The second day wrap up show done live from the Rolex Kentucky Three Day Event. Listen as Chris reviews the day with Mark Todd, Oliver Townend and the leader Tiana Coudray. Tune in right here…
Eventing Radio Episode 137 by Bit of Britain – Show Notes and Links:
McLain Ward and Antares F. Rebecca Walton/Phelps Media Group
Leipzig, Germany – The Rolex/FEI World Cup Final saw a shuffle throughout the standings after the conclusion of the second round this afternoon. With forty-four World Cup points up for grabs and the chance to head into the final round on zero faults, clear rounds were at a premium. Forty horse/rider combinations jumped Frank Rothenberger’s impressive track, with seven riders representing six different nations returning for the jump-off.
In Sunday’s final only the top twenty-nine riders from the first two rounds will have the opportunity to jump in the championship. The US will be represented by seven riders in this round and McLain Ward (Brewster, NY) will lead the charge as the top placed American.
Ward rebounded from Thursday’s first round, which saw him lower two rails despite posting a competitive time. Today Ward riding Antares F and the pair jumped a stylish clear round to be the third horse to qualify for the jump-off. The Wurttemberger gelding owned by Grant Road Partners, LLC demonstrated immaculate jumping to make light work of Friday’s initial course.
Tiana Coudray and Ringwood Magister. Photo by Shannon Brinkman.
Lexington, KY – There was one new name added to the top three riders after the dressage at the 2011 Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event, presented by Bridgestone, but it was an important one. Tiana Coudray made the trip from California worth the effort when she wowed the judges in the Rolex Stadium with Ringwood Magister. Their score of 40.8 leaves them with a narrow margin over Mary King, from Great Britain who lies second on 41.7. Thursday’s winner, Allison Springer, holds on to a top-three placing with Arthur on 42.3.
Ringwood Magister, an elegant and flashy 10-year-old Irish Sport Horse, has excellent paces and presence. Coudray coaxed him down the ramp into the Rolex Stadium and into the electric environment, managing him beautifully in the ring.
“He’d been really good in warm up,” said Coudray. “And I started down the ramp so he kind of knew something was up.”
Ringwood Magister misbehaved quite exuberantly on the way to the ring and found relaxing quite difficult, but Coudray is confident that once he gets in the ring, he goes to work. “When I got him down into the ring,” said Coudray, “I still wasn’t quite sure which way this was going to go. But he really put it together and went to work.”
Tiana Coudray (USA) and Ringwood Magister are in the lead after Dressage at the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event, second leg of the HSBC FEI Classics.
Lexington, KY (USA), 30 April 2011 – Following two days of dressage at the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event, second leg of the HSBC FEI Classics, America’s Tiana Coudray is in pole position with her Jersey Fresh CCI*** 2010 winner Ringwood Magister.
The duo earned the best marks from the judges for a penalty score of 40.8.
“The trot work was tidy but maybe a bit conservative. It was during the canter work that I felt confident enough to show off what Magister can do – that’s the best bit for him,” said Coudray. “When we cantered down the centre line for the final time that’s when it hit me we’d done a good test.”
Britain’s Mary King is less than a penalty behind the leading duo with her four-star first timer Fernhill Urco.
“I wasn’t expecting such a good test from him. He’s a positive-thinking horse who is always forward and I find him strong but in the last month he’s really improved,” said King, who also occupies fourth with her home-bred bay mare Kings Temptress.
Tiana Coudray (USA), Riding Ringwood Magister. All photos credit Stock Image Services.com, provided by Rolex.
Tiana Coudray (USA) today, 29th April 2011, is currently lying in first position after the final day of Dressage at the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event, in Lexington. Rolex Grand Slam contender Mark Tood (NZL) is lying in joint 17th with his horse Grass Valley.
William Fox-Pitt riding Neuf Des Coeurs is lying in 19th position and Oliver Townend, riding ODT Sonas Rovatio is in 26th place.
Current Standings:
1. Tiana Coudray (USA) riding Ringwood Magister, 40.8
2. Mary King (GBR) riding Fernhill Urco, 41.7
3. Allison Springer (USA) riding Arthur, 42.3
4. Mary King (GBR) riding Kings Tempress, 47.7
5. William Coleman (USA) riding Twizzel, 48.2
6. James Alliston (GBR) riding Jumbo’s Jake, 48.2
7. Kim Steverson (USA) riding Tipperary Liadhnan, 48.5
8. Sinead Halpin (USA) riding Manoir de Carneville, 48.7
9. Boyd Martin (USA) riding Remington XXV, 49.0
10. Clayton Fredericks (AUS) riding Be My Guest, 50.2
=17. Mark Todd (NZL) riding Grass Valley, 51.8
Further news and details are available on www.rk3de.org.
