This article was originally posted at www.useventing.com.

Five days of competition came to a close Sunday at The Event at Rebecca Farm with the third and final phase of the Adequan USEA Gold Cup and PRO Tour Series. Blossom Creek Foundation’s Super Socks BCF and Matthew Brown of Petaluma, California gave a top class performance, completing Richard Jeffery’s show jumping course without a single fault. James Alliston of San Ramon, California and Mojo held onto their overnight second place despite rolling three poles, and Jordan Linstedt of Redmond, Washington rounded out the top three places with Revitavet Capato.

Richard Jeffery is well known for beautifully designed courses that pose the right questions for each level. Matthew Brown used the experience he has gained in the hunter/jumper arena over recent years, and guided Super Socks BCF around a technical course to win. This was only the horse’s fourth advanced level competition.

“My horse was wonderful today,” said Brown. “He tried his heart out for me. I have only been riding him for about 18 months and at first I had a hard time with control and we pulled some rails. But now I have learned to get out of his way and let him do his job and these last two events he has jumped clear.

“The first time I rode him when he got to the States, he bucked me off and that’s when I realized I liked him. When I first rode him in Ireland I wasn’t sure about him, but when he bucked me off I knew. He had an attitude and a personality and I liked that.”

Brown quickly acknowledged the part that owners play in this sport. “I have to thank Bob and Valerie Fish who bought the horse for me and also Bea and Derek di Grazia who went to Ireland and found him. Without them I would not have such a lovely horse to ride,” he said.

“Everybody who knows me knows that I would not be here without my wife. She does everything but ride the horse. I owe everything to her,” said Brown. “If it wasn’t for her, I wouldn’t be getting on the horse at the right time or be in the right place in the right clothes.”

James Alliston thought the three rails he had down on Mojo would drop him down the rankings, but his fast cross-country ride yesterday gave him enough in hand to hold onto second place.

“This has been a lot for him this weekend,” he said. “He is green at this level and a bit of a wild man so in an arena it is hard to settle him in a rhythm; you are constantly turning and the fences come up quite quickly. There were lots of related distances out there. I am happy with him, especially his cross-country, but I have lots of homework to do [in the show jumping].”

Third-placed Jordan Linstedt and her mother have owned Revitavet Capato since he was a three-year-old.

“He’s come a long way. He was awful for a very long time and no one wanted to ride him because he was so naughty,” she recalled. “I took the ride on him from my younger sister about four years ago when I was working with Tamie Smith and took him to his first novice and worked up to this.”

Lindstedt feels confident heading into the fall season. She and Matt Brown are headed to the Fair Hill International CCI3* while Alliston is planning on the Galway Downs CCI3*.

Gin & Juice was full of spirit today and she and Hawley Bennett-Awad had a brief discussion over who was going to call the shots. The mare had not been out competing since Kentucky, and her exuberance got the better of her today. Four rails fell, but the pair’s performance during the previous two days were so good that she only dropped one place to fourth.

All the riders are excited about the announcement that Rebecca Farm will run a CCI3* next year. “It is a huge deal for U.S. eventing,” said Matt Brown. “Anybody who is anybody should be here supporting this next year and it will definitely draw more people to this event. The obvious passion that Sarah and Jerome [Broussard] have for the sport and the horses comes through in everything they do. The event holds itself to the highest standard and for that reason is one of the best in the world.”