Nicholson One and Two After Cross Country At Kentucky
Nicholson one and two after cross country at Kentucky
Andrew Nicholson aboard Quimbo is the leader after cross country ................
..........and with Calico Joe - 2nd after cross country
Andrew Nicholson has taken control at the Rolex Kentucky Three Day Event this morning after two brilliant clear cross country rounds putting him into first and second.
The world’s number one ranked eventer sits on his dressage scores of 38 penalty points aboard Quimbo (owned by Deborah Sellar) and 40.8 on Calico Joe. Team-mate Jonelle Richards and The Deputy (owned by Lucy Sangster and Mr and Mrs Tim Morice), in their first-ever Kentucky start, are seventh after an impressive clear cross country, with just 2.4 time penalties, to sit on 55.1.
Nicholson had plenty of praise for Quimbo, rating the cross country this morning in their first four star start together as probably his “most exciting ride ever”.
“He is unbelievable,” said an elated Nicholson. “For the first time at this level, he is just amazing.”
Calico Joe also made the cross country look easy, but Nicholson says he expected that from one of his more experienced mounts.
“It’s been a great day for the sport. The weather conditions were ideal for riding cross country, the grounds are superb and the horses just love to gallop on it.”
Nicholson had promised he he would be riding Quimbo like a “hardened four star performer with a chance of winning”, and he did just that.
William Fox-Pitt and Seacookie are in 4th place after a double clear cross country
But there were still challenges aplenty for others on the Derek di Grazia-designed cross country course. Of the 42 starters, seven were eliminated and five retired – including overnight leader William Fox-Pitt (Great Britain) aboard Chilli Morning.
The showjumping tomorrow morning (NZ time) will decide the winners, and Nicholson says he “expects” Quimbo to do his job, although it is a discipline that sometimes challenges Calico Joe.
Sitting in third spot behind Nicholson’s two horses is Buck Davidson Jnr (USA) with Ballynoe Castle RM who has 45.2, with Fox-Pitt and Sea Cookie TSF on 46.2 in fourth, giving the Kiwi a rail in hand. Australian rider Peter Atkins on Henry Jota Hampton also had a great ride with only 1.6 time penalties to move from 28th position up to 12th
Nicholson is chasing not just victory at Kentucky, but points in the HSBC FEI Classics series, which he is currently leading.
The Rolex Kentucky Three Day Event is the Western Hemisphere’s only four star three day event. It features the world’s best horses and riders vying for their share of $US250,000 in prize money as well as the chance of winning $US350,000 for anyone who can win Kentucky, Mitsubishi Motors Badminton and Land Rover Burghley Four Star Events in succession.
American rider Buck Davidson, who rode three horses around the course with no jumping penalties, earned a special prize today—the Land Rover Best Ride of the Day for being the U.S. rider finishing closest to the optimum time. Presenting sponsor Land Rover presented him with a two-year free lease on a 2013 Range Rover Evoque. He earned the car for his ride aboard Mar De Amor.
“The Land Rover award was certainly in my head this morning, but I had lots of other things to think about, so it wasn’t really a priority when I was riding around the course,” said Davidson. “This award is great, because I’d been thinking that I’d like to have a Land Rover like this. I’d told my girlfriend that, and she’d asked me ‘Why do you need to have another car?’ Well, now I have one.”
The day brought another landmark for Davidson—a clear and fast round on Ballynoe Castle RM, 13, his mount at the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games at the Kentucky Horse Park. It was there that Ballynoe Castle had a refusal at what this year was fence 13, the Sunken Road. That memory haunted Davidson all day, even after his first two rounds on Park Trader and Mar De Amor.
Ballynoe Castle underwent wind surgery a year ago, and Davidson said it’s made a tremendous difference in the horse’s endurance and his attitude.
“It’s a shame that his entire career has been plagued by that stop at the Sunken Road, because he’s such a great horse and everybody loves him,” said Davidson. “I just about gave up and stopped after he was so perfect through the Sunken Road—I was so happy.”
Davidson, of Ocala, Fla., happily drove his new car away at the presentation, after saying, “I’m the luckiest guy in the world today.”
Fox-Pitt, the Rolex Kentucky winner in 2010 and 2012, had a day of mixed results on the cross-country course. He rode Seacookie to a perfect round as the first rider on the course at 10:00 a.m., but at 2:45 he retired overnight leader Chilli Morning after an unexpected refusal at fence 7ABC, the HSBC Water Park.
Fox-Pitt said he had no explanation for Chilli Morning’s mistake. “Who knows? There will be lots of time to reflect on it. Maybe he just over-jumped the fence before and shut down there,” said Fox-Pitt. “Whatever the reason, there was no point in carrying on—he’s 13 years old, and he’s not here for the experience. We’ll try again another day.”
