Pathfinder Karen O’Connor, from The Plains, Virginia, got the day started with Theodore O’Connor, a 12-year-old Thoroughbred/Arabian/Shetland cross. A pony by definition, standing just 14.1 hands, he romped around the track just four seconds over the time and into the lead on a score of 48.7.
“He was plenty, plenty fit enough,” said O’Connor right after her ride. “There was no question. I got down on the clock a little bit in the woods though 17, 18 the soccer ball jump at 19, I was probably 15 seconds down at the last water, but I hustled and finished four seconds over. I’m delighted. It was the starting round for our team, and I accomplished what I was asked to accomplish. I went the long way at the big drop riding under team orders. The only time I get in trouble on Teddy is when I ride him like he’s 14.1. If I ride him like he’s 17.3, then that’s how he goes.”
The most experienced rider on the team O’Connor came back with valuable information for her teammates. Lying in third place overnight, Theodore O’Connor (owned by the Theodore O’Connor Syndicate) made light work of the track and galloped home happily into the lead and watched the score stand from the stables for the rest of the day.
“My goal has always been to just give him the very best ride possible and minimize his effort out there,” she said. “I just let him do his thing and try to make it easy for him. I was thrilled with him, he really gave me a great ride.”
Riding as an individual, Springville, New York’s Darren Chiacchia rode Better I Do It (owned by Adrienne Iorio) in his attempt to defend his 2003 Pan American Games Individual Gold medal. Lying in fourth place after the dressage, Chiacchia and the 15-year-old Swedish Warmblood started off strong and kept up a very good lick around the entire course.
“He was just right on it right out of the box. Actually a little bit too cheeky at first,” said Chiacchia. “The most difficult combination, the coffin, rode like a gymnastic exercise. He was really, really good. At the drop to the skinny was a jump everyone was concerned about when I came around the seven-minute mark, and I was close to the time. I thought the only way I can get this done is to go the straight way. So, I actually crossed over the line and changed my mind. It’s something I’ve never done before, and that was his best jump on the course. “
The combination survived an awkward moment at the second water, a jump that proved over the course of the day to be more influential than it walked.
“I had a bit of an awkward moment. People were talking about doing a bending three, and I decided to just line it up and go straight in two,” he said. “It’s a good thing I did. He jumped in, did a little stumble and had his nose in the water, and I picked his head up and there was the alligator. I’m not sure what happened, I thought I was 10 seconds under. I could have smoked those two seconds anywhere. So those were my two seconds not his. He put in a really good round.”
Chiacchia feels confident about his horse’s ability tomorrow, and he goes into the show jumping in third place on a score of 50.2.
“He wants to jump the jumps clean. There’s no question about it,” said Chiacchia. “It’s about doing my job with him tomorrow. There’s certainly a clear round in him. I think it is going to be a very tight competition in the end.”
The third U.S. rider and the second member of the team to head out on the course was California rider Gina Miles and the 13-year-old, 17.2-hand McKinlaigh. owned by Thomas Schulz and Laura Coats. The long-striding McKinlaigh stepped around the track easily and ended up 30 seconds under the time. Miles found a rhythm and never wavered from it – but never pressed the horse at all.
“My horse was a rock star,” said Miles (pictured left on McKinlaigh on course). “My kids thought I would be a rock star, so that’s why I was.”
Miles didn’t let the disappointment of her score in yesterday’s dressage bother her. She decided to use it productively instead and finished the day tied for fourth with Canada’s Kyle Carter riding Madison Park on a score of 56.3.
“I was so mad,” she said. “It was about channeling your energy in the right direction, and he tore it up. He wasn’t even trying. I never even had to kick him. I walked the course and knew where I could cut the corners and got in a pace and just stayed there.”
The third team member, Stephen Bradley and Charlotte Harris’ From, were held for nearly 30 minutes after Argentinean rider Jose Ortelli, Jr., had a nasty fall with Jos Aladar. Both horse and rider are no worse for the wear, but Bradley and From had to wait in the odd deck circle. The 15-year-old Russian Thoroughbred started off very confidently, but unfortunately picked up a refusal at the alligator in the second water. Bradley took responsibility, but said the horse was more tired than he expected.
“I was absolutely thrilled with From,” said Bradley. “We had a couple of rough fences at the end of the course where he was tired, and he hit them pretty hard. At the last water, he jumped in quiet, and I was told if that happened I could do four strides and so rather trying to move up for three. I sat quiet for the four, and he just got right up underneath it. It was totally my fault. It was so disappointing because everyone put so much time and effort into it, but he’s come out of it well.”
In second after the dressage, Bradley and From slipped to 13th on a score of 68.9.
Unfortunately, Mara Dean and Nicki Henley, the overnight leaders after the dressage, retired on course between 22 and 23. Dean felt that the horse wasn’t quite right and made the decision to pull him up immediately. According to Capt. Mark Phillips, the U.S. chef d’equipe, Nicki Henley walked back to the stable where he was met by a team veterinarian who did confirm that he sustained an injury to his left front leg, but it is thought he will be fit to fly home on Monday with the rest of the team.
Phillip Dutton, in the anchor position while riding for the U.S. for the first time aboard Tru Luck (owned by Ann Jones and Shannon Stimson and pictured right on course with Phillip), knew that Bradley had had trouble before he went out on course, but didn’t change his plan.
“I was always planning on going clean, so it wasn’t too much different,” said Dutton. “You just have to go and pick off every jump.”
The 10-year-old Thoroughbred gelding used his long stride and acceleration to get quickly around the track. Dutton, known for his cross-country style, had confidence in his horse’s ability before he set out.
“He’s a very good horse, and he did a four-star in the spring. So, before I went out, I knew it shouldn’t be a huge test for him, but it actually rode harder than it looked. It’s all roped pretty tight and off turns and you had to move pretty hard to get the time so that puts a bit more pressure on it.”
Dutton and Tru Luck lie in second after the cross-country on a score of 49.8, less than a point off of their teammate. Less than a rail separates the top three horses.
In the team competition, the U.S. stretched their lead to 23 points finishing with 154.8 over Canada’s 177.10. Brazil still lies in third with 192.6.
Eventing wraps up on Sunday with the exciting finale – the show jumping, which starts at 2 p.m. after an 11 a.m. horse inspection.