Lexington, Ky. - Jumpers took to the Walnut Ring on Thursday to complete the first phase of competition and take their first steps toward Individual medals. A total of 26 Young Riders and 39 Juniors went to task over Steve Stephens' testing tracks in the Speed Leg, which utilizes the faults converted phase.
Taylor Alexander (Castle Rock, Colo.) and Alexander LLC's G and C Flash sped to early lead in the Young Rider championship after posting a quick clear round in the afternoon session. The Zone 8 representative heads into the Friday on a championship score of zero after stopping the timers in 69.34.
Lying in second place after the first round is Zone 7's Katie Cox (Conroe, Texas) with Kim Cox's Twilight after producing a clear effort in 69.39 and stand on an overall total of .03.
Michael Hughes (Allendale, N.J.) and Christina Fried's Luxina jumped a lightning fast round, but a single rail meant they would add four seconds to their time for a score of 69.80. The Zone 2 veteran stands on a total of .23 after Thursday.
Lucy Deslauriers and Hester (Sportfot)
Lucas Porter (Bartonville, Texas) stands second behind Deslauriers with Sleepy P Ranch LLC's Phineas, after producing a clear round in a time of 67.26. The Zone 7 rider now stands on a championship score of .65.
Lying in Bronze medal position after the Junior Speed Leg, is Zone 10's Peyton Warren (Rancho Murierta, Calif.) with her Lysander 99. The pair produced a clear trip in a time of 68.02 and stand on an overall total of 1.03.
Competition continues on Friday with Junior and Young Rider Nations Cups; the juniors will be first in the Rolex Stadium beginning at 8am ET.
The 14 North American Young Rider Endurance Championship competitors kicked off their championship with the Horse Inspection, where all horses were accepted. This year's field includes Emilynn DiBassie, the number one ranked Young Rider in the FEI Rankings.