Boekelo, The Netherlands—Oct. 10
The Land Rover U.S. Eventing Team had another day of splendid performances at the Military Boekelo-Enschede CCIO*** as they took on Sue Benson’s challenging cross-country track. The U.S. Nations Cup team of Matt Brown and Super Socks BCF, Buck Davidson and Copper Beach, Elisabeth Halliday-Sharp and HHS Cooley, and Marilyn Little and RF Scandalous are currently in third place with a score of 170.10. Lauren Kieffer and Landmark’s Monte Carlo had a fantastic round to lead the American combinations and climb the leaderboard to ninth place.
Kieffer and Landmark’s Monte Carlo had a textbook cross-country round, adding just 1.20 time penalties to their score over a track where time was difficult to make. Even though it is just the second CCI*** start for Jacqueline B. Mars’ Irish Thoroughbred Cross gelding, he looked like a seasoned veteran with Kieffer in the irons. The pair’s score of 49.80 allowed them to shoot up the leaderboard from 46th place to an impressive ninth place heading into tomorrow’s final phase.
“I am really pleased with ‘Patrick.’ He has matured so much on this trip and one of Ms. Mars’ and my biggest goals was to expose him to as much atmosphere as possible this year, and Boekelo certainly has that,” Kieffer explained of competing Landmark’s Monte Carlo in Europe during the summer and fall. “The course really suited him as he isn’t a puller, so the twistiness was fine. I’m so happy Ms. Mars was here to see both him and Vermiculus go and we are looking forward to tomorrow.”
Leading the way for the Nations Cup team, Brown had a spectacular round with Super Socks BCF over the tough, twisty track. He and the Blossom Creek Foundation’s Irish Sport Horse gelding easily tackled the fences, adding just 5.20 time penalties to their score. The recipients of a Jacqueline B. Mars Competition Grant through the USET Foundation are in 15th place on a score of 51.60.
“Today was definitely something I am very proud of, and I am very proud of my horse,” Brown said. “My horse is honest as the day is long. It wasn’t our smoothest round, it was about getting it done and we did that.”
The course and footing were quite foreign to the California native, but Brown was able to adjust his riding to suit the situation and excel. “It is very different here; I’m not used to running on ground like this, which apparently is quite good. I was a bit slow on the first part of the course since I had to figure out how to bring my horse back for the turns, which were quite sharp and often slick. As I figured them out, I was able to maintain a better pace on the second half.”
ADVERTISEMENT
Little gave RF Scandalous a great ride over the horse’s first CCI*** track. She and Robin Parsky, Jacqueline B. Mars, and Michael and Phoebe Manders’ Oldenburg mare answered all the questions and were one of the few pairs to take the direct route at the narrow triple brush out of the second water at fence 20. The duo collected 9.60 time penalties to sit in 24th place with a score of 55.10.
USEF Land Rover Competition Grant recipients Davidson and Copper Beach were the pathfinders for the U.S. and laid down a solid round to start the day off. Davidson and Sherrie Martin and Carl Segal’s Irish Sport Horse gelding collected 12.00 time penalties to put them in 36th place with a score of a 63.40.
Halliday-Sharp struggled to find a rhythm that she and HHS Cooley agreed upon, resulting in 23.2 time penalties. She had a hairy moment after Deborah Halliday’s Irish Sport Horse gelding made a huge leap into the water at the drop at the 9AB option, but righted herself to kick on and finish well. Halliday-Sharp and HHS Cooley’s score of 69.00 puts them in 41st place.
The remaining U.S. combinations competing as individuals had solid performances. Jon Holling and Downtown Harrison had a sticky moment stepping out of the first water complex at 9D, but finished strongly. Holling and Constance Holling’s 2004 Trakehner/Thoroughbred gelding added 13.20 time penalties to their score to sit in 30th place on a score of 59.40. Little gave her second mount, RF Quarterman, an educational round in his European debut, adding 11.60 time penalties to their score. She and Raylyn Farms, Inc.’s Oldenburg gelding earned an invaluable run thanks to their USEF Land Rover Competition Grant, and they sit in 42nd place with a score of 70.00.
Kieffer and her other mount, Vermiculus, had a great round for the horse’s first CCI*** run on such a grand stage. Kieffer expertly guided Jacqueline B. Mars’ Anglo-Arabian gelding to a clean round with 15.20 time penalties to go into the final phase in 43rd place with of 70.70. Davidson gave Carlevo a solid ride in the horse’s CCI*** debut to head into Sunday’s show jumping phase in 44th place with a score of 72.10. He and Carlevo LLC’s Holsteiner gelding did collect 26.40 time penalties after taking the option at fence 11 and some time to set up for a few fences, but finished with a positive round. Katherine had a runout at the narrow triple brush at 7B with her own Longwood, but carried on to finish well. She and the Irish Sport Horse gelding also added 18.40 time penalties to their score to sit in 59th place on a score of 97.10.
Ireland moved into the lead in the Nations Cup competition with a score of 157.70 followed by New Zealand in second place with a score of 158.00 and the U.S. in third place. Chris Burton (AUS) and Monarchs Exclusive now lead the field with a score of 41.30 after having one of only four double-clear rounds. Jesse Campbell (NZL) and Kaapachino sit in second place with a score of 43.50, while Astier Nicolas (FRA) and Spes Addit’Or are in third place on a score of 44.60.
The Military Boekelo-Enschede CCIO*** will come to its conclusion with Sunday’s show jumping phase beginning at 11:00 a.m. CEST.
