Two-time Olympic gold medalist Phillip Dutton and Quasi Cool led the way in the first round of the Mad Barn Indoor Eventing Challenge on opening day of the Royal Horse Show, held as part of the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair in Toronto. Photo by Ben Radvanyi Photography.
Opening night at the Royal Horse Show kicked off with the Mad Barn Indoor Eventing Challenge, which brought the adrenaline-pumping thrill of cross-country to an indoor setting. Featuring a combination of show jumping and natural cross-country obstacles, the course designed by world-renowned Captain Mark Phillips of Great Britain challenged horses and riders to be both daring and meticulous across the speed track.
Jamie Kellock of Cedar Valley, ON, and Summer Bay had the first clear effort of the evening in a time of 88.67 seconds, until last year’s winners, Holly Jacks of Hillsburgh, ON, riding Josephine, stormed into the lead in a time of 81.00 seconds. It looked like no one would be able to catch them until two-time Olympic gold medalist Phillip Dutton riding Quasi Cool, a 12-year-old Holsteiner gelding (Quo Vados x Lord) owned by Caroline Moran, galloped into the top spot in 80.43 seconds. Jacks would have to settle for the runner-up spot, while Kellock rounded out the top three. With that, Dutton now sits in pole position heading into the second and deciding round of the Mad Barn Indoor Eventing Challenge, taking place on Saturday, November 4, where results from both nights are combined to determine the overall standings for the $20,000 purse.
“It’s a great crowd; they were really into it,” said the six-time Olympian Dutton, who is based at his True Prospect Farm in West Grove, Pennsylvania. “Mark [Phillips] set a course such that you couldn’t go super fast, and it was actually better to make sharp turns. It wasn’t just about galloping flat out. It was more about being efficient on your turns. I tried to not waste time on the approach as well because Quasi is a big scopey horse, so I don’t need to be shortening up to the jumps. He’s such a careful horse that I chanced it a bit at the last fence and just kept going at it, and I knew that he’d do his best to get his legs out of the way.”
The Royal offers numerous hospitality experiences including the Royal Terrace for VIP and corporate hosting and the Coliseum’s Sky Suites which offer stables and groups their own private suites. The Tanbark Club will continue to welcome Gold and Platinum VIP ticket holders. Contact [email protected] or [email protected] for full details.
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