Tag Archives: Clark Montgomery

Boyd Martin and Tsetserleg Sail to Redemption with CCI 4*-S Win at The Fork

Boyd Martin and Tsetserleg. ©Shannon Brinkman Photography.

Clark Montgomery and Caribbean Soul Swoop to Advanced Division Win

Tryon, NC – April 7, 2019 – Boyd Martin (USA) and Tsetserleg sailed clear through the Cross-Country course to take top honors and conclude CCI 4*-S competition at The Fork at TIEC presented by Lucky Clays Farm at Tryon International Equestrian Center (TIEC). Martin stopped the timers in 6:47 to finish on a total score of 35.00, improving from a third place rank throughout the week. Felix Vogg (SUI) and Colero earned second place after their clear, 6:54 Cross-Country effort to garner a score of 39.80, while Elisabeth Halliday-Sharp (USA) and Fernhill By Night completed the podium on a score of 40.00. Halliday-Sharp also collected fourth place awards aboard Deniro Z, with a final score of 41.70.

Twenty-six pairs tested the track set by Captain Mark Phillips (IRL), hosted on the White Oak Course at TIEC and mimicking the same course used for the FEI World Equestrian Games™ Tryon 2018 (WEG). Martin was happy for some redemption over a particular sailboat obstacle that he admitted was less distracting than in September: “At WEG I got the wrong ride in, plus there was a lot of other stuff around it to distract the horse and that wasn’t there today, so it was a little bit easier to get him over it today,” he explained.

“But still, it was a good feeling getting over it and I got a big, big cheer from the crowd. I could distinctively hear the owner shrieking, Christine Turner, who has been a great supporter and I could hear her cheering on her horse,” said Martin. “It was good to get that behind [me] and come here, and to be honest the horse, Thomas, is a little bit more seasoned now and a little further on. He’s probably learned a little bit more in the last 12 months, so he feels a lot more seasoned now, so he’s a lot easier to ride.

“He’s not so distracted and I’ve learned how to ride him a bit differently and a bit better, too,” Martin continued of the 2007 Trakehner gelding (Windfall x Buddenbrock) owned by Christine Turner. “It was good to have a win because I had a bit of an awkward start to the year – just sort of bouncing around, a bit injured here and there, and missing a few shows, and it was good to win one, but [it’s] also good to always remember that some of the best horses here chose to run a bit slow to prepare for Kentucky, so we still got a little bit of work ahead of us. But he was good and strong in all three phases.”

Martin allowed that he did plan to go a bit quick due to missing some prior events in the year, but didn’t go “flat out.” He continued, “I thought [he needed] a good run and a bit of a fitness run, but not to go so fast that you risk an injury or anything like that. He felt very, very strong around the whole track and was quite fit. He jumped really well and I think we’re in good shape.”

The White Oak Course, which hosted CCI 4*-S, CCI 3*-S, CCI 2*-S, Advanced, Intermediate, and Preliminary Divisions for Cross-Country, is one that Martin knows very well. “I like it down there. It’s a really, really good track,” he elaborated. “It’s not as easy to ride as you think just because it’s an old golf course, so there’s all these little humps and lumps and the ground is not quite flat. So sometimes it’s a bit deceiving, especially on the galloping jumps, you think you see a good line and then it changes just a little bit just because the undulation of the ground.

Martin concluded, “It was good coming here just with a handful of horses and here for a few days just to concentrate and zero in on them. I think it’s a great show and a great preparation for Kentucky and a really good show for the young horses to get them ready. Obviously, I love this place. On top of that, I think Captain Mark Phillips is such a great course designer and he really knows how to build a good track. I think he’s building better tracks now than ever.”

Vogg was also aiming for another crack at the White Oak Course after WEG and analyzed that Colero “did a good job, but just needs more preparation for the jumps [on the way to them]. I tried to ride him a little bit differently than I did at WEG and I think the mistake at the water [at WEG] didn’t happen at the water, but I think it happened in the jumps before and I couldn’t prepare him that well. I saw it a bit different and rode him differently today and it worked out pretty well,” he recapped.

Having cruised through a competitive track at TIEC, Vogg is feeling well-prepared for his trip to Kentucky. “There’s always something to fix and some little stuff to do that I’ll try to get done in the next two weeks. It’s never perfect, but I’m pretty sure he’s more ready for Kentucky this year than last year, or maybe than he was for WEG,” Vogg conceded of the self-owned 2008 Westphalian gelding (Captain Fire x Bormio XX). “I think the course [at TIEC] is pretty difficult because it’s so quick between fences and so many things after each other, so I think Kentucky will be easier for Colero.”

Halliday-Sharp held on to her podium position in the aboard Fernhill By Night, the 2003 Irish Sport Horse gelding (Radolin x Argentinus) owned by Deborah Halliday, and finished just behind with Deniro Z in what she was hoping to use as a Kentucky schooling round. “Blackie [Fernhill By Night] was really, really good. He got a little bit sort of tired towards the end, but it would be quite an intense course for him. He hasn’t probably done a course that intense for a while, but I was really pleased. He got a little bit bogged down near where the squirrels were, but he fought for me there, and then he was just feeling like I was running out of push as I got near the end, so I chose the easier route through the water because I thought that was the right decision,” Halliday-Sharp recalled. “He really tried and he’s not a racing snake, so he did the best he could, so I’m pleased with where we ended up.

