Sunday, April 17 - Show Jumping Day

Twenty-three CCI*** horses jumped Sunday afternoon for the Foxhall Cup, over a course designed by Richard Lamb. (Only one pair, who completed the Cross Country, on Saturday, Lellie Ward and Riverdance, did not present at the Veterinary Inspection, earlier Sunday morning.)

Of the top contenders, Australia's Phillip Dutton, tied for 6th after Cross Country, with John Williams, a member of the USEF's Athens Olympic Games Bronze Medal Team, and Sloopy, jumped first of the pair and had two rails down for 8 faults with August Vetterino's Amazing Odyssey. Their final score was 67.2. They were only the second pair to make the time.

John and Sloopy jumped next and also pulled two rails; however, they added two time faults over the tightly wheeled course to land in sixth place on 69.2.

Darren Chiacchia riding San Salvador, who had been in fifth place after Cross Country, had what announcer Nicho Meredith described as "a cricket score" of 28 jumping faults, for 7 fences down and 2 time faults, to drop right out of the ribbons.

Next came Stephen Bradley, of Leesburg, Virginia, riding Mr. William Lowe's Brandenburg's Joshua. They were in fourth place, just 3.8 faults out of the lead. Steve and Joshua steadily jumped on and on. No rails dropped. They had jumped the first clear round! - only 1 time fault marred their otherwise perfect trip. They completed on a score of 56.6. (Steve and Brandenburg's Joshua are pictured at the right.)

Jan Thompson, of Purcelleville, VA, nearly a neighbor of Steve's, stood third after Cross Country, only .4 of a fault ahead of Steve and Joshua. Jan was riding Waterfront, who belongs to Jan's parents, Dr. and Mrs. Richard Byyny. She too was able to accomplish the elusive clear jumping round. Once again the clock caught them out for 3 time faults. They dropped behind Steve by 1.6 faults. (Jan and Waterfront are pictured at the left below.)

Leigh Mesher, riding in her first CCI***, on her International veteran My Beau, formerly ridden by Amy Tryon, picked up 12 jumping faults - but did finish within the time to drop two places to fourth.

At last came Bonnie Mosser and Jenga, the 2002 winners and overnight leaders. They had one rail and one time fault in hand. Sadly, there was to be no repeat win for Bonnie, as Jenga pulled two rails for 8 faults and added 4 time faults to drop to third place on a score of 63.8. (Bonnie and Jenga are pictured at the right below.)

Stephen Bradley and Brandenburg's Joshua had won the Foxhall Cup for 2005!
This was Steve's first major win since he won the CCI*** at Rolex-Kentucky, in 1996, unless one counts his having been a member of the Pan American Gold Medal Team at Fair Hill International, in 2003. Steve is also one of only two Americans (The other is Bruce Davidson.) to win the Burghley CCI****, a feat he accomplished in 1993, on his 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games mount Sassy Reason.

Steve told of his Saturday at Foxhall. " I rode Stonehenge first and took a flyer at Fence 8, ("Genevieve Goose in Nest"). He started to leave and then let down, hit it above his knees and fell. As I flew through the air, I thought, 'I just can't get hurt because I want to ride Joshua'. I came up with a pretty good bruise!

"I had not planned to jump the "Shaving Brush" (with Joshua) but he was going so well, I did. I only had one anxious moment at the double of corners (The Nascar Bumps and Corners, Fence 25, 26ab). Bonnie was very helpful. She said, "Just keep kicking - he'll jump the whole corner - who cares!"

Joshua was bought ten years ago off Charlestown Race Track, by Joerg Eichman, a student of Steve's. "I said, if you ever decide to sell him, I want to buy him. He did the One Star at Morven as a six year old - that's when Mr. Lowe bought him. He came here (Foxhall) as an eight year old and finished twelfth. Then he strained a hock. He was back in work last fall." (Interestingly all three of the top placing horses, Joshua, Waterfront and Jenga are "come back horses" - having had at least a year off to recover from injuries.) (Steve and Brandenburg's Joshua are pictured at the left during their Victory Gallop.)

Jan Thompson, who finished second with Waterfront, complemented Foxhall. "This is a great course and much like a European competition. (For instance, other competitiions in the USA do not have mandatory holding pen for the next two horses to go before Dressage and Show Jumping.) She complemented the Show Jumping course, "We need to learn to ride tight turns We don't have a lot of depth in this country and if we don't start putting the pressure on now we're going to fall behind other countries. We don't have the skill yet."

The top Nine Finishers in the CCI*** (without Steeplechase) were:

1. Stephen Bradley, Brandenburg's Joshua - 56.6
2. Jan Thompson, Waterfront - 58.2
3. Bonnie Mosser, Jenga - 63.8
4. Leigh Mesher, My Beau - 64.3
5. Phillip Dutton (AUS), Amazing Odyssey - 67.2
6. John Williams, Sloopy - 69.2
7. Mike Winter (CAN), Kingpin - 71.8
8. Imtiaz Anees (IND), Freetown - 75.5
9. Mark Weissbecker, Swayne - 75.8

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Amy Tryon won the CCI** (without Steeplechase) riding Leigh Mesher's Smoke Signal (56.6), who Show Jumped double clear. (Amy and Smoke Signal are pictured at the right below entering the arena for Prize Presentations.)

Kelli Temple, of Canada, placed second on Paris (57.0). Australia's Phillip Dutton placed third with Mrs. Annie Jones' Handyman Hughie (59.0).

The top three finishers represented three different countries.

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The Foxhall Cup was the first American CCI of the year and thus the first to use an FEI certified Show Jumping judge, to judge with the rest of the Ground Jury. In this case it was J. Michael Halbleib. (This was a rule instituted after the Bettina Hoy Show Jumping fiasco at the Athens Olympic Games last year.)