Flashpoint Photography (Kim Severson and Winsome Adante: Runaway Winners of the 2005 Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event Presented by Farnam)
“For me competing is sort of like eating, it’s a necessity,” said the newly crowned champion and winner of $65,000 and a Rolex watch. “It sort of makes my world go around.”
Winsome Adante, the 12-year-old bay Thoroughbred gelding owned by Linda Wachtmeister and Plain Dealing Farm, Inc., was Severson’s partner at the 2004 Athens Olympics where she brought home an Individual Silver medal, as well as a Team Bronze. “He was just about perfect,” said Severson. “It was Dan’s weekend.”
Going into the final day’s test of eventing – show jumping – the day’s champion and overnight leader admitted that she had a few trepidations about the work to be done.
“All morning I kept picturing something stupid happening like falling off or missing a jump,” said Severson. “Certainly, I was not relaxed in the ring. It wasn’t until I turned to the last two oxers that I took a breath.”
There was a brief moment of tension for the pair when approaching jump 6 after the Liverpool that had seen poles fly throughout the afternoon’s round. A host of riders and their mounts found it to be the spot on the course where penalty points mounted.
“He [Winsome Adante] just got a little bit excited for a second,” she said on her horse’s reaction to the elation from the crowd on clearing the troublesome spot in the course. “I didn’t really think it was a problem or anything, but he kind of scooted a bit.”
About the show jumping course designed by Britain’s Richard Jeffery, Severson said, “I think it was a little bit easier than what we’ve been show jumping this spring.” And based on how she handled the test, it would certainly have appeared to be true. “Nonetheless, it was a great course, though.”
Britain’s Leslie Law dropped to third place aboard his Coup de Coeur after dropping a rail and posting one time penalty. The five penalty points landed Law and his 11-year-old dark brown Thoroughbred gelding at third place for their efforts on a score of 55.4.
Law, the 2004 Athens Gold medalist, had to head straight to the airport to travel back to Britain to begin preparations for his bid at a Badminton title, did provide a comment for the press. In a nod to Severson’s win, he said, “While [in Athens] she was a Silver medalist, but she was clearly golden today.”
“We weren’t on the same page with her today,” said Australian Phillip Dutton who impressively placed three horses in the top five placings. “She was in a class of her own.” Severson’s 17 point lead at the end of scoring said it all.
Dutton rode his bay Thoroughbred gelding The Foreman into the reserve champion spot, ending their campaign on a score of 55.2, which included four penalty points tallied during the show jumping round. It was The Foreman’s first four-star effort.
“It’s a big, big jump from the three-star to the four-star,” said Dutton. “He’s done well at the three-star, but there is still that question of how will they handle it when everything gets bigger. He obviously stepped right up…I think it has been a great experience for him and I’m very excited about it.”
His other two mounts, the chestnut Thoroughbred gelding Nova Top, and the bay Thoroughbred gelding Hannigan, sat at fourth and fifth places both finishing with 59.2 penalty points.