Thursday,
April 28, 2005 - The First Day of Dressage
Phillip
Dutton (AUS), riding Bruce Duchessois' 14 year old bay Thoroughbred gelding Hannigan,
was the first rider in the Dressage ring on Thursday morning and was in first
place at the end of the morning session on a score of
54.4.
Phillip
rode Hannigan at Badminton, in 2003, where they placed 8th. Last year they were
second in the Modified Four Star at Rolex-Kentucky. (Phillip and Hannigan are
pictured at the right.)
Phillip
was asked if he felt that riding first in the Dressage was a disadvantage. "I'd
like to say about a 10 point disadvantage!" he joked. "I was on Hannigan
too long," Phillip continued. "There's only so much there and we ran
out of it at the end. I was disappointed in how I prepared him."
Regarding
the Head of the Lake, on the Cross Country course, Phillip said, "It keeps
the pressure on the horse and the rider. You need quite a compressed canter all
the way through the Lake."
Tiffani
Loudon Meetze, of Blythewood, South Carolina, turned in a steady test with Above
'N' Beyond to slip into second place on a score of 55.0. Above 'N' Beyond is a
10 year old chestnut Canadian bred Thoroughbred gelding. He is owned by Paul Meetze.
Tiffany and Above 'N' Beyond placed third in the Foxhall Cup CCI*** last year
and sixth in an Advanced Section at the Southern Pines Horse Trials this spring.
(Tiffani and Above 'N' Beyond are pictured at the lrft below.)
Robyn
Fisher, of West H
ills,
California, and Le Samurai stood in third position on a score of 55.6. Le Samurai
is a 10 year old H0lsteiner gelding. Last year this pair placed 10th in the CCI***
at Saunur, in France.
Kim
Severson with Maguire and Andrew Hoy (AUS) riding Yeoman's Point were tied for
fourth, both with scores of 56.0. Yeoman's Point is owned by Crain Gore and Thaya
Morgan, ofPhoenix Gold Coast, Australia. Yeoman's Point was sixth in the CIC***
at Luhmuhler, in Germany last year.
It
took until the penultimate horse of the afternoon session for the rain to begin
and for anyone to break the hold of the early riders of the day on the top spots.
Jan
Thompson, of Purcellville,Virginia, riding her parents' 13 year old Australian
Thoroughbred Task Force blew the leaders off the top of the board
with a neat and accurate test which gained a score of 48.2, to lead the pack by
6.2 faults.
(Jan and Task Force are pictured at the right.)
Task
Force and Jan placed 14th at the Blenheim CCI***, in 2003 and were sixth here
at Rolex-Kentucky in last year's CCI****.
Jan
commented on Task Force's progress, "I think it's been coming for a while.
He's definitely improved over the last two years. I'm sitting next to my coach
(Phillip Dutton) who has been a great help. David O'Connor has been kind enough
to help me this weekend as Phillip (who is riding three horses) is so busy this
weekend.
"I
was able to ride him (Task Force) much more forward which made it easier to do
the shoulder ins and the half passes."
Regarding
the Cross Country, Jan said, "I think it looks big! Saturday will definitely
be another day!"
Michael
Ethrington-Smith, the Cross Country course designer, talked about the 
course.
"It goes the same direction as last year. It's a little bit bigger than last
year.
"The
in at the hollow is a little bit bigger than last year. Then up the steps to a
triple brush, which is quite skinny. This brush looks very big from the bottom
of the Hollow and requires commitment and scope. You need a good horse to take
you to the triple brush."
Regarding
Craftsmen's Corners, # 17ab, "These are brush corners on mounds with a curving
five (strides) between the two - that's a grown up's fence."
"The
Head of the Lake (20abcd) has been causing a bit of discussion. (From the drop
in) 3 strides to a duck, 2 strides to a duck, a turning 3 strides to a step out,
and 1 stride to a curved brush. They'll find the distance between the two 
ducks
a little bit tight. (Beginning at the left above, the Head of the lake from
the drop into the water. At the right the Head of the Lake, showing the two ducks,
to the step out, and to the curved brush.)
"We have our fingers cross all will go well. We are preparing for the wet
weather.
The
top Six After the First Day Are:
1.
Jan Thompson, Task
Force - 48.2
2. Phillip Dutton (AUS), Hannigan - 54.4
3.
Tiffani Loudon-Meetze, Above 'N' Beyond - 55.0
4. Robyn Fisher,
Le Samurai - 55.6
5T. Andrew Hoy, (AUS), Yeoman's Point - 56.0
5T. Kim Severson, Maguire - 56.0
*
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