Friday,
October 14 - the Second Day of Dressage
With
the weather gradually improving - the sun actually appeared for a few minutes
- the first rotation of the day placed three competitors into the top ten, at
least temporarily.
Peter
Green and Magical scored 52.4 for seventh place. Penny Rowland (CAN)
rode Windswept to a score of 53.0 and 8th place. Clarissa Wilmerding claimed
ninth place riding Mystry Man on a score of 53.5.
In the second rotation
of the morning Adrienne Iorio and Better I Do It had a score of 53.3, which
was good for the ninth spot and dropped Clarissa to 10th.
Jonathan
Holling, of Ocala, Florida, rode Lion King II, the sixth horse of the 
second
rotation, to an excellent test which slipped into second place on a score of 46.5.
Lion King is an eleven year old English Thoroughbred who placed 16th at the Jersey
Fresh CCI*** this spring; was fourth in the Advanced at Millbrook, in August;
and placed fifth in the CIC*** at Poplar Place this September. (Jonathan and
Lion King II are pictured at the right.)
Two
horses later, Stuart Black and Fleeceworks Starlight scored 47.8 for a
temporary fifth place.
The
Top Three at the Lunch Break on Friday Were:
1.
Robyn Fisher, Le
Samurai - 39.6
2. Jonathan Holling, Lion King II - 47.0
3. Corinne
Ashton, Dobbin - 47.4
Will
Faudree, of Southern Pines, NC, rode his own and his parents, (who live in
Midland, Texas,) 16 year old Australian Thoroughbred gelding Antigua in the first
rotation after lunch. An even and accurate test brought a score of 43.9 for a
temporary hold on second place. (Will and Antigua are pictured at the left
below.)
Last year Will and Antigua placed tenth at the Rolex CCI**** and
this spring 
they
were 22nd at the Mitsubishi Motors Badminton CCI****.
Nathalie
Bouckaert, of Chatsworth, Georgia, rode her own twelve year old English Thoroughbred
West Farthing to a score of 40.4 shunt Will Faudree down to third place and later
Mara Dean pushed him down to fourth.(Nathalie and West Farthing are pictured
at the left below.)
Nathalie
and West Farthing placed seventh at the Rolex-Kentucky CCI****, in 2004 and won
the Advanced Division at the American Eventing Championships in the same year.
This year they were the highest placed Americans, in 17th place, at the Luhmuhlen
CCI****, in Germany.
Nathalie
said that she had ridden West Farthing here at Fair Hill, in 2003. Regarding this
year's course compared to the Pan Am course, Nathalie said, "It's going to
happen a lot faster than the Pan Ams." There are more efforts in less time.
Nathalie
spoke about her Dressage test. "I think it went very well. He caught a glimpse
of the carriages (from the Driving Competition) in the warm up and got a little
bit against the hand."
Mara
Dean, who lives in Round Hill, Virginia, rode the Willow Bend LLC's nine year
old Irish bred gelding Nicki Henley to a score of 42.2. Mara's test could well
have gone into the lead had her flying changes been more established.
Mara
and Nicki Henley won the CCI** at Bromont, in Canada, in June of this year. Since
then Nicki Henley has been third in the Advanced at Morven Park two weeks ago.
Mara
said, "The judges really loved his brilliance. I think he can only get better.
Phillip helped me a lot in the warm up." Mara drives the three hours from
Round Hill, Virginia with her two horses to West Grove to ride with Phillip. "Then
I teach a bunch up there too," she continued. (Mara and Nicki Henley are
pictured at the left below.)
Mara
noted