“Deniro [Z] had a really great round and I was really, really happy,” Halliday-Sharp described of her trip aboard the2008 Dutch Warmblood gelding (Zapatero VDL x French Buffet XX) owned by the Deniro Syndicate & Ocala Horse Properties. “He was just so fast at Carolina, and a little bit wild, and the plan today was to really put the pieces in place 100% with Kentucky in mind.”

Halliday-Sharp was able to hear Martin’s time announced and knew she wasn’t going to be going “quite that fast,” she said. “I sort of went out with a plan and I think executed the plan exactly how I had planned, and I had a super round.”

Though the plan was to go quick with Fernhill By Night and pay more attention to rideability than speed with Deniro Z, their times were within a second of each other in light of Deniro Z’s fitness, Halliday-Sharp revealed. “He was really ridable, and he made it feel easy. I was really thrilled and he finished fresh and never really got out of fourth gear, so it was great! I think I’ve got Deniro [Z] where I want him if I’m really honest.”

Of the course, Halliday-Sharp commented, “I really enjoyed that. It was a good course; it was a good, strong course, intense and basically what we needed before a 5*, so I thought it was perfect. It was a lot stronger than in previous years and I thought that was necessary, so it was good.”

CCI 3*-S competition saw Doug Payne (USA) and Starr Witness claim first-place honors on the week after their Cross-Country ride for a total score of 33.20, while second went to Will Faudree (USA) and Caeleste for their final score of 38.00, and third was awarded to Katie Lichten (USA) and RF Luminati with a weeklong total of 41.10 points.

In the CCI 2*-S Division, Ryan Wood (AUS) and Ruby placed first with a score of 37.00, followed by Will Faudree (USA) and Mama’s Magic Way in second with 37.70. Ryan Wood (AUS) also took third place with Chusinmyconfession with a score of 39.00.

Clark Montgomery and Caribbean Soul Swoop to Advanced Division Win

Clark Montgomery (USA) and Caribbean Soul flew to a win in the Advanced Division after their fast and clear Cross-Country performance in 6:39 to finish on a score of 38.20, while Boyd Martin (USA) and Long Island T collected second-place honors on a score of 45.70. Third went to Felix Vogg (SUI) and Archie Rocks following their Cross-Country round, returning to their Dressage rank on the week to finish on a score of 48.70.

Montgomery attributed his hectic week to a slightly higher Dressage score to kick off the week, saying, “She [Caribbean Soul] was really good all weekend. To be fair to her, I was packing to go home to Kentucky like crazy just a couple days before we got here, and didn’t get to do my normal preparation for the Dressage, so that was probably my fault. She wasn’t misbehaved at all, she just didn’t have a very clean test, with a couple little mistakes, so we didn’t score as low as we’ve been scoring, but I was still really happy with her.”

Much like his rankings throughout the week, the performance of the 2007 Thoroughbred mare (Cimarron Secret x Ogygian), owned by the Caribbean Soul Syndicate, only got better as competition went on, Montgomery detailed. “For the jumping she was great – she was really, really good. And then in Cross-Country she was absolutely phenomenal. I couldn’t ask for her to be better. I mean, her gallop is just the coolest thing I’ve ever felt, for sure. It’s just so easy,” he emphasized. “And honestly, I wasn’t going to go quick on her today and she just loves it. It’s just the speed she operates out of, so I just let her kind of cruise around and she came in that fast. It was wonderful.

“I thought the course was super,” Montgomery said of the White Oak Course. “I thought it was definitely tough enough and big enough and I thought it was the biggest track she had jumped to date, so I was excited to see how she handled it and I like Mark’s courses a lot. They remind me a lot of the tracks you jump in England, with the bolder, forward distances and bigger fences. The setting down there on the old golf course is just absolutely beautiful around the lake, so I thought it was great!”

Martin was pleased with the Cross-Country ride put in by Long Island T, the 2006 Oldenburg/Thoroughbred gelding (Ludwig Von Bayern x Heraldik XX) owned by The Long Island T Syndicate, but noted that “he’s definitely a little bit too keen and is a strong, feisty wild man” on course. “He still jumped really well, and gave me a good ride. I think he’ll be better suited for Kentucky because it’s a longer and more flowing course, where you can get him to fall asleep a little bit more between fences.

“He’s very strong in the Dressage and Jumping and he’s very game on Cross-Country, but he just gets really strong and a little bit out of control. He’s a hard horse to ride fast,” Martin admitted. “You get baited into wrestling with him and have to steady him up. It could go either way come Kentucky, but you got to be in it to win it.”

Vogg and his own Archie Rocks, a 2008 Thoroughbred gelding (Le Monde x Unbridled Jet), are still getting to know one another but put in a sub-seven-minute Cross-Country ride to regain the podium. Compared to Vogg’s CCI 4*-S mount, Colero, “Archie is really slow,” admitted Vogg, but also “more used to Cross-Country, I think, from racing in his career before.

“There is still a lot of work to do because we don’t know each other that well and it was our second Cross-Country run, but for that he did it pretty well,” Vogg concluded, “and [despite] yesterday’s [downed rails and time faults]. Both my horses did well today.”

Clark Montgomery and Theodoor landed at the top of the Open Intermediate Division with a score of 32.20, with Lynn Symansky and RF Cool Play in second with a score of 36.30, then Annie Goodwin and Fedarman B in third with a score of 42.80.

