Sinead Halpin and Michael Pollard step up big Friday morning for the US

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Sinead and Manoir De Carneville, Michael and Icarus, Samantha Clark photos

The United States rose to the occasion Friday morning at Burghley with dressage performances from Sinead Halpin and Michael Pollard that moved each of them into the top 10.  Sinead scored a 46.0 with the French wonder horse Manoir De Carneville, which was 2.7 points better than the dressage test that started their great weekend at Rolex earlier this year.  They sit in 8th place.  Michael Pollard and the off the track Thoroughbred Icarus scored an impressive 46.7 for 10th at lunchtime.  You would be hard pressed to find a nicer moving OTTB than Icarus on the planet.  At the lunch break, Sinead and Michael are in perfect striking distance of the lead–far enough back not to feel a ton of leader board pressure but close enough to make up the ground.  However, there are some great names still to ride Friday afternoon and you can expect the leader board to change considerable as a result.  For now though the US has two riders in the top 10.  Great Britain is the only other country with more than one pair in the top 10 currently.  Michael’s ride is availible on the video replays already: 

[Scores, Video, Ride Times]

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Simone

Unsurprisingly, just one of two Germans competing at Burghley has taken the dressage lead at the end of the Friday morning session.  Simone Deitermann and Free Easy NRW scored a 39.3 to take a 0.4 point lead from William Fox-Pitt and Parklane Hawk.  After destroying the field at the European Championships last weekend Germany didn’t have a lot of horses to send to Burghley, but it seems that how the Germans get around the cross-country after a big dressage performance is going to be a big factor once again at Burghley.

[Simone audio interview]

Several other North American riders also had nice tests this morning.  Julian Stiller and Chapel Amble started their Burghley quest off the right way with a 52.0 for 24th at the break.  The three Canadian riders are within 3 points of each other after the dressage.  Jessie rode Exponential this morning to a 59.5, Kyle Carter and Madison Park scored a 61.5, and Hawley leads the way for Canada with her 58.5 from yesterday with Gin ‘N Juice.  Boyd Martin and Neville Bardos rode yesterday and they are in 17th place with the afternoon sessions to come. 

It’s all Brits and Kiwis in the two remaining afternoon dressage sessions at Burghley.  Some big names are still to come including Nereo, Neuf Des Coeurs, last year’s Burghley champ Lenamore, and Rolex champ Kings Temptress.  Go eventing.

Go Burghley.

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