Darren Chiacchia and Phillip Dutton always seem to be battling each other for the win in the Red Hills CIC***W, Tallahassee, Fla., and this year is no different, so far. Chiacchia and Windfall won the dressage (43.1) on Friday and went just fast enough around Capt. Mark Phillips’ winding cross-country course today, March 10, to maintain their lead, with just 6.0 time penalties, the second-fastest round of the division.

Dutton posted the fastest round, earning just 2.8 time penalties aboard Tru Luck, who’s running over the course for the first time. Dutton’s winner last year, The Foreman, was entered but scratched before the start of the event, so Dutton’s only ride is the greener Tru Luck. The pair moved up from fourth after dressage to stand on a score of 50.3, just 1.2 penalties behind Chiacchia (49.1).

Jonathan Holling and Lion King, runners up here last year, are in third and still less than a rail behind the leaders on a score of 52.0 after galloping around the course and accumulating only 6.4 time penalties.

The field was smaller than usual in the CIC***W this year, with just 21 starters. Although there’s no FEI World Cup to qualify for this year, the lure of a BMW for the winner still has riders entering their top horses, and the course didn’t cause a lot of trouble for these experienced pairs. The water complexes caused the most penalties. Elisa Wallace/Leap Of Faith and Leigh Mesher/My Beau both stopped once at the bounce into the Appalachee Bay, fence 15AB, and Jan Byyny/Waterfront had a stop at the vertical element of the bounce bank out of the water. Sandra Donnelly was eliminated when Buenos Aires took a dramatic tumble over the Dolphin Dance, fence 17.

Riders in the CIC*** division had more trouble, although dressage leader Imtiaz Inees kept his lead (69.4) aboard Extravagance, and Kate Luce held on to second place (73.7) aboard Fox In Flight. Laine Ashker stands third with Eight Saint James Place (74.1), but the other seven riders in the division all had faults, and Lisa Kent/Bouvey and Maren Foster/Star Wars both decided to retire.

 Amy Tryon and Le Samurai are the overnight leaders in the advanced division on a score of 52.1, ahead of Bonnie Mosser and Merloch (52.2) and Emilee Libby and Cahir (54.5). Dornin North is also within striking distance with her Lion Display on a score of 56.6.