Photo by Shannon Brinkman Photography.
After a thrilling show jumping contest and a hefty delay caused by Mother Nature for our CCI3*S riders at MARS Great Meadow International, it’s time to see the premier class of the weekend battle it out on Chris Barnard’s testing track. The time allowed will be 83 seconds with 12 numbered fences consisting of 15 jumping efforts.
Some changes have been made to the schedule in light of the nearly three hour weather delay we experienced this afternoon. Now, the first half (34 horses total) of the CCI4*S will show jump this evening, with the second half jumping at 7:30 am ET tomorrow. David O’Connor says he expects cross country to still begin around the same time (I will confirm final times ASAP), which means we should see the first horse out on course around 12 noon ET. An updated Order of Go can be found here.
As usual, you can follow the action live with a Horse & Country TV+ subscription and/or refresh this page periodically for the latest.
Great Meadow International: [Website] [Schedule] [Live Stream] [Entries] [Ride Times] [Order of Go] [Live Scores]
8:43 am ET: A beautiful clear for Deniro Z to add nothing to his dressage score of 24.2. This will make for an lady led leaderboard, with the top four spots belonging to women heading into cross country. 16 seconds separate the top 10, so we’re surely in for a thrilling finale starting at 11:15 am. The field will run in reverse order for even more excitement. I’ll be back with you for CCI3*S cross country at 9 am ET!
8:41 am ET: One thing that bears the mark of Phillip’s extensive experience is how much of the arena he uses to settle his notoriously forward and sometimes sensitive horses. For as quickly as the questions seem to come up on Chris Barnard’s track, Phillip still finds the time to settle each ride in between fences. A good reminder to take a breath and take stock of where you’re at – the fences don’t have to come in a big blur! A clear round should move Fernhill Singapore up. Last in will be Liz Halliday Sharp and Deniro Z. I’m a big fan of this one!
8:40 am ET: Three down and 1.6 time for a score of 45.8 for Holly and Candy King. We’ll see Phillip back in with Fernhill Singapore, sitting on a dressage score of 27.4.
8:37 am ET: One down for Clayton Fredericks and FE Coldplay to give them a score of 30.6 heading into cross country later today. Next in will be Holly Jacks Smither and her second ride in this division, Candy King. They bring in a score of 32.2.
8:35 am ET: Charlotte and Clifford get a little close down the diagonal gymnastic type line, but they make it work and turn in a clear round.
8:33 am ET: A clear round for JM Durr and the real trier Tilikum. Next we will see Charlotte Collier and Clifford M. This pair should be a speedy one to watch on cross country later. They’ll come in with a score of 36.5.
8:30 am ET: Jennie adds another clear round to her books for the weekend with Stella Artois. This will move her into third place! Next up, John Michael Durr and Tilikum on a score of 35.5.
8:29 am ET: I believe I heard Brian O’Connor mention a time fault for Maya but I could be wrong. She was otherwise clear. Next in will be Jennie Brannigan and Stella Artois on a score of 25.2.
8:27 am ET: Bummer! That pesky second vertical in the treble comes down for Off the Record to drop them out of the second spot. That shuffles Kim Severson and Cooley Cross Border up into second on their score of 22.1. Next in will be Maya Black and Miks Master C on a score of 28.1.
8:26 am ET: Second placed Will Coleman and Off the Record take the ring next. They’re right behind Marilyn on a score of 21.9.
8:25 am ET: Landmark Monte Carlo motors around and has two rails down.
8:23 am ET: Sinead talks about the fine line between getting the horse out in front of the leg without letting them run past you and lose balance. A rail down for Caroline and Danger Mouse will drop them down a bit. Lauren Nicholson and Landmark’s Monte Carlo are the next in. This will be a fun pair to watch on cross country. They bring in a score of 30.4.
8:20 am ET: Two rails down for Fylicia Barr and Galloway Sunrise. The triple combination is riding a bit tougher today, with the middle rail rubbing and/or coming down quite often this morning. Next in will be Caroline Martin with Danger Mouse on a score of 28.8.
8:18 am ET: Will Faudree and the super mare Caeleste will add no penalties to their dressage score of 32.9. Next in will be Fylicia Barr with Galloway Sunrise, winners of the Jersey Fresh CCI4*L last year.
8:17 am ET: A great clear for the super jumper C’est La Vie 135!
8:15 am ET: Next in will be Fair Hill CCI3*L winners Woods Baughman and C’est La Vie 135 on a 25.8.