Dylan Phillips aboard Fernhill Fierce placed first in the Junior Young Riders Open Preliminary with a score of 34.80. Second place was awarded to Jessica Ebzery and Share Option with a score of 37.60.

In the Open Preliminary Division, Elisabeth Halliday-Sharp landed the blue ribbon with 30.10 points aboard Gorsehill Cooley followed by Kathy Cain, who took second place with Legal Limit on a score of 33.30. Allison Springer and Crystal Crescent Moon took third place with 33.60 points.

The Preliminary Rider Division saw Allison Smith and Gude Affair place first with a score of 35.20. Isabelle Bosley and Night Quality took second place with 36.80 points, and third place went to Campbell Jourdian and Marquet Rise with a score of 45.80.

In the Modified Division, Cornelia Dorr and Prinz S.W. took top honors after finishing on their Dressage score of 25.70, while Ashley Adams and Coronio improved their rank to second to end on a score of 28.40. Sinead Halpin and Stakkato Bronx finished on a score of 28.70 to take home third.

Dominic Schramm and Quadrocana scored first place in the Open Training Division with a score of 20.50. Ema Klugman and Kangaroo Court took second place with 26.20 points, and Ashley Adams took third place aboard Charly with 28.10 points.

In the Training Rider Division, first place went to Payne Murray and Baron with a score of 31.90. Second place went to Emily Shilling and Enchanting Class with 33.00 points, and third place went to Anna Billings and Wexford Cruise with a score of 35.80.

Lena Bruno and Brighid Charity RSH claimed first place in the Novice Rider Division with a score of 28.30. Nell Nicastro and Abecca GS took second place with a score of 30.50. Third place went to Jessica Copland and Silly Wabbit with a score of 31.70.

Dominic Schramm landed another victory for the week, this time in the Open Novice Division aboard Casalto with a score of 24.10. Ashley Adams also added another second place win to her list aboard Princely Perfect with a score of 26.00. Morgan Batton and Sommersby took third place with a score of 26.40.

In the Open Beginner Novice Division, Erin Buckner with Picassi and Aaron Hill with Denali were tied for first place following Dressage, along with Macie Sykes with Delilah’s Boy. Buckner and Hill went on to also tie for first place in the Jumping phase. Ultimately, Buckner and Picassi took first place with 26.40 points. Hill and Denali also scored 26.40, but received second by Cross-Country tie-breaking policies. Sykes and Delilah’s Boy finished in third place with a score of 28.00.

Click here to follow along with live results from The Fork at TIEC.

Clark Montgomery and Loughan Glen Lead at Kentucky

Clark Montgomery and Loughan Glen. (FEI/Rebecca Berry)

Montgomery leads on 33.6 ahead of Germany’s Jung on 37.1

American rider Clark Montgomery rode a superbly smooth dressage test on Loughan Glen to take the lead in front of his new home crowd at the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event. It’s the third leg of the FEI Classics™, a series that links the world’s six major four-star events and provides valuable cash prizes to the top three in the points table.

Montgomery, who has returned to the USA from a spell based in Britain and now lives in Kentucky State, heads the 59 starters at the USA’s premier event on the excellent score of 33.6, but there’s no relaxing when defending champion Michael Jung from Germany is only 3.5 penalties behind. Jung, the dual Olympic champion and 2015-2016 FEI Classics™ leader (he is currently third in the 2016-2017 table), is going for a record third successive Kentucky victory on the same horse, gallant little mare FischerRocana FST.

He has a habit of piling on pressure with faultless jumping performances and Montgomery and Loughan Glen, no strangers to outstanding success in the dressage arena, have a few blots on their cross-country record. However, the dressage leader, who describes that test as “beefy”, was visibly elated:

“My horse felt super. This morning he was pretty tight, but he was ‘up’ which is what we wanted. He felt good in his body, good in his mind.” — Clark Montgomery (USA)

US rider Kim Severson, who has achieved the rare distinction of winning Kentucky three times on the same horse, Winsome Adante (albeit not in succession), is in third place on her rising star Cooley Cross Border.

Speedy Frenchman Maxime Livio scored the first victory in the current FEI Classics™ series, at Pau, France, and brings that winning horse, Qalao Des Mers, for a first attempt at Kentucky. They are eighth on 44.6.

Zara Tindall, the 2006 world champion, is the sole Brit; she was near the bottom of the Badminton waitlist and decided to cross the Atlantic instead with her 2012 Olympic silver medallist High Kingdom. They are currently 16th on 46.6, just 0.3 ahead of fellow traveller Tim Price (NZL) on Ringwood Sky Boy, 17th.

Kentucky’s last home winner was Phillip Dutton way back in 2008; he’s in joint ninth on 44.8 with two of his three rides, Fernhill Fugitive and the 17-year-old Mr Medicott. The vastly experienced rider, a bronze medallist in Rio last year, has this to say about the cross-country, which starts at 10am local time: “You’ve got to keep thinking, not let the blood rush to the head and see how your horse handles the distance. It’s another great course from Derek (di Grazia, designer) and will sort everyone out.”

