day. Buck and four-star veteran “Reggie” also typically perform very well in this event, finishing third in 2013 and fourth in 2014, while “Dirk” is preparing for his first CCI4* in Lexington.
Jennie Brannigan and Cambalda. Photo by Jenni Autry.
Liz Halliday-Sharp has another horse near the top of the leaderboard with Deborah Halliday’s HHS Cooley, who scored 45.3 with a solid test to round out the top five. While he’s typically outshone in this phase by his stablemate, he’s very good on the flat in his own right. “Cooley,” like Blackie, is preparing for his first four-star at Rolex and is coming off a second-place finish at Red Hills last month.
In other notable tests this afternoon, Mackenna Shea and her own Landioso did the West Coast proud to score 46.3, which ties them for equal seventh place. Mackenna and “Landi,” a 13-year-old Bavarian Warmblood gelding, made the long trek east to compete in their first CCI4* at Rolex, and they’re running their final prep here at The Fork this weekend.
Colleen Rutledge and Covert Rights are also sitting in seventh place on the same score of 46.3 after putting in the nicest test we’ve seen from them so far this season. Colleen looked thrilled with “CR” after the test, giving the 9-year-old Thoroughbred-cross gelding she bred lots of pats at the final salute. While Colleen is a veteran CCI4* campaigner, CR will be taking his first crack at the level later this month at Rolex.
Mackenna Shea and Landioso. Photo by Jenni Autry.
Boyd Martin and Steve Blauner’s Master Frisky also had a solid test, scoring 46.9 for ninth place in the horse’s final prep run before Kentucky. Did you notice how tightly those top scores are bunched? Less than a rail separates the top five, and two rails separate the top 15. Rails are going to be very costly tomorrow as riders take to Chris Barnard’s show jumping course.
It will be interesting to see how the horses jump in the main arena tomorrow. While the arena here at The Fork has always had a significant slope to it, it seems more pronounced than usual this year, especially in the very middle, which created a bit of an optical illusion for riders and made some horses a bit unsure and unsteady. The grading of the arena may up the ante in show jumping tomorrow.
We’re waiting for the press conference to start and will bring you comments from the leaders in the CIC3*, CIC2* and CIC* after. Jessie Phoenix and Pavarotti lead the CIC2*, followed by Lillian Heard and Arundel on 37.5 and Tamie Smith and Mai Baum on 38. Ellie MacPhail and RF Panamera lead the CIC* on 39.5, followed by Molly Tulley and Last Call in second on 43 and Beau Guimond and Filibuster ST on 43.3.
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