Leading the morning session’s scores for Thursday’s dressage was Phillip Dutton aboard Connaught. The rain didn’t seem to bother the pair as it started to pour down harder during the beginning of their ride. Dutton, who previously rode for Australia on the 1996 and 2000 Olympic Gold-medal teams, switched his citizenship in December to ride as an American. Dutton has been based out of Pennsylvania since 1993. Dutton’s ride earned him a score of 48.90, placing him in third at the end of Day 1, after two riders topped his score.
It wouldn’t be until later in the day, once the rain let up, before anyone topped Dutton’s score. But then along came Missy Ransehousen aboard Critical Decision to knock Dutton into second with a score of 47.8. Critical Decision, a bay Warmblood/Thoroughbred gelding, is owned by Missy’s mother, Jessica Ransehousen. Ransehousen expressed her appreciation for her 17.1-hand horse, who looked big upon entering the arena. With a big pat on the neck, Ransehousen sported a smile that said that she knew she had ridden a good test. This is the first year for Ransehousen and Critical Decision at a four-star event.
Saturday will put the pair to the test with Michael Etherington Smith’s cross-country course, which is always one of the most challenging eventing courses that eventers face each year. “The first time walking this course…actually I liked it,” said Ransehousen. “I think it’s a beautiful course. I don’t feel overly overwhelmed about it all. I think they’ve done a beautiful job, and hopefully it will ride as well as it looks.”
In 2006, Critical Decision competed in the Advanced Horse Trials at Plantation Field (16th) in Pennsylvania, at Morven Park (12th) in Virginia, and at Fair Hill (11th) in Maryland. The pair placed second in the Open Intermediate Horse Trials in Florida in February and came in second at Rocking Horse II in the advanced division.
The next rider to follow Ransehousen, Kristin Bachman would again surprise the crowd as she topped Dutton’s score with a 48.2 aboard Gryffindor, but it was not enough to get the lead. Still she said the test rode pretty well, despite the earlier downpours, although the corners were a bit harder to ride due to the footing.
Bachman commented that she is more comfortable and organized this year than last, when she finished in 27th. “Last year was my first year and walking around it [the cross-country course], my eyes were popping out, and I was wondering what I was doing here, but this year I think it’s a great course.
“But again, I’m a little more comfortable with it. I don’t quite wonder what I’m doing,” she concluded with a laugh. “But it looks like it’s going to be a lot of fun.”
Coming in fourth place was young rider Tiana Coudray and King Street. The pair was the first pair of the afternoon to get near the lead with a score of 49.3, as earlier riders in the afternoon session dealt with huge downpours. Sitting in fifth place is Karin Donkckers of Belgium aboard Gazelle de la Brassarie. Darren Chiacchia, most known for riding the black stallion Windfall II, brought another horse this year, Better I Do It. The pair currently sit in sixth place.
In seventh is the much-talked-about Sport pony, Theodore O’Connor (a.k.a. Teddy), with rider Karen O’Connor. Teddy, who stands at 14.1-hands, becomes the first pony to ever start at the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event. His breeding is ¾ Thoroughbred, 1/8 Shetland, and 1/8 Arabian. But despite his small stature, he looked big in the arena as he skillfully performed his dressage test, ending on a score of 55.7. Also at 55.7 and tied for seventh is the veteran pair of John Williams and Sloopy. In 2006, Williams and Sloopy tied for ninth in the four-star at Rolex.
Rounding out the top ten is WEG-veteran Jan Byyny with the Thoroughbred gelding Waterfront in ninth and Australia’s Wendy Schaeffer aboard Koyuna Sun Magic in 10th.
With the lowest score on Day 1 being a 47.8 by Ransehousen and Critical Decision, there is room for one of the riders on Day 2 to come along with an even lower score. Some of the top American riders to watch on Day 2 include Dutton on his second horse, TruLuck, who will ride last in the afternoon; Becky Holder on Courageous Comet, who led after last year’s cross-country course only to finish 13th after a challenging show jumping round; Heidi White Carty on Northern Spy, who landed in second last year as the highest-placed American; Karen O’Connor on Upstage; and Olympian and FEI World Equestrian Games veteran Amy Tryon aboard Le Samurai. And, you can bet that some of the riders who have come from as far away as Australia, Great Britain, The Netherlands, Belgium and Canada are not going to give up without riding their hearts out for one of the biggest titles in eventing in the world.
The Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event, Presented by Farnam, is the only four-star event in the Western hemisphere. Riders compete in this competition for their share of $200,000 in prize money, with the winning owner receiving $65,000. The winning rider gets to sport a new Rolex watch. The USET Pinnacle Trophy is presented to the top American rider, who is also named the United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) National CCI**** Eventing National Champion.
Highlights from the event will be broadcast by NBC Sports in a one-hour special on Sunday, May 6, from 5:00-6:00 p.m. EDT. In addition, fans who aren’t able to make it to the Kentucky Horse Park for the event can still catch the action live through NBCSports.com’s daily webcast, available at www.mediazone.com/channel/nbcsports/equestrian/index.jsp. These webcasts were made possible through the joint efforts of NBC; Equestrian Events, Inc., the producer of the event; and the USEF.