Phillip Dutton and Fernhill Eagle at Rolex, photo by Kasey Mueller
Phillip Dutton hypothesizes that some of the “Tale of Two Courses” effect at Rolex this year– with the morning horses going great, and the afternoon horses having trouble– could possibly be attributed to the large lunch break and ride times spread widely throughout the day. Perhaps riders lost their edge just sitting around all day, or took the course for granted after it rode so well in the morning? Either way, Phillip suggests adding a CIC*** division in addition to the CCI****. This is not unprecedented, as for many years Rolex ran two divisions; most recently back in 2004 with the CCI**** long format and “modified format” events, but the four-star started back in 1998 alongside the traditional three-star event. Prior to that, it also ran with an Advanced horse trial (selection trials for Olympics some years), and even a CCI* alongside the CCI***. Despite Rolex being the only four-star in the US, it is unlikely to ever be as oversubscribed as Badminton, and filling the day with another division would surely be enjoyed by spectators.
From Phillip’s Facebook Page:
“I think this year was a very successful Rolex for the sport. There was a great competition and an exciting finish for the crowds. I do feel however that the organizers need to look closely at the schedule on Saturday and how it runs. With only about 40 horses running cross country at five minute intervals there are a lot of breaks with inevitable scratches, and the long lunch break is particularly a problem. I feel this year with the morning horses doing the course so easily riders in the afternoon were pretty complacent and possibly not riding with enough aggression and respect for the course. I think that a complementary class should be added – perhaps a CIC***? The CIC*** could run in the morning and then the CCI**** could still be the feature class in the afternoon. This would be much more exciting for the spectators and better mentally for the competitors.”
