The weather was brisk in Malvern, Pa., but John Williams hoped that would work to his advantage aboard Sweepea Dean in the dressage at the Radnor CCI**, Oct. 12-15. And the pair emerged on top of the 58-horse field in the afternoon on Friday with 43.3 penalties.
“I wish the weather had affected him,” said Williams with a laugh. “He’s a bit lazy and uninspired.”
Williams took some chances with the 7-year-old Thoroughbred cross (bred by Doug Dean in Canada) in the dressage phase. “I noticed yesterday that the judges were rewarding forward rides,” he said. “I went a little more forward than I usually would, which is risky on him because he can get unorganized.”
Williams called Sweepea Dean one of the least experienced horses competing because he’s only got two intermediate horse trials under his belt, and those events were back in the spring. He said that he was busy with Sloopy and trying to make the team for the FEI World Equestrian Games, so Sweepea Dean was on the backburner.
A notable course designer himself, Williams felt the cross-country looked somewhat tricky and busy. “It looks to be possibly a bit more technical than the Olympics, although luckily not as big,” he joked. “But Tremaine has a knack for making things look imposing, and it usually rides well.”
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He also bemoaned the fact that this year Radnor is running without roads and tracks or steeplechase. “He would benefit from the steeplechase,” said Williams of Sweepea Dean.
The riders from Down Under grabbed the next two spots with Australia’s Phillip Dutton taking second place after dressage with Lucky Stripe (43.5) ahead of New Zealand’s Donna Smith on Rocket (44.6).
“It was very cold!” said Smith of her 7:40 am ride. “I did my warm-up under the stars at 5:45. It was very romantic!”
She was proud of Jacqueline Mars’ 7-year-old homebred by Galoubet. “He was a very good boy to keep it together,” she said.
She also thought the course would be a lot to handle for her young horse. “He’s an amazing jumper, but a very independent individual,” she said.