8:14 am ET: Business Ben gets a bit fresh and strong with Allison to lower a few rails. This is one that perhaps would have benefitted from running cross country first.
8:13 am ET: Allison Springer and Business Ben are next forward on a score of 31.1.
8:12 am ET: Cute jumper, this Flash Cooley horse. Reminds me of a Ferrari. A clear round for this pair!
8:11 am ET: A nice clear for Phillip and Z. Next will be Liz Halliday Sharp with Flash Cooley, on a score of 30.8.
8:09 am ET: One down and a second of time to add for a score of 40.3 for Katherine Brown and Victor Z 54. Next in will be Phillip Dutton and Z on a score of 27.9.
8:06 am ET: A clear round for Kevin and Sportsfield Candy!
8:04 am ET: Jennie Brannigan and Alyssa Phillips’ Bliss III add no penalties to their dressage score of 27.9. We’ll see Kevin Keane with Sportsfield Candy in the ring next looking to bolster their dressage score of 31.1.
8:01 am ET: I love that “slingshot” effect around a turn when the rider sees a nice forward stride – it makes for a great jump. Lillian is another with a forward style of riding that really serves her well on cross country. A lovely clear for CharmKing to add nothing to the dressage score of 29.8.
7:59 am ET: Leah Lang Gluscic and her veteran partner, AP Prime, look like a million bucks this year. They’ve been chipping away with some help from Karen O’Connor, and the off-track Thoroughbred just continues to look better. Just a single bummer of a rail down and I believe some time to add to their dressage score of 36.7. Next in we’ll see Lillian Heard, piloting Holly Payne Caravella’s CharmKing.
7:57 am ET: Sinead tells us the cool story of Arielle Aharoni and Dutch Times; Arielle’s mother, Chris, purchased the horse as a three year old when she didn’t have the budget to buy something “made”. Chris, Sinead, and Tik Maynard all had a hand in producing the horse through the levels, and now Arielle has the ability to continue to progress as a young rider. Great team effort! One down for this super pair.
7:55 am ET: Clear for Alyssa and her super jumper Oskar. Next in will be Arielle Aharoni and Dutch Times on a score of 36.4.
7:52 am ET: Missy Miller and Quinn add two rails to their dressage score of 38.8 for a two phase score of 46.8. Next in we will see Alyssa Phillips and Oskar, coming forward with a dressage score of 30.7.
7:51 am ET: Emily Hamel and her unique jumper Corvett are our next in. This horse has a very exuberant jumping style that often jumps the pair right out of the camera frame, but they’re super fun to watch. They add one rail to their score of 37.0.
Boing!
7:48 am ET: Karen talks about the importance and value of producing young horses correctly that can go on to be successful with other riders. She references Daniel Clasing as one such rider who has the ability to produce horses with the right mouth and right brain to be finished by others. Daniel is in the ring now with MW Gangster’s Game, on a score of 27.0; they’ll add one rail for a two phase score of 31.0.
7:47 am ET: Just one rail down, the red and black vertical at fence 4 that had a few weird issues yesterday, for Sydney and Early Review C. It looked like perhaps the horses weren’t quite reading it right.
7:45 am ET: Two down for Jules and Cooley O. We’ll see Sydney Solomon and Early Review C in next with a score of 43.5.
7:43 am ET: One down with one second of time for a score of 41.2. Next in will be Jules Batters and Cooley O on a score of 33.1.
7:41 am ET: Our first clear of the morning for Ariel Grald and Leamore Master Plan! They’ll remain on their dressage score of 35.3. We’ll see Lauren Lambert and Fantastique next in on a score of 36.8.
7:40 am ET: These first few rides have seen a few more poles on the ground than yesterday. Could be the fog, could be the course’s “easier” reputation from yesterday, could be the early morning…any number of factors. Next in we’ll see Ariel Grald and Leamore Master Plan. As an FYI, Emily Beshear and Deal With It have withdrawn.
7:37 am ET: One down for Vermiculus to drop them down a hair for a 29.6 heading into cross country later on. Next in will be, out of order, Will Faudree and Mama’s Magic Way, coming in on a score of 38.0.
7:35 am ET: Two down for Victoria. Next in will be Lauren Kieffer and the Anglo Arabian Vermiculus, on a score of 25.6, currently in sixth. Check out the fog during Victoria’s ride:
7:33 am ET: It’s very foggy this morning! We’re getting ready for the start with our first horse on course. We’ll get started a bit out of order with Victoria Garland and FE Capricino, coming forward on a score of 41.1.
