My Boy Bobby (Mike McNally)
Australia’s Lucinda Fredericks had a lightning fast round on her chestnut mare Headley Britannia. Trying to duplicate her husband Clayton’s winning feat in 2007, Fredericks blazed around and made the optimum time of 11 minutes despite having to go the long way at the Head of the Lake.
“Things didn’t go quite as planned at the Head of the Lake,” said Fredericks. “ She’s a funny little thing, she can get strong and be difficult to manage at the beginning of the course, I had always planned to take the long route at the sunken road, I just had a bee in my bonnet about that. Then I was making up the time and she had really opened up, I came around the corner and didn’t quite get the distance I wanted (at the Head of the Lake). I had planned for six (strides to the corner) and I got four.”
The pair stands on their dressage score of 32.3. A winner at Burghley in 2006 and Badminton in 2007, the diminutive 16-year-old Thoroughbred cross is poised to become the first mare to win this CCI****.
“I don’t think I’ve ever gone so fast – she just motored,” said Fredericks.
Dressage winner Bettina Hoy gave her 18-year-old Irish Sport Horse veteran, Ringwood Cockatoo, a sympathetic ride around Mike Etherington-Smith’s course. The German rider swapped places with Fredericks when she picked up 9.6 time faults. Their two-day score of 38.4, keeps them less than a rail clear of the top placed American.
“He was a little bit backed off,” said Hoy. “He wouldn’t be the most confident horse with drop fences, and there were a lot of drops out there. But we are like an old married couple out there, I’m very, very proud of him.”
Buck Davidson, who gave Carl and Cassandra Segal’s My Boy Bobby a fantastic ride, picked up 1.2 time faults along the way. They lead the 12th Rolex/USEF National CCI**** Championship.
The 13-year-old Irish Sport Horse jumps with the very best, but lacks a little bit of gallop. Davidson, who is one of the top up-and-coming professionals in the country at 32 years old, rode very accurately, looked after ‘Bobby’ and got him home safely at his first CCI****.
“Bobby stuck in there and tried harder than I thought he ever would,” said Davidson. “I had a few time faults but I’m very, very proud of him. He gave me everything he had. He was so good through the Lake to go to the corner on a long stride. It was hot out there and he just kept trying.”
Davidson shared the course with his father at the end of the afternoon, Bruce Davidson, Sr. Bruce has won the event five times, Buck has been the leading young rider on numerous occasions and was fourth in 2003.
“I was so excited and relieved to see Dad come home on Cruise Lion,” said Davidson. “He was so proud.”
Davidson had a mishap on his first horse, BallyNoe Castle RM. Just before the sunken road a dog ran onto the course and BallyNoe Castle RM had a refusal at the first element. Despite that, Davidson was really proud of both his horses at their first CCI****.
“Both horses were terrific,” said Davidson. “I couldn’t have asked for better rides on either.”
Perfect weather and conditions greeted the competitors and the track rode well, a great test run for the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games to be held at the Kentucky Horse Park next September.
For complete results and a live web cast please see: www.rk3de.org.
William Fox-Pitt is live in the Rolex Grand Slam, which offers $350,000 to any rider who can win the three most prestigious CCI**** events in the world (Badminton, Burghley and Rolex Kentucky) in any order, in succession. Fox-Pitt won last year’s Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials with Tamarillo, if he wins Rolex Kentucky he will head to Badminton in two weeks time to attempt to accomplish a feat only done once before. Fellow Brit, Pippa Funnell won the Rolex Grand Slam in 2003. Currently he lies eighth on 45.9 with Seacookie.
For the first year ever, the Rolex Kentucky Three Day Event is part of the HSBC Classics Series. This series features $150,000 in prize money to the rider who accumulates the most points at the five global CCI****s. The series begins in Lexington and finishes in Pau, France in October. For more information, please visit: http://www.fei.org/Disciplines/Eventing/Pages/HSBCFEIClassics.aspx.