Phillip Dutton is one busy man this weekend. Everyone that shipped down from True Prospect Farm knew that this was going to be a busy time for them. Phillip was originally scheduled to ride three horses (The Foreman, Waterfront and Kheops Du Quesnay), at the Rolex Kentucky Three Day Event presented by Bridgestone. He was then supposed to hop on a plane Sunday night to ride Woodburn at the Mitsubishi Motors Badminton Horse Trials next week. Then things blew-up.

Literally.

Iceland's Eyjafjallajökull volcano erupted and left European air travel in limbo. Woodburn was supposed to ship to England the week of Rolex but volcanic ash was not going to allow for that to happen.

So thanks to some quick thinking and many phone calls, Woodburn stepped onto the Lexington bound trailer and not the transcontinental flight.

The chestnut gelding has come to the event for the past two years. In 2008, he and Dutton finished ninth in the horse’s first 4* and was twelfth in 2009.

Nobody would have blamed Woodburn this morning if he was a bit confused about whether he was at Rolex or Badminton. When he trotted down center-line at 9:30 there was a definite chill in the air with quite a few raindrops.

Phillip has been riding the horse in a double-bridle this season and he has been going better and better at each competition. He scored a 47.7, the best score Woodburn has gotten in the Johnson Arena.

Woodburn in his element
Mike McNally Photo

Tomorrow the horse will be in his element. With a great gallop and phenomenal jump, he is a cross-country machine.

Woodburn may be a bit disappointed to not be at Badminton but that is not holding him back from his best start ever at Rolex.