7:19 am ET:
8/23 7:13 am ET: Good morning, all! Here’s a look at the remaining order of go for this morning’s show jumping finisher:
7:31 pm ET: Here’s an updated look at division start times tomorrow:
Updated start times for #MARSGMI tomorrow:
7:30 am ET: CCI4* SJ (2nd half)
9 am ET: CCI3*S XC
11:15 am ET: CCI4*S XC— Eventing Nation (@eventingnation) August 22, 2020
7:20 pm ET: That’s a wrap on the first part of CCI4*S show jumping! Marilyn Little and RF Scandalous will safely hold their lead, but the majority of the top 10 still remains to be seen after tomorrow morning’s finish. Then we’ll move ahead to cross country at approximately 11:15 am ET. I will work on confirming an updated timetable and update our links accordingly. I’ll also continue updates on the CCI4*S show jumping on this same thread beginning at 7:30 am ET tomorrow. Thanks for tuning in!
7:18 pm ET: Like the badass that she is, Erin finishes the second half of her course without her right stirrup, adding another clear to Paddy the Caddy’s outstanding record.
7:15 pm ET: Our last pair to see this evening will be veteran campaigners Erin Kanara and Paddy the Caddy. They bring forward a 26.5 which places them inside the top 10 after dressage.
7:13 pm ET: Ally KGO puts in an athletic stretch over the oxer at three and then has an unfortunate stop at the vertical at fence four. Karen and Sinead surmised that perhaps the mare spooked herself a bit with the big effort at three. This has been a lovely horse for Caitlin to produce, we’ll certainly see much more from this pair. They’ll go forward to tomorrow with a score of 43.9.
7:09 pm ET: Alyssa Peterson and R-Perfect Storm have the last rail down for a heartbreaker. They’ll go forward on a score of 48.8 with two down. Next in will be Mia Braundel and Cashmere, who lower 4 rails for a two phase score of 60.7. Our penultimate pair of the day are Caitlin Silliman and Ally KGO.
7:07 pm ET: A lovely clear from Kim and “Crossy”! We love seeing this pair back in action this year.
7:06 pm ET: Next in will be Kim Severson and Cooley Cross Border coming in on a score of 22.1 in third place overnight.
7:05 pm ET: A nice shot in to the diagonal line for Kaelen:
7:03 pm ET: A handful of rails and a stop for Whitney and Military Mind. They’ll look ahead for some redemption tomorrow! Next in will be Kaelen Speck with Sweet Rebellion on a score of 34.8.
7:00 pm ET: Sinead points out that there definitely could be a strong advantage to the fact that these horses are jumping fresh, ahead of cross country. With a more gymnastic feeling track full of related distances and combinations, it could easily take much more out of horses coming in to this phase last. Of course, some horses are also less rideable when they haven’t exorcised their demons on cross country yet.
7:00 pm ET: Phillip Dutton and Sea Of Clouds add nothing to their dressage score of 32.4 with a confident clear round. Next in will be Whitney Mahloch and Military Mind bringing forward their dressage score of 32.2.
6:58 pm ET: No penalties added for this keen pair!
6:55 pm ET: Jennie and Twighlightslastgleam rub the second element of the triple and the last fence, but they’re home clear to add nothing to their 33.3 dressage score. That’s 17 clear rounds so far with 9 more riders to see this evening. Next we’ll see Lucienne Elms and Diamond Duette on a score of 36.1.
6:53 pm ET: One rail down for Lauren Nicholson and Paramount Importance. Next in are Jennie Brannigan and Twilightslastgleam, a horse she’s produced since his younger years. This one has a gallop you’ll want to watch tomorrow!
6:50 pm ET: Buck demonstrates what’s known as the “driving rein” with Errol Gobey, which helps provide some additional elasticity in the elbow. This pair turns in yet another clear! Now we’ll see Lauren Nicholson with Paramount Importance, coming in on a dressage score of 32.7.
6:48 pm ET: Karen walks us through the diagonal line on this track which features an oxer on the in and the out and a two-stride in the middle. Challenging and intimidating to see, but riding overall quite well. A lovely clear added from Annie and Federman B. That’s our 16th double clear of the day! For comparison, last year’s CCI4*S had 12 double clear rounds in total. Next in will be Buck Davidson returning with Errol Gobey on a 34.5.
