Phillip Dutton kept his crown as the king of Red Hills with another win in the Adequan USEA Gold Cup & PRO Tour Series CIC3* after an exciting cross-country finish. Last year Phillip drove home from Red Hills in a brand new Mercedes thanks to his win aboard Jim and Arden Wildasin’s Mystery Whisper. This year he gets to trade the car in for another new one after winning today’s competition with Bruce Duchossois’ Mighty Nice, a 9-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding (ARD Ohio x Sarazen). Phillip and ‘Happy’ are no strangers to the Tallahassee, Florida event having won the CIC2* in 2011 as well.

“I know Mighty Nice very well, but to tell you the truth a horse like Mystery Whisper is much more suited to a course like this then Mighty Nice,” said Phillip. “I didn’t actually set out thinking I was going to win although I did have it in the back of my mind when Marilyn had some time on [RF Smoke on the Water] I knew that I could win.”

Phillip finished the Hugh Lochore-designed course in six minutes and 34 seconds, eight seconds over the time allowed. Luckily the 3.2 penalties added to his dressage mark of 43 weren’t too many to grab the top spot as overnight leader, Marilyn Little garnered six penalties with RF Smoke on the Water to drop down to a score of 50.7.

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