Sunday: American Driving Standard raised
Sunday morning always brings a mix of emotions. The adrenaline from the marathon has passed and has been replaced by a feeling of certainty for the last phase of competition. The morning routine seems to drag a little for all grooms are feeling the pressure of the week and hoping no unpleasant surprises await. An in barn vet check takes place for American team drivers to make sure all horses are fit after the marathon. Luckily there were no serious problems and only two teams made a decision to drive different horses. Out of all 16 teams, one American team and one Canadian team decided to withdraw leaving 14 teams to battle it out. The wait for cones to start is always filled with anxiety.

Grooms are wanting to get their team out and trying to distract themselves by packing for the trip home. Finally the time comes to head to the ring and finish the job. Walking up to the warmup ring this Sunday was different from all other driving shows in America. The difference was that there was a real feeling of stiff, international competition. The winner was not clear and no one knew who would end up with the Kentucky Cup. As it turned out, Chester Weber won the cones ahead of Jimmy Fairclough with Boyd Exell in third. Once Chester crossed the finish, there was an eruption of applause and us grooms were full of smiles, hugs and surprise that our team was able to come out 7 time national champions. With two Americans on the podium, it was a great start to the road to 2010.