6:47 pm ET: Will and TKS Cooley will add no penalties to their dressage score of 35.2 with a clear round. Now in will be Annie Goodwin and Federman B on a score of 36.6.
6:46 pm ET: Nothing can stop me I’m all the way up…
Will Coleman and TKS Cooley.
6:45 pm ET: Another clear for Hannah Sue and Lukeswell! That’s a total of four double clear rounds today for Hannah Sue, well done!
6:42 pm ET: Two rails down for Holly and “Morris” for a two day score of 44.4. Next in will be Hannah Sue Burnett on a quick turnaround with the very talented Lukeswell bringing forward a score of 33.6.
6:41 pm ET: Next in will be Canadian pair Holly Jacks Smither and More Inspiration. Fun fact, Holly also dabbles in boxing as her second sport of choice!
6:40 pm ET: Big fan of this horse’s pleasant expression. Liz and Cooley Quicksilver will be no worse than eighth going into tomorrow’s finale with nothing added.
6:49 pm ET: A clear round for Ema and Bendigo! Next in are Liz Halliday-Sharp with Cooley Quicksilver on a score of 26.1.
6:37 pm ET: Nothing added to Blackfoot Mystery’s dressage score of 30.2 with Phillip. Next in will be Ema Klugman and Bendigo on a score of 41.8.
6:35 pm ET: Mallory Hogan and Clarissa Purisima get the biggest cheer of the day so far with a clear round! A 40.4 will be their score heading into cross country. Next in are Phillip with Boyd’s Rio’s partner, Blackfoot Mystery.
6:33 pm ET: Colleen Rutledge is thrilled with a clear round with 1.2 time aboard Covert Rights. This horse’s show jumping career has had some ups and downs, and this round should be a great boost for this pair. They’ll go forward with 29.7.
6:32 pm ET: Marilyn and “Kitty” add another clear to their resume to retain their lead heading into tomorrow’s finale.
6:31 pm ET: A great quote from Sinead: “The horses don’t mind what decision you make, as long as you make the decision.”
6:27 pm ET: One down and one second over the time allowed for a two day score of 41.9 for Lillian and LCC Barnaby. Next in will be overnight leaders Marilyn Little and RF Scandalous. They do not have a rail in hand on their dressage score of 21.8. Will Coleman and Off the Record sit in second breathing down their necks on a 21.9.
6:26 pm ET: Another clear! Emily and Olney Uncle Sam make quick work of Chris Barnard’s track to add no penalties. We’ll now see Lillian Heard and one of my personal favorite cross country horses, LCC Barnaby.
6:24 pm ET: Yet another clear laid down by Tim Bourke and Quality Time to add nothing to their dressage of 38.3. Now in are Emily Beshear with Olney Uncle Sam who bring a score of 34.1 to the show jumping. We’ve skipped Lucienne Elms and Mistralou in the order of go.
6:23 pm ET: Like a fine wine, “William” and Hannah Sue Burnett just keep solidifying their partnership. A masterclass and a little bit of 17 year old play at the end!
6:20 pm ET: Jennie Brannigan and I Bella add another clear to the pile to remain on their dressage score of 40.1. Next in will be Hannah Sue Burnett and her veteran partner, Harbour Pilot, coming in on a 26.8.
6:18 pm ET Another clear, this one for Will and Don Dante.
6:15 pm ET: Clear inside the time for Will and Jennifer Mosing’s Pfun, who is such a nice classic jumper. Lovely! Next up are Will Coleman and Don Dante on a score of 40.8.
6:13 pm ET: Another strong clear from Liz and “Blackie” as we now move to Will Faudree and Pfun on a score of 35.0. The time allowed has been adjusted to 81 seconds (originally 83).
6:12 pm ET: Liz Halliday-Sharp and Fernhill By Night are our next pair in, on a score of 31.7.
6:11 pm ET: A masterful ride for Phillip and Luke. Sorry, Boyd, I don’t think your horse has much scope to spare…
6:09 pm ET: One down for Buck and “Sean” for an overnight score of 35.7. Next in will be Phillip Dutton filling in for Boyd Martin aboard Luke 140. This pair has a score of 28.0 forward.
6:08 pm ET: And we are getting set to get underway! Getting us started are Buck Davidson and Copper Beach, coming forward on a score of 31.7.
6:01 pm ET: Looks like we’re just wrapping up a final drag and hopefully we’ll get started soon.
