Karen O'Connor and Mandiba (Photo by Shannon Brinkman for USEF)
Saturday's Cross-Country
It was a phenomenal day for the Land Rover U.S. Eventing Team. Cross-country day dawned bright and sunny at the Kentucky Horse Park as the second phase of eventing got underway at the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games. Many of the riders had described Mike Etherington-Smith's cross-country track as one of the biggest they'd seen, but 79 horses and riders set out to conquer the championship course.
With only one stop between the five riders on the American squad and just a handful of time faults, the American team rocketed up the standings into second place with 143.7 total points. Great Britain is just ahead of the USA with 139.4, and Canada is just behind them with 147.5.
Boyd Martin was the first American out on course with Windurra LLC's Neville Bardos. Martin had said prior to riding that this was the biggest course he'd ever seen, but he felt that it was "made for" a horse like Neville, and he was right. Martin was the second rider to come in clear and under the time. Martin finished cross-country in 15th place with a score of 49.5.
"It wasn't the prettiest ride I've ever ridden," he said. "Neville was pretty wound up and excited. He was running at the fences, so I was trying to slow him down and go fast at the same time. Unfortunately, I lost my position and had a little bit of an ugly ride in [the Land Between the Lakes] and nearly busted my nose! But thanks to Neville, he kept going and I found my saddle again."
Anchor rider Phillip Dutton had a characteristic fast and clean round aboard Woodburn, who is owned by Acorn Hill Farm, Ann Jones and Mardie Faucette, to stay on his dressage score of 48.2. The New Zealand Thoroughbred now sits in the 14th position. After being held at the start for more than 20 minutes due to a hold on course, Dutton said that Woodburn was a tad slow to start but quickly got into his usual rhythm.
"He felt great," Dutton said. "He's obviously a phenomenal cross-country horse. He actually went into the start box very relaxed for him. With cross-country riding, you don't actually get to enjoy it until it's over, but with that horse you actually get close to enjoying it as you ride around."
Veteran rider Karen O'Connor rode like a woman on a mission and also had a quick and clean ride around the course on Joan Goswell's Mandiba today, adding just .8 time faults to their score to finish the day on 45.6. She is sitting in ninth place individually. O'Connor was very enthusiastic about her ride.
"I was pretty fired up and that got him fired up," she said. "The more regimented I made his ride out there, the better he jumped. I don't think I had a bad fence out there. He really didn't touch anything. It was pretty cool."
Mandiba came off the course very well. O'Connor said his pulse and respiration were excellent as he was being cooled out.
Buck Davidson and Carl and Cassandra Segal's BallyNoe Castle RM, didn't have the smoothest trip, unfortunately. After a few tense moments early in the course, the pair had a refusal at the first element of The Red River Gorge sunken road complex. Coupled with some time faults, their two-day score is 93.0.
"I'm disappointed," Davidson said. "He was good. It was just a bit hairy going into the coffin and real hairy at the stone wall, but he got going. He's just funny about that sunken road. Then he got going."
Davidson and BallyNoe Castle RM finished the course stronger than they started and Davidson knows that he has a good jumper ready for the task at hand on Sunday in the show jumping ring.
One of the highlights of the day for the Americans was individual rider Becky Holder who rode her (and husband Tom's) Courageous Comet brilliantly around the course to just add 3.2 time faults to their dressage score. Finishing on a score of 42.5, Holder and Comet currently are sitting in third.
"He was great," she said of the former racehorse. "He was turned on the whole way. I think when I had to reach back and tap him a few times it was more for me than him. I was so pleased with him."
Holder was thrilled to hear all the support from the American fans who came to cheer on their team.
"It was like a giant roar carrying me around the course!" she said. "It was fantastic, and what a great feeling. I couldn't even hear the beeping on my watch!"
Still in the individual lead is the German pair of Michael Jung and La Biosthetique-Sam FBW. The pair turned in a stunning dressage test yesterday to earn a score of 33.0 from the judges and completed the cross-country course well under the time allowed to remain on top of the leader board.
"I'm very happy that I could start with a good dressage yesterday, and in cross-country my horse is brilliant," Jung said after his ride. "He's very fast and quick and it's a very good feeling to ride him. I'm very happy."
Jung has two rails in hand over the second-place finisher going into the show jumping.
"He's been jumping well all season," he said. "But it will be a hard atmosphere. He was fresh when ended the cross-country, but tomorrow he has to concentrate on me and the jumps, and not the atmosphere in the stadium."
Sitting in the silver medal position is the 2010 Rolex Kentucky CCI4* winner, William Fox-Pitt aboard Cool Mountain. The gelding was ready to run and turned in a beautiful, clean round well within the time. The pair finished on their dressage score of 42.0.
"He's a tremendous horse and he gave me a tremendous ride," Fox-Pitt said. "I was very pleased to go through the main lake because there was a lot going on there! It was a good feeling to jump that well.
Fox-Pitt said that tonight will be about preparation for tomorrow, but that he doesn't want to rush though it.
"Enjoying the moment is very important because you never know what will happen. I almost don't want tomorrow to come because I'm really enjoying the moment right now."
The final horse inspection takes place tomorrow morning at 9:00. Those who are accepted to continue the competition in the final phase, show jumping, will being tomorrow afternoon at 1:00.
ENDS