After winning the 2011 Mitsubishi Motors Badminton Horse Trials on NZB Land Vision earlier this week, Mark Todd enters ‘Rolex’ as the live contender for the coveted Rolex Grand Slam title. With one of three legs of the Rolex Grand Slam complete, Todd must now win at both the 2011 Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event and the 2011 Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials, in order to become only the second rider, after Pippa Funnell, to scoop the $350,000 Rolex Grand Slam for winning the Mitsubishi Motors Badminton Horse Trials, the Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials, and the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event, all in succession. So far the Rolex Grand Slam feat has only been achieved by Pippa Funnell, who won all three competitions in 2003 on two different horses.
Mary King (GBR) Riding Fernhill UrcoAlison Springer (USA), Riding Arthur
Boyd Exell on his way to victory in the warm up round of the FEI World Cup Driving Final in Leipzig. Photo: FEI/Rinaldo de Craen
Leipzig (GER) 29 April 2011 – Title defender Boyd Exell from Australia has won the warm up round of the FEI World Cup Driving Final in Leipzig this evening. The current four-in-hand World Champion was the only driver who finished the course in a clear round. Sweden’s Tomas Eriksson came second driving his brand new marathon carriage. Dutch driver Koos de Ronde finished third.
Ring rusty The competitors were all a bit ring rusty after a break of several months. Some drivers competed in the last World Cup competition in Bordeaux at the start of February; others had an even longer break after the show in Mechelen at the end of December.
Wild card replacement Home driver Georg von Stein replaced wild card driver Christian Plücker who unfortunately had to withdraw only two days ago because of two injured horses. Plücker had won the special indoor competition at the German Equestrian Centre in Warendorf in February and had herewith claimed the wild card. Von Stein finished second and was therefore the first candidate to replace Plücker. Von Stein had kept on training his horses so it was not difficult for him to prepare his team for his first ever World Cup start. Von Stein finished fifth in tonight’s competition, behind Switzerland’s Werner Ulrich.
Jan Ebeling and Rafalca. (Photo by Aly Sanderford/ Phelps Media Group)
Leipzig, Germany – The Reem Acra FEI World Cup Final got underway Thursday evening with the grand prix presented by Sparkasse. The U.S. sent three combinations to the arena in Hall One of the Leipzig Exhibition Hall. The American horse/rider combinations did not disappoint in the field of 17.
First in the arena for the U.S. were Jan Ebeling and Ann Romney’s Rafalca. This veteran pair demonstrated fluid trot work emphasized by a solid half-pass and had a consistent canter tour. Throughout the test, Rafalca was the picture of obedience and finished with a fluent centerline.
The 52-year-old from Moorpark, CA, could not have been more proud of his longtime partner and found vindication tonight for a tense FEI World Cup Final debut in Las Vegas in 2009.
“I couldn’t be happier with her, she didn’t really have any mistakes and she handled the arena really well, for me that was one thing I really wanted to show everyone, she is not as silly as she was two years ago in Vegas.”
Rafalca and Ebeling earned a score of 68.191% to finish the grand prix in 10th place.
Margie Engle and Gladewinds Farm. Photo by Rebecca Walton/Phelps Media Group.
Leipzig, Germany – The Leipzig Exhibition Center hosted the first round of the Rolex FEI World Cup Jumping Final, the speed leg, this afternoon and all ten American combinations looked to get a head start on the competition. Frank Rothenberger set a scopey yet technical course that tested all 43 competitors in the 2011 Final and allowed for a number of different lines and options to be ridden. With the faults converted format, finding the correct balance between forward and efficient riding and careful jumping was the name of the game.
Margie Engle (Wellington, FL) piloted Gladewinds Farm, Garber, Griese and Hidden Creek Farm’s Indigo through the finish in a time of 65.62 seconds to stand in fifth place. Engle used all of her experience to guide the ground covering Dutch Warmblood gelding to an efficient clear round. A handy turn to the vertical at four and executing the inside turn to the ninth fence, the Rolex vertical, ensured the pair a strong result.
“I wanted to be in the top ten, and he was great. Once I started jumping he felt like he really focused on everything and rode great,” Engle said of the ever-maturing Indigo. “He’s never really gone in and gone fast in the first round so I wanted to just go medium because he tends to be high strung normally.”
Allison Springer and Arthur. Shannon Brinkman Photo
Lexington, KY – With the sunshine came the first day of dressage at the 2011 Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event presented by Bridgestone. After a week of rain, the sun shone brightly and the wind blew through the Kentucky Horse Park. Spectators that were here first thing were treated to the best test of the day as Allison Springer took the lead with Arthur.
The pair was first in the ring – and their score of 42.3 rewarded an elegant effort for a pair that frequently lands atop the dressage leaderboard. Great Britain’s Mary King, who was third last weekend at the Mitsubishi Motors Horse Trials. cruised into second place on Derek Rostron Baden’s Kings Temptress with a score of 47.7. William Coleman and Twizzel were third as Jim Wildasen’s 15-year-old Westfalen contested his first USEF National CCI4* Championship.
Arthur, who Springer owns with her parents William and Caroline, is very experienced even though he is only 12 years old, but he isn’t always the most manageable in an electric environment.