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US Olympic Eventing Team Ready to Begin Equestrian Competition in Rio

Boyd Martin and Blackfoot Mystery (Shannon Brinkman Photo)

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil – The eventing horse inspection officially kicked off equestrian competition at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Friday. Over the next 14 days, 204 athlete-and-horse combinations in the three equestrian disciplines of eventing, dressage, and show jumping will compete for coveted Team and Individual medals at Rio’s Deodoro Olympic Equestrian Center. The U.S. Olympic Eventing Team of Phillip Dutton and Mighty Nice, Lauren Kieffer and Veronica, Boyd Martin and Blackfoot Mystery, and Clark Montgomery and Loughan Glen were deemed fit and ready to compete and will join a total of 65 combinations representing 24 countries. The U.S. Team will be led by U.S. Eventing Coach David O’Connor, the 2000 Olympic Games Individual Gold medalist.

“We are in pretty good spirits and have had a great prep,” said O’Connor. “The horses traveled really well and are relaxed. They have done a great job here in Brazil welcoming us and the horses. We feel good with our two lead-offs tomorrow in Boyd and Clark; both horses look like they’ve really come on and are great. Then we finish strong with Lauren and Phillip on day two. I am actually quite pleased and confident with how the horses have been going.”

The U.S. has drawn 12th in the starting order among the 13 countries participating in team competition. The U.S. riders will compete in the following order.

Dressage Day One, Saturday, August 6:

Leading off for the U.S. will be Martin (Cochranville, Pa.), a 2012 Olympic veteran, and highest-placed U.S. rider at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games in 2014 and 2010, and Team Gold medalist at the 2015 Pan American Games. Martin will ride the Blackfoot Mystery Syndicate LLC’s Blackfoot Mystery, a 2004 Thoroughbred gelding. This partnership is only a year old but has already proven its merit with a top-ten finish at the 2015 The Dutta Corp./USEF Three-Star Eventing National Championship. In 2016, Martin and ‘Big Red’ placed sixth at the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event presented by Land Rover.

Next in the order is Montgomery (Bryan, Texas), a first-time Olympian, who will ride Holly and William Becker, Kathryn Kraft, and Jessica Montgomery’s Loughan Glen, a 2003 Irish Sport Horse gelding. This pair has been based in England for the last three years, gaining significant competitive experience. Montgomery and ‘Glen’ had an impressive 2015, winning the CIC3* at the Belton International, CIC2* at Somerford Park International, and CCI3* at Blenheim Palace International, along with a sixth-place finish at Luhmühlen CCI4*. Most recently, this pair won the 2016 Land Rover Great Meadow International presented by Adequan.

Lauren Kieffer and Veronica (Shannon Brinkman Photo)
Lauren Kieffer and Veronica (Shannon Brinkman Photo)

Dressage Day Two, Sunday, August 7:

First into the arena for the U.S. on day two will be Kieffer (Middleburg, Va.), a first-time Olympian, who will ride Team Rebecca LLC’s Veronica, a 2002 KWPN mare. ‘Troll’, as she known in the barn, is a tough, sassy mare that has won the heart of Kieffer in their three-year partnership. This duo helped bring home a Team Bronze medal at the 2015 CICO3* at Aachen. Most recently, they were winners of the 2016 Rolex/USEF CCI4* National Championship at the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event presented by Land Rover.

Anchoring the U.S. Team will be Dutton (West Grove, Pa.), who is contesting his sixth Olympic Games, having earned Team Gold medals in 2000 and 1996 for his native Australia. He is also a two-time Pan American Games Team Gold medalist for the U.S. and will ride HND Group’s Mighty Nice, a 2004 Irish Sport Horse gelding. Mighty Nice, known as Happy, was imported by Dutton and Bruce Duchossois in 2010. Following Duchossois’ passing in 2014, friends put together the HND Group in order to support Dutton’s goals of competing Happy at the highest levels of the sport. The pair has been consistently demonstrating its athletic prowess, earning the Reserve Championship title at the 2015 The Dutta Corp./USEF Three-Star Eventing Championship and placing fourth at the 2016 Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event presented by Land Rover.

The eventing competition commences with the dressage phase, August 6-7. The cross-country phase follows on August 8, and the competition concludes on August 9 with show jumping.

Dressage Starting Order

NBCOlympics.com Livestream

Keep up-to-date on equestrian competition at the Rio Olympic Games on the USEFNetwork.com. Coverage includes links to live streams and TV coverage, athlete bios, behind-the-scenes photos, and more.

Classic Communications/USEF Communications Department

Highlights Film of the 2016 Land Rover Great Meadow International

(MAHWAH, N.J.) – July 11, 2016 – After two days of world-class eventing competition, USA’s Clark Montgomery claimed the 2016 Land Rover Great Meadow International title in Virginia, having ridden a near flawless riding performance aboard Loughan Glen.

To the delight of the home spectators, the event also served as the final preparatory event for riders from the 2016 U.S. Olympic Eventing Team prior to the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.

To download the above 2 minute copyright free Highlights Film and a selection of copyright free photographs, featuring the 2016 winner Clark Montgomery and the winning USA Eventing Nations Cup Team, use the links below:

2 Minute Highlights Film: here

Action photographs and U.S. Eventing Team: here

For more information about the 2016 Land Rover Great Meadow International, please visit: http://www.greatmeadowinternational.com.

Contacts:

Marty Bauman
Chief Press Officer
Land Rover Great Meadow International
508.698.6810
marty@classic-communications.com

Deb Sandford
Nat’l PR Comms & Events Manager
Jaguar Land Rover
North America, LLC
949.510.0529
dsandfor@jaguarlandrover.com

Leah Oliveto
Director, Communications
United States Equestrian Federation
859 225 2053
loliveto@usef.org

USA Team Makes History with Win at The Plains

Boyd Martin, Phillip Dutton, Lauren Kieffer and Clark Montgomery with Helen McDonald and Deborah Sandford for Land Rover North America and US Chef d’Equipe David O’Connor. (FEI/Stock Image Services)

Lausanne (SUI), 11 July, 2016 – Clark Montgomery (USA) flew back from Britain to his home country to lead a strong American quartet to victory in the fifth leg of the 2016 FEI Nations Cup™ Eventing, held for the first time outside Europe, at the Land Rover Great Meadows International at The Plains, Virginia.

Riding the Irish-bred Loughan Glen, the horse he is hoping to partner at the Rio Olympic Games next month, Montgomery finished the clear individual winner and led the US team to a convincing victory over Canada.

“It means a lot to win at Great Meadow this weekend,” Montgomery said after the historic victory. “I have been based in England for a while so to get to come home in the US and compete in front of the home crowd, means a huge amount to me.”

His team mates Boyd Martin, Phillip Dutton and Lauren Kieffer finished sixth, seventh and ninth to set an unbeatable target and secure their country’s first victory in the FEI Nations Cup™ Eventing series.

This was the first time the USA has hosted FEI Nations Cup™ Eventing, with Great Meadows International putting on an excellent event as the series made its debut outside Europe. Mike Etherington-Smith’s Cross Country course rode extremely well, with 27 of the 40 starters finishing clear of jumping faults, but the clock was a deciding factor with just four combinations making the optimum time.

Colleen Loach was best of the second-placed Canadian team, finishing 14th on Qorry Blue D’Argouges. Her three team mates also went clear across the country, but were hampered by their Dressage marks to finish 38.3 adrift of the winning US squad.

Three British riders travelled across the Atlantic to join forces with US-based Briton Justine Dutton to make up a full four-person British team. Jodie Amos and Wise Crack finished best of the visiting British, in third place individually, adding no further penalties to their Dressage score of 49.0.

Ben Way (GBR) riding Willows Tipster finished 26th after finishing only two seconds over the optimum Cross Country time, but Justine Dutton had two refusals out on course and Ros Canter was eliminated for a rider fall.

Despite their mixed fortunes, the British team finished third overall, earning enough points to give them a clear lead over Germany at the halfway mark in the FEI Nations Cup™ Eventing series.

The action returns to Europe this weekend, and the competition is expected to be strong in Aachen (GER) 14-17 July.

Full results on www.greatmeadowinternational.com.

By Kate Green

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Clark Montgomery Wins Great Meadow International and USA Claims Nations Cup Title

(THE PLAINS, VIRGINIA) – July 10, 2016 – Clark Montgomery rode a near flawless riding performance over both days of the Land Rover Great Meadow International to take the 2016 title riding Loughan Glen.

Montgomery led the competition from start to finish after delivering a commanding dressage score of 36.3 and a double-jumping clear over show jumping and cross-country with just 1.2 time penalties finishing on a final score of 37.5.

In the stunning Virginia Plains setting, under a sun-drenched two days of competition, the 40 competitors featuring many of the world’s top eventing riders thrilled the thousands of fans who came to cheer on their equestrian heroes in just the third running of the Great Meadow International.

Marilyn Little (USA) took second place riding RF Demeter on a score of 43.8, with Great Britain’s Jodie Amos finishing third riding Wise Crack on 49.0.  Of the 40 starters on the final cross-country day, 36 completed the course with just four riders finishing with no time penalties.

A delighted Clark Montgomery said, “It means a ton to me to win here at the Great Meadow International in front of my home crowd. We had a pretty good performance and it was a great preparation run for us. He did a good dressage and I can’t complain about his show jumping at all. We had a couple of hairy moments on the cross-country but he’s such an honest horse and he still came home in a great time.”

To the delight of the home spectators, the event also served as the final preparatory event for riders from the 2016 U.S. Olympic Eventing Team prior to the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. The 2016 Land Rover Great Meadow International featured riders from the 2016 U.S. Olympic Eventing Team including Phillip Dutton, Lauren Kieffer, Boyd Martin, Clark Montgomery, and traveling reserve, Maya Black.

USA WIN INAUGURAL EVENTING NATIONS CUP

As well as riding for individual honors, selected riders were also representing their country in the inaugural Eventing Nations Cup at the Land Rover Great Meadow International, as the FEI and USEF chose the event to host the first-ever FEI Nations Cup™ Eventing Competition outside of Europe.

Clark Montgomery’s dominant win on Loughan Glen, along with three fast and clear cross-country rounds from the other team members gave the U.S. a clear victory in the Nations Cup taking the win on a score of 138.3. Canada finished second on 177.6, with Great Britain in third place on 254.3.

For more information about the 2016 Land Rover Great Meadow International, please visit: http://www.greatmeadowinternational.com.

Contacts:

Marty Bauman
Chief Press Officer
Land Rover Great Meadow International
508.698.6810
marty@classic-communications.com

Deb Sandford
Nat’l PR Comms & Events Manager
Jaguar Land Rover
North America, LLC
949.510.0529
dsandfor@jaguarlandrover.com

Leah Oliveto
Director, Communications
United States Equestrian Federation
859 225 2053
loliveto@usef.org

US Eventing Team Wins Land Rover Great Meadow International

Clark Montgomery and Loughan Glen (StockImageServices.com)

The Plains, Va. – The Land Rover U.S. Eventing Team made history Sunday, handily capturing the inaugural FEI Nations Cup™ Eventing competition at the Land Rover Great Meadow International presented by Adequan®. Leading from start to finish, the team of Phillip Dutton, Lauren Kieffer, Boyd Martin, and Clark Montgomery had a favorable competition with noteworthy performances in their final stateside preparation event before the Rio Olympic Games, scoring 138.3 penalties. Canada moved up to second with an overall score of 177.6 penalties and Great Britain placed third with 254.3 penalties.

“It was a great weekend at Great Meadow,” said U.S. Eventing Team Coach David O’Connor. “The horses got the runs they needed and there are things to work on in the next couple weeks on the way to Rio, but I am quite confident with how the horses traveled and handled the course today and the competition as a whole.”

Montgomery (Tetbury, England) and Loughan Glen, owned by Jess Montgomery, Kathryn Kraft, and Holly and Bill Becker, were the overnight leaders and did not disappoint the massive crowd at Great Meadow as they led from start to finish. The pair performed the best dressage test of the competition, scoring 36.3 penalties, remained faultless through show jumping, and incurred 1.2 time penalties by going three seconds over the optimum time of 6:36 in the cross-country phase for a combined score of 37.5 penalties.

“It means a lot to win at Great Meadow this weekend,” said Montgomery. “I have been based in England for a while, so to get to come home in the U.S. and compete in front of the home crowd means a huge amount to me.”

Dutton (West Grove, Pa.) was the pathfinder for the team and the competition going first in all three phases. Riding Ann Jones and Thomas Tierney’s Fernhill Fugitive, Dutton had a credible first day scoring 47.2 penalties in dressage and going clear in show jumping. The pair knocked down a flag at the imposing Beverly Equestrian Brush Corners obstacle, but negotiated the remainder of the course without incident, adding only 3.2 time penalties to their two-phase score of 50.4 penalties.

Martin (Cochranville, Pa.) and Gloria Callen’s Welcome Shadow were clear in show jumping to enter the final phase on their dressage score of 48.8 penalties. The pair rode second for the team on the Mike Etherington-Smith-designed cross-country course adding 1.6 time penalties to also finish on 50.4 penalties.

Kieffer (Middleburg, Va.) and Marie Le Menestrel’s Meadowbrook’s Scarlett contributed to the winning team score having just one rail down in show jumping and incurring a mere .4 time faults in cross-country for a final score of 55 penalties.

Individually, Americans placed four out of the top five. Marilyn Little and RF Demeter, owned by Jacqueline Mars, Raylyn Farms and Patrick and Eileen Witte, moved up from fourth after day one to place second. Holly Payne Caravella and Santino, owned by Beth Groblewski, were fourth with 50 penalties and Hannah Sue Burnett rode Under Suspection, owned by Mary Ann Ghadban, from 16th place to fifth overall scoring 50.2 penalties. Jodie Amos and Wise Crack of Great Britain were third on 49 penalties.

Complete results

On-demand footage of the competition will be available shortly on USEFNetwork.com.

From the USEF Communications Department

Montgomery and Loughan Glen Are Victorious at Blenheim Palace Int’l Horse Trials CCI3*

Clark Montgomery and Loughan Glen (Shannon Brinkman Photo)

Woodstock, England – The Blenheim Palace International Horse Trials CCI3* came to an exciting conclusion on Sunday as 78 combinations moved forward to the show jumping phase over the Alison Abrahams-designed course. Clark Montgomery and Loughan Glen jumped a beautiful double-clear round to claim top honors at the prestigious competition after leading from start to finish. The U.S. contingent made its presence known throughout the competition with solid performances and a total of four combinations finishing in the top 12.

Montgomery (Tetbury, England) and Jessica Montgomery, Kathryn Kraft, and Holly and William Becker’s Loughan Glen began their Blenheim campaign with a stellar dressage test on Friday to receive an impressive score of 33.8 and sit on top of the leaderboard following the first phase. He and the 2003 Irish Sport Horse gelding laid down a textbook double-clear cross-country round over Eric Winter’s track to maintain their lead heading into the final phase with over an eight-point lead. Not letting the pressure of the situation get to him, Montgomery gave Loughan Glen an excellent ride in the show jumping phase, jumping cleanly and inside the time to earn the biggest win of his career. The talented pair earned the 2015 Blenheim CCI3* title on their dressage score of 33.8.

“He was jumping fantastic in the warm-up but he actually got a bit flat in ring, so maybe the nerves were coming into play a bit,” Montgomery said of Loughan Glen. “Thankfully he really understands his job and tried to keep all the rails up. I couldn’t be happier with him; he tries so hard.”

Explaining the significance of this win, Montgomery stated, “It’s huge. Glen had been super competitive in the states. We talked about it and I decided I wanted to know what it took to win over here, so we moved here a few years ago. Things went downhill for a bit at first, but we found a formula that he likes and has proven to be successful. This [win] validates everything that we have been doing.”

Montgomery’s win makes him only the third American to win the Blenheim Palace International Horse Trials CCI3* in the 25-year history of the event, along with Bruce Davidson (1994) and Kim Severson (2001).

Lauren Kieffer and Veronica (Shannon Brinkman Photo)
Lauren Kieffer and Veronica (Shannon Brinkman Photo)

Lauren Kieffer (Middleburg, Va.) and Team Rebecca, LLC’s Veronica had excellent performances throughout their first trip to Blenheim. The recipients of a Karen E. Stives Endowment Fund for High Performance Eventing Competition Grant through the USET Foundation delivered their signature smooth dressage test on Thursday to score 46.2. Kieffer and the 2003 Dutch Warmblood mare made light work of the cross-country track, adding four-tenths of a time penalty for being a second over the optimum time of 10 minutes 51 seconds. The pair jumped a double-clear show jumping round to finish on a score of 46.6 in sixth place, earning Kieffer the best first-timer award as the highest-placed first-time competitor.

“I’m very pleased with how Veronica felt today. She’s been very consistent this year and was really focused all weekend,” Kieffer said. “It’s so exciting to have not only a U.S. rider win but to have four U.S. riders in the top 15 really shows that the program is working and that the U.S. riders are hungry to continue being competitive. It couldn’t happen without all the support from the USEF, our sponsors and owners, and of course the people that build the grants like [the late] Karen Stives.”

Emily Beshear (Somerset, Va.) gave Deep Purple Eventing’s Shame on the Moon a great ride in the horse’s European debut, beginning with a lovely dressage test that received a score of 44.5. The USEF Land Rover Competition Grant recipients confidently tackled the cross-country track, adding only 3.2 time penalties to their score. She and 2006 Trakehner/Thoroughbred mare brought their weekend to a splendid finish with a double-clear show jumping round to finish on a score of 47.7 in seventh place.

Will Coleman (Gordonsville, Va.) and The Four Star Eventing Group’s OBOS O’Reilly had a strong showing at Blenheim, starting off with a respectable dressage test on Thursday, despite the horse being quite tense, scoring 51.1. He and the 2003 Irish Sport Horse gelding earned redemption on Saturday with a masterful double-clear cross-country round. The USEF Land Rover Competition Grant recipients continued to display their jumping expertise as they were double-clear in the show jumping phase, finishing in 11th place on their dressage score of 51.1.

Rising stars Elisa Wallace (Jasper, Ga.) and David and Jill Hopcroft’s Simply Priceless demonstrated experience beyond their years throughout their European debut at Blenheim. The USEF Land Rover Competition Grant recipients started their weekend with an accurate dressage test scoring 50.1. On cross-country day, they laid down a solid cross-country round, jumping cleanly and adding 7.6 time penalties to their score. Show jumping is the most challenging phase for Wallace and the 2001 Thoroughbred gelding, but they had a respectable round with a single rail down for four faults to finish on a score of 61.7 in 29th place.

Elisabeth Halliday-Sharp (East Sussex, UK) and Deborah Halliday’s Fernhill by Night were the U.S. pathfinders throughout the competition, starting things off with a great dressage test that scored 45.9. She and the 2003 Irish Sport Horse gelding were having a fantastic cross-country round until running into an issue at the Cheltenham Annual Members’ Badges skinnies combination at 17B, incurring 20 jumping penalties. They finished strongly but also added 26.0 time penalties to their score. The duo ended its weekend on a high note with a wonderful double-clear show jumping round, finishing in 62nd place on a score of 91.9.

Overall, it was a spectacular weekend for the U.S., and the U.S. Eventing Team Coach David O’Connor agreed, saying, “I was very pleased that Clark won; he deserved it, and the horse deserved it. It was a big win and served as a big morale booster. All of the U.S. riders were very consistent and they went at it, riding aggressively and getting the job done and being quite competitive through the competition.”

Find out more about the Blenheim Palace International Horse Trials and view results.

From the USEF Communications Department

Montgomery and Loughan Glen Finish Sixth at Luhmühlen CCI4*

Clark Montgomery and Loughan Glen (Libby Law Photography)

Salzhausen, Germany – The last phase at the Luhmühlen CCI4* presented by DHL saw a big show jumping course designed by Heiko Wahlers (GER) that determined the final placings on Sunday. In addition to the large track, time was tough to make with nine combinations having double clear show jumping rounds. USEF Land Rover Competition Grant recipients Clark Montgomery and Loughan Glen were among those combinations that delivered a double clear round on the final day. Despite the challenging cross-country phase on Saturday, the pair had an immaculate round to finish in sixth place with a score of 37.50.

Montgomery (Tetbury, England) and Jessica Montgomery, Kathryn Kraft, and Holly and William Becker’s 12-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding began the competition in ninth place with a score of 37.10 in the dressage phase. The pair improved to seventh place after cross country, adding just four-tenths of a penalty point to their score for being a second over the optimum time, before ultimately finishing in sixth place on Sunday.

“He was super,” Montgomery said. “He really understands the CCIs and knows he needs to go in and jump clean on the big stage and he didn’t let me down today. I had heard that the show jumping course at Luhmühlen is big and that was definitely the case, but he jumped great.”

Montgomery and Loughan Glen easily held their own in a field of top international combinations throughout the competition. “It is a great start to have him back in winning form and I’m excited about what the future holds,” Montgomery added.

Ingrid Klimke (GER) and FRH Escada JS won the CCI4* on their dressage score of 32.70.

By Kathleen Landwehr

Clark Montgomery Nails Dressage Lead at Badminton

Clark Montgomery (USA) produces a superb performance on Loughan Glen to take the lead after Dressage at the Mitsubishi Motors Badminton Horse Trials, fourth leg of the FEI Classics™ series. Photo: Kate Houghton/FEI.

Lausanne (SUI), 9 May 2014 – Stylish American rider Clark Montgomery thrilled the capacity crowd at the Mitsubishi Motors Badminton Horse Trials (GBR), fourth leg of the FEI Classics™ 2013/2014, when he deservedly took the lead. His Dressage test was a model of balance, consistency and harmony despite the wind that has battered the Gloucestershire site all day.

Montgomery, 32, was third last to go on William and Holly Becker’s 11-year-old Loughan Glen and scored the excellent mark of 33.5 penalties. This gives him a 2.5-penalty advantage over Australia’s Paul Tapner and Kilronan, who had until then maintained the lead since yesterday.

Francis Whittington (GBR), the highest placed of the home side, is now in third place on Easy Target, just 0.2 penalties behind Tapner.

Montgomery is based in England, just down the road from Badminton with CCI4* judge Christian Landolt (SUI). “The horse has put in some good marks before and I knew he was capable of this standard if all went well,” said Montgomery of the Limerick-sired bay gelding on which he finished third at Blenheim CCI3* (GBR) last year.

“He should like the Cross Country course,” added Montgomery. “He likes to be ridden forward and hopefully he will cope with the step up, although I don’t know yet whether the [optimum] time will be an issue for him.”

The three top-placed horses are all Irish-bred, which may be an advantage if the rain which is forecast to fall tonight materialises. “The ground will definitely suit my horse and I’ll be quite happy if it keeps on raining!” said Tapner.

Lucinda Fredericks (AUS), who scored the only other sub-40 mark, is now fourth on Flying Finish, just ahead of Sir Mark Todd (NZL), the oldest rider in the field (at 58) and the only one to have two horses in the top 10. The four-time Badminton winner is equal fifth on NZB Campino and equal ninth on the 10-year-old Leonidas ll.

Six nations are represented in the top 10. Olympic silver medallist Sara Algotsson-Ostholt (SWE), who is paying her first visit to Badminton, is in equal fifth place with Todd on 40.5 with Reality 39 (formerly called Mrs Medicott), on which she won a team silver medal at last year’s FEI European Eventing Championships.

William Fox-Pitt (GBR) was a happier man after scoring 41.0 on Parklane Hawk. His first ride, Cool Mountain, disappointed and is in equal 57th place, which leaves him in equal seventh place with Andrew Nicholson (NZL) on Nereo.

Danish rider Peter Flarup made a great start to his first Badminton and is in equal ninth with a score of 41.8 on the Danish warmblood mare Callista E, on which he was 12th at Boekelo CCI3* (NED) last year. Flarup, who has been riding at championship level since 1997, had his best CCI4* result at Pau in 2010 on Silver Ray.

Nearly half the field of 83 scored under 40 penalties in the Dressage, thus ensuring a thrilling day tomorrow.

The big news for riders is that the middle element of fence 18abc, a trio of logs on an S-bend which was proving a hot topic, has been removed. This would have involved a sharp right-hand turn at the foot of a mound, and the organisers decided that the heavy rain that is forecast might make the turn slippery.

Mary King (GBR), who first competed at Badminton in 1985, said: “I thought it was a great fence and well-designed, but I can see why the decision has been made.”

King, who first won Badminton in the very wet year of 1992, produced her best Badminton test on the ebullient 17-year-old Imperial Cavalier, on which she was third in 2011 and fourth in 2010. She earned the loudest cheers of the day and is now in 12th place on 42.8.

Her performance was only marred by an error of course in the extended canter. “I’m over the moon with him,” she declared. “It’s the best test he’s ever done here. He was so rideable. I was enjoying it so much that I then managed to go wrong.”

Kristina Cook (GBR), who has been competing at Badminton for more than 20 years and is in 23rd place with a mark of 45.8 on her home-bred De Novo News, pronounced the Cross Country course to be “super”.

She said: “It’s bigger and wider, very much a Badminton course to give us sleepless nights. They’ve done everything they can with the ground and there’s a great grass cover. You’ve got to be bold and brave and keep pushing, and the riders that can achieve that will do the best.”

Full results on www.badminton-horse.co.uk.

Watch live coverage of the Cross Country and Jumping on the FEI’s official video platform FEI TV, if you are based outside of the UK. In the UK, live coverage of the Cross Country and Jumping can be seen on the BBC Red Button and BBC Sport website. For full TV listings and broadcast times, please visit the Badminton website here.

See full standings here.

Prize money

At the end of the FEI Classics™ 2013/2014 season, the five riders with the highest number of points collected across the six FEI Classics™ events will share a total prize fund of US$120,000 split as follows: 1st – US$40,000 (Series Champion); 2nd – US$35,000; 3rd – US$25,000; 4th – US$15,000; 5th – US$5,000.

Join the FEI on Facebook & Twitter.

Our signature Twitter hashtags for this series are #Classics and #Eventing. We encourage you to use them, and if you have space: #FEIClassics #Eventing.

The Mitsubishi Badminton Horse Trials Twitter handle is @bhorsetrials and hashtag is #MMBHT.

By Kate Green

Media Contacts:

At Mitsubishi Motors Badminton Horse Trials:

Julian Seaman
Press Officer
+44 7831 515736
j.seaman2@sky.com
@bhorsetrials #MMBHT

At FEI:

Grania Willis
Director Media Relations
Grania.willis@fei.org
+41 78 750 61 42

Ruth Grundy
Manager Press Relations
ruth.grundy@fei.org
+41 78 750 61 45