Sunday, April 25 - Final Veterinary Examination and Show Jumping
Rolex-Kentucky CCI**** Show Jumping
Kim
Severson and Winsome Adante led from gate to wire at the
2004 Rolex-Kentucky CCI***. They finished on their Dressage score of
37.0, incidentally, the best Dressage Score of either the CCI or the
Modified Section. They ran a double
clear Cross County and Jumped a double clear Show Jumping. They were
in the zone! (Kim and Winsome Adante are pictured at the right.)
As I sit at my desk writing about Kim and Dan's performance, I am thinking about the 100's, maybe 1,000's of young riders travelling home along I-75, or I-64, or preparing to board planes at Blue Grass Airport, or at Louisville Intergalactic, as we Lexingtonians like to call it, or at Cincinnati, who are dreaming about one day following in Kim's and Dan's hoof prints at Rolex. Some of them will make it and they'll make it because they have been inspired by Kim and Winsome Adante's perfection.
Kim
and Dan won at Rolex two year's ago. Last year, Kim and Dan each went
through the year from hell. Kim broke her leg in the spring.
Dan had a colic operation in England, while preparing for the Burghley
CCI****. "It was 
wonderful
how Linda (Linda Wachtmeister, owner of Plain Dealing Farm and owner
of all Kim's horses) stood by me through last year - a horrible year!"
Kim was asked how she felt about not having been able to ride at or be at Rolex, in 2003. "I wasn't tremendously bothered. I was still in a lot of pain, sitting around with my leg up. My Mom came to visit me and that was cool!"
The
above sounds as if Kim had no competition - this is far from the case.
Phillip Dutton (AUS) twice an Olympic Team Gold Medalist, riding Nova
Top, placed second on 43.0. He too finished on his Dressage score. (Phillip
and Nova Top are pictured above at the left.) Abigail Lufkin and
Kildonan Tug placed third, on 45.8. They finished on their Dressage
score. William Fox-Pitt (GBR), the highest ranked rider in the
world, in 2002 and second in that category in 2003, with Ballincoola,
finished on his Dressage score of 47.4. The top four were perfection
throughout. Kim and Dan were the best of the best!
(Kim and Winsome Adante are pictired at the right during their victory
pass.)
Asked how she felt when she knew that all three riders placed behind her had jumped clean, Kim answered, "I actually didn't know that. I was trying to concentrate on my horse, who, as Phillip just reminded me, wasn't very good at all in the warm up."
Kim continued with praise for Winsome Adante, "I feel more connected with him. He feels stronger and more of a whole horse."
Assuming Kim and Winsome Adante are chosen for the Athens Squad, Dan will be let down for about a month and then begin to prepare for Team Training, which begins on July 7th.
The top 10 placings in the CCI**** were:
1.
Kim Severson, Winsome Adante - 37.0 (0 faults SJ)
2. Phillip Dutton, Nova Top - 43.0 (0 Faults SJ)
3. Abigail Lufkin, Kildonan Tug - 45.8 (0 faults SJ)
4. William Fox-Pitt (GBR), Ballincoola - 47.4 (0 faults SJ)
5. Julie Richards, Jacob Two Two - 56.6 (0 faults SJ)
6. Polly Jackson (GBR), Limestone Rise - 61.4 (8 faults SJ)
7. Bruce Davidson, Little Tricky - 63.8 (12 jumping, 1 time SJ)
8. Holly Hepp, Damien - 64.2 (0 faults SJ)
9. David O'Connor, Courting Danger - 64.4 (16 faults SJ)
10.Kim Morani, Test Run - 65.6 (0 faults SJ)
* * * * * * * *
Bayer Modified Competition
Nathalie Bouckaert, riding West Farthing, the overnight leader did not have one fence in hand, until Darren Chiacchia, standing second with Tim Holekamp's Trakehner stallion Windfall, pulled a rail to finish on a score of 45.2.
Sadly, Nathalie and West Farthing had a refusal at the first fence and two rails down for 12 faults, as well as 6 time faults, to drop to seventh place.
Phillip
Dutton (AUS) jumped one of only three double clear Show Jumping 
rounds
(from 25 competitors) to move from seventh place to second place. Phillip
commented, "Hannigan and Nova Top were excellent this weekend.
I think I'll be in the close running (for the Australian Olympic Team
for Athens). I feel badly for Nathalie. She had one of the best Cross
Country rounds."
Darren's final score of 45.2 was good for first place. Darren said, "This is a lifetime dream to be in the Winner's Circle in this arena." Darren also expressed sympathy for Nathalie, "We have all been there. We all know that experience too well." (Darren and Windfall II are pictured at left with Windfall's owner Timothy Holekamp during the trophy presentation.).
The top 10 finishers in the Modified were:
1.Darren
Chiacchia, Windfall II - 45.2 (4 faults SJ)
2. Phillip Dutton, Hannigan - 49.6 (0 faults SJ)
3. John Williams, Carrick - 50.2 (4 faults SJ)
4. Amy Tryon, My Beau - 53.2 (8 faults SJ)
5. Stephen Bradley, From - 56.2 (8 faults SJ)
6. Jan Thompson, Task Force - 56.2 (4 faults SJ)
7. Nathalie Bouckaert, West Farthing 56.6 (12 jumping, 6 time)
8. Heidi White, Northern Spy (4 faults SJ)
9. Gina Miles, McKinlaigh 60.4 (4 faults SJ)
10. Will Faudree, An
tigus
60.6 (12 faults SJ)
(The
top five competitors: Chiacchia,
Dutton (AUS), Williams, Tryon, and Bradley are pictured at the right.
It is interesting to note that they all are already eligible to wear
their country's uniforms.)
* * * * * * * *
Final Veterinarian Examination, Sunday 8:00 AM
The returning rain did nothing to deter the masses of enthusiastic Eventing fans who tramped up the road to surround the trot up pad.
The Examination had the following results in the Modified:
Not presented:
Lester
Piggott, Holly Hepp
Dalliance, Bobby Costello
Held, passed upon re-inspection:
McKinlaigh,
Gina Miles
Held, withdrawn:
Gary
Rogue CAN), Waikura
Held, not passed upon re-inspection:
Darren
Chiacchia, Power Ty
Julie Richards, Hyde Park Corner
The Examination had the following results in the CCI****:
Not presented:
Carl
Bouckaert, The Boomer
Adrienne Iorio-Borden, Show of Heart
Held, passed upon re-inspection:
Jil Walton, Truly Triton
* * * * * * * *
Human Injuries: Nina Fout has a broken collar bone after a fall at the second fence. Ralph Hill has a probable cracked rib after a fall at the second corner at the Lexington bank
* * * * * * * *