…Which makes two of us
Kim Severson and Wiley Post moved into 3rd with a 51.4
At the beginning of the weekend, Jersey Fresh didn’t quite feel right without Phillip having a horse in the CCI3*, but after a good day for Phillip today things feel a bit more familiar. He had three rides today on younger horses and placed 1st, 3rd, and 8th, and he is once again in a position to finish really well at Jersey. For Phillip, when I say ‘younger’ horses, I’m not talking about age as much as they are his group of developing future team horses, as opposed to his team horses of the past few years. Ben’s test scored so well compared to all of the early CCI2* tests that I didn’t think anyone would come close to matching it, but Jessica Phoenix and Pavarotti nearly beat them late in the afternoon.
Jersey CCI2* Scores:
1. Phillip Dutton and Ben 46.7
2. Jessica Phoenix and Pavarotti 47.6
3. Kim Severson and Wiley Post 51.4
4. Lisa Marie Ferguson and Smart Move 52.1
5. Hawley Bennet-Awad and Five O’Clock Somewhere 52.6
6. Will Coleman and Vancouver 54.0
7. Caitlin Silliman and Catch a Star 54.7
[Full Jersey Fresh Dressage Results]
We have already had a Phillip video this week, so here’s one of Jessica Phoenix and her Pan Am hopeful Pavarotti, who trotted into second place today:
–Jessie has only been riding Pavarotti for a few months but you can easily see from the video how talented he is, and apparently his jumping is just as nice. Canada’s WEG performance was amazing but the true test of whether they will be a flash in the pan or whether David has built a solid program is to see if their talented riders can find the next batch of talented horses. So far this weekend Team Canada is showing that they have a really good group of developing horses.
–Anyone who reads Eventing Nation knows that I almost never talk about judging in a negative way. I haven’t ever sat in a judge’s booth and I can only imagine that it is an incredibly tough task to evaluate so many horses throughout the day. That being said, a disproportionately high number of riders that I spoke with mentioned the judging as an issue today and I can’t disagree. The live scoring doesn’t publish a breakdown judge by judge, but one rider received a 48% from one judge and a 63% from another and there were major scoring disparities throughout the day.
–Lisa Marie Fergusson and Smart Move rode one of the most correct tests all day. Will Colemen and Vancouver were the lead off ride and scored a 54 despite an error. In fact, there were quite a few, maybe 5, errors throughout the day. Arden Wildasin had a lovely test with Totally Awesome Bosco and goes into Saturday in 8th place.
–Kim Severson and Wiley Post had a very nice test to move into third. I know Kim really likes this horse and they had a very nice ride today. I can’t help but thinking that it is a problem for US eventing to have Kim, who I think is one of the 4 best riders in the US, with just one 4* horse and a very nice 2* horse.
–As I already alluded to, Canada is having a quality weekend so far, especially in the 2* divisions. They have 3 riders in the top 5 of the CCI2* and a rider leading the CIC2*. Mark my words that Canada is going to give the US a serious run for our money at the Pan Ams.
–One rider was rung out of the CCI2* dressage because her horse looked uneven.
–The cross-country times have just been released. Here are the divisional start times:
CCI2*– 9:00am
CCI3*– 11:50am
CIC3*– 1:40pm
CIC2*– 3:15pm
That’s all for now. If you’re going out tonight stay safe and have fun, and if not stay safe and have fun. Boom goes the dynamite.
