The Jersey Fresh Three-Day Event ended as it began for Australian Olympic Gold medalist Phillip Dutton, at the top of the scoreboard.

Dutton, who lives in West Grove, PA, but rides for his native Australia, maintained his lead in the show jumping phase of the three-star event, which kept Buck Davidson, of Ringoes, NJ, in second place.

Dutton was delighted with the performance of his mount Amazing Odyssey, a horse he described as “one of the best jumping horses I’ve ever ridden.” The panel of veterinarians who inspect each of the horses during the three days of competition, were also impressed, naming Amazing Odyssey the best conditioned horse in the division.

This weekend marked the first time the Horse Park of New Jersey had a three-day event at the three-star level. The Horse Park also ran a two-star level event, which has been held at the Allentown, NJ site for three years, the same weekend.

Davidson, of Millstone, NJ, who rode trainer Wendy Lewis’ Hyperlite, finished second. Lewis gave Davidson the ride to solve his issues with jumping through water, and also because she and Hyperlite didn’t get along that well. “She clicks with most other horses but she just doesn’t click with this one,” Davidson said. Davidson’s cross-country ride on Hyperlite was the talk of the showgrounds, since he managed to stay on the horse event though he stumbled into the water. It was an incredible feat of balance and determination.

Earlier in the day, Lewis had a great finish herself in the two-star event. She and Galway Blazer, a Connemara/Thoroughbred cross, finished second overall. “It was really special for me because so many of the students at the barn I teach out of, Golden Gait, (Millstone, N.J.) were there to cheer me on. This was the only opportunity most of them were able to see what I do in competition at this level since there is nothing else in the area,” she said.

Lewis was second to Rebecca Brown, of Dallas, TX, who rode the diminuitive, but highly athletic, Twinkle Toes, a young, inexperienced horse she traded for her older lesson horse, “because he was cute and had a lot of personality.” That trade paid off quite well for Brown, giving the 18-year-old high school senior her career-best finish in the sport. When she realized she defeated several international riders to win the division, she was stunned. “I couldn’t believe it. I was in shock.”

Brown was in third place going into show jumping, but moved up when former Olympian Stephen Bradley’s mount New Moon accrued 20 jumping penalties and dropped to third. Brown’s horse turned in a smooth, yet powerful round, leaving all the jumps standing.

Even though many riders struggled to complete the challenging cross-country course set by John Williams, riders such as Davidson and Karen O’Connor, who finished third in the three star-division, described it as a fair test.

“In the beginning, the two-star competition (which has been held at the park since 2002) was a bit soft. Now it’s where it should be,” Davidson said.~~~