Sinead Halpin and Manoir De Carneville skyrocketed into the lead in the CIC3* at Plantation Field with an impressive 37.8, placing them 8.4 penalty points ahead of Phillip Dutton and Mr. Medicott and Jennie Brannigan and Cambalda, who are now sitting in equal second on scores of 46.2. Sinead and Tate were absolutely on their A-game today, and they look very poised to dominate next month at the Fair Hill CCI3*. Phillip Dutton and Cave went right after Sinead and Tate, and it’s great to see them beginning to form a quality partnership. Scores have been pretty high across the board today, and I think the judges are nailing horses for any sign of tension. Pairs that are scoring well are putting in relaxed tests that allow their horses to show off a bit throughout the test.
Erin Sylvester and No Boundaries are currently sitting in fifth place on a score of 52.2. Bucky looked like he was about to boil over at several points during the test, and Erin pulled off a great save when he nearly broke during the trot work. This wasn’t as relaxed as their test at Richland, but considering how tense horses have looked today, I’d still count this as a victory for them. Ian Roberts and Faolan are sitting in eighth place on a 56.1 in the horse’s debut at this level. Ian lost the canter several times during the test, but this was a solid performance for a first attempt at CIC3* test. Emily Beshear and River King scored 56.4 to sit in equal ninth place with Kristin Schmolze and Ballylaffin Bracken. Riley is very good in the dressage and notoriously strong in the jumping phases, so it will be a good test this weekend to see if they can dial in equally good performances in show jumping and cross country.
Holly Payne and Santino were the last to go before the lunch break, and Sunny looked relaxed and happy during the test; they scored 56.7 for 11th place. We’re halfway throwing the CIC3* division now, and the leader board changed drastically in the last group. There are numerous competitive pairs still to come, including Colleen Rutledge and Covert Rights, Susan Beebee and Wolf, Caitlin Silliman and Remington XXV, our very own Kate Samuels and Nyls Du Terroir, and Boyd Martin and Trading Aces. The weather is still brilliant here at Plantation Field, with sunny skies and just a light breeze blowing. Will any pair step up to challenge Sinead and Tate for the lead? Stay tuned to find out! Go Plantation Field.
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Disclaimer: A killer bee attacked me during Phillip’s test. Apologies for the shaky video.
Plantation Field CIC3* Scores: