Favorites Take the Early Lead at Jersey Fresh Three-Day Event..….Hans Gerling reports from Allentown, New Jersey
Equestrian News Release
Allentown, NJ – June 3, 2006 - There were few surprises over the two dressage days at the Jersey Fresh Three-Day Event. The weather is muggy and hot, Darren Chiacchia won the CCI*** dressage test, and Becky Holder and Kim Severson are one and two in the CCI**. Perhaps the only surprise of the event so far is that the hot days have been followed by nighttime thunderstorms, which have dropped enough rain to soften the Horse Park’s usual hard footing.
The top of the CCI*** leader board is occupied by four-star horses, who for one reason or another did not complete Rolex. Chiacchia and Windfall 2, who also won the dressage test at Rolex, are looking to make amends for their disastrous Rolex cross-country round. Chiacchia should have significant motivation for Saturday’s cross-country with the knowledge that a positive round would make it hard for the selectors not to send him to the World Equestrian Games.
Just over a point behind Chiacchia is the eventing dressage queen of this year, Mara Dean. Dean also had a rough go at Rolex, but this big jumping gelding, could be better suited for the track this weekend. Jan Byyny, who did not run Task Force at Rolex, had a consistent test, which moved her into third place. With the top two’s inconsistent jumping record, look for this ultra-consistent jumping pair to climb up the leader board.
Buck Davidson and the attractive Selle Francais gelding Idalgo currently sit in fourth place. Canadian Mike Winter had a consistent, but not overly flashy test, to occupy fifth place. Davidson and Winter are both great jump riders, and either of them could be sitting in the winner’s circle on Sunday afternoon.
Not to be outdone by the CCI***, the CCI** boasts a pair of four-star riders at the top of the scorecard. Becky Douglas won the test with a consistent ride aboard the elegant mare Glorious Joy. Kim Severson, who always seems to extract the best from her horses at exactly the right time, is in second place on Tsunami, a horse that can be a touch temperamental at times.
Kate Ditchey and Belmont, who train with Phillip Dutton, had a great test which was perhaps a little under-marked to move into third place. Wendy Bebie and the diminutive crowd pleaser Phoenix had a personal best test to sit in fourth. This pair can undoubtedly be counted on to motor around the cross-country. Phillip Dutton, who is probably feeling like he is on a holiday with only one horse to ride, is in fifth place aboard Tru Luck.
All of the top combinations have had a good look at the cross-country courses designed by John Williams. Williams, who has designed the warm-up courses at Pine Top, Southern Pines and Rocking Horse has softened at least the CCI*** track following last year’s cross-country massacre. Unlike last year’s course, this year’s track definitely has Williams’ stamp on it, with galloping stretches and tricky lines, which should challenge and frustrate the riders instead of punishing the horses.
The first question on the CCI*** track comes at fence 3, where after two galloping fences, riders approach a roll top with a significant drop on the landing side followed quickly by a narrow downhill cannon fence. After a handful of easy jumps, riders approach the first real test. After a long downhill run, riders will need to put their horses together to jump a massive downhill oxer. Bending right, horses will then need to trust their riders and jump a sizeable downhill brush. The tall brush provides the horses with limited vision, so they will be jumping on trust alone. After landing in the water, riders will need to quickly find the line to jump a narrow faced corner in the water. After exiting the water, riders jump a narrow hut before galloping through the tree line and into the massive second field.
A big ditch a brush serves as a welcome to the new field, but should present no problem to combinations at this level. After a short gallop, riders will jump over a hay wagon before winding through the trees to jump a pair of corners. Although the corners by themselves are not too tough, the trees will require riders to have and execute a plan to avoid any annoying penalties here.
After exiting the woods, riders have a long gallop to a narrow brush filled table, and then approach the camelback combination, which are a pair of big mounds with logs perched at the tops. After another table, riders jump a big bounce in the tree line and then have a fast loop around a third field.
After coming back into the second field, riders have a tough combination of two big cabins on a very forward two-stride distance. Horses then come to a strange combination called the party tent. Horses go underneath a white tent before jumping a big table. Hopefully the horses will be really galloping by this point and will not be too spooked by the tent set-up.
The next big test comes at the coffin, which is similar to last year’s. Riders have the choice between a fast route with steep slopes and long one-stride distances, or a safer more graded line, which will undoubtedly eat up 10-15 extra seconds on the clock.
At this point combinations make the turn for home, and approach the final water. This complicated complex involves jumping a narrow lighthouse at the top of a slope, coming down the hill and jumping into the water over a big vertical. After landing in the water, riders make a right turn and take 6 strides to a left point corner before bending 7 strides to the left and hopping up a bank. A carved coyote quickly follows, leaving almost no time for a disorganized combination to regroup.
Horses then get a breather with a long gallop before coming to the last real test. Riders will need to seriously collect their tiring horses, and jump a big brush followed by one stride to a big drop, followed by 6 strides to a scalloped brush. After completing this combination, riders will have half an eye on the clock as they negotiate a narrow “jersey turnpike” sign and a produce stand stocked with produce “fresh from the garden state.”
The two star track also has several notably questions including a pair of angled cabins early on (Fences #5 and 6). In order to jump the quick route riders must approach with a forward canter, while holding an exceptionally oblique angle for the CCI** level. Williams has also challenged the riders with a pair of corners on a short two-stride distance and a bounce into one of the water complexes. At the big water complex, riders have to negotiate a set of big rails before going up on a mound and jumping a duck, coming back down a ramp to re-enter the water before riding to an accuracy question exiting the water.
With good footing and close scores, horses and riders will be getting a good night’s sleep tonight in preparation for tomorrow’s action.
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Today’s report from Hans Gerlingat Jersey Fresh is another preview of the complete coverage that will be provided by PhelpsSports.com. Look for the debut of this brand new, dynamic and exciting equestrian news website during the World Equestrian Games in August. PhelpsSports.com is going to change the standard of equestrian coverage on the Internet and will be your best source for up to the minute video, unique and personal audio interviews and late breaking news of the High Performance disciplines. Stay tuned!
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