Nathalie Bouckaert and West Farthing, whose collapse in the show jumping at April’s Rolex Kentucky CCI**** cost them the victory in the short-format CCI, today kept the lead they’d claimed after cross-country and held on to the advanced title at the American Eventing Championships. With a determined ride, Bouckaert and West Farthing lowered one fence to win the championship by almost 13 penalties, at the Carolina Horse Park in Raeford, N.C.

After placing sixth in dressage, yesterday on cross-country Bouckaert and West Farthing took over the lead by finishing with 7.2 time faults, the day’s fastest time. No one else came close to Bouckaert’s time of 6:36 on the rainy afternoon. Her husband, Michael Pollard, was the next-fastest rider, finishing 16 seconds slower on S.S. Jett. With three rails down today, S.S. Jett still finished fourth.
Karen O’Connor and Grand Slam also lowered three fences this afternoon but still claimed second. Corinne Ashton and Dobbin moved up to third (from fifth) with 4 faults for one rail. Only one horse went clean in the advanced show jumping–Sportscar and Gillian Clissold, the first on course as they were standing in 20th place.

Show jumping was even more decisive in the intermediate division, as Mark Weissbecker and Decordova, a paint, moved up from sixth place by recording 4 faults. Landlord and Will Faudree, who had been seventh, took second place with another four-fault performance.
Julie Richards and Hyde Park Corner, members of the 2000 Olympic team, climbed all the way from 12th to third with a rare completely faultless round. And Linden Wiesman on Kirby Park Jamaica held fourth with 8 faults as the top three horses crumbled on the painted jumps.

Third-placed Andrina Calder, a young rider, and Herzprinz slid into fence 3 and incurred 4 faults for the refusal and 8 time faults. Second-placed Johanna DuFort, also a young rider, and North Light lowered three rails, and leader Sue Berrill and Welton Hvala dislodged the back rail of the first oxer and three more rails to fall to 12th.

Young riders dominated the preliminary championship, though, and they did it with clear rounds. Nate Chambers of Vienna, Va., and Rolling Stone II held their overnight lead to edge fellow young riders Shawn Price on Jack The Lad and Dana Widstrand on Relentless Pursuit. Two other young riders also finished in the top 10–Erin Liedle finished seventh on The Player and Amanda Glueck finished eighth on Jovial.

In addition, amateur Roxanne Booth rode Marrakech Express to fourth place in the preliminary championships with her own clear round.
Canadian Olympic team rider Mike Winter was the star of the preliminary horse division, finishing first on Wonderful Will, second on Kingpin, and sixth on Daybreak.

Olympic silver medalist Kim Severson was back on the grounds today after being injured in a freak accident yesterday. With a stiff neck but no broken bones, she said her horse had panicked and run backwards, fallen over, and thrown her under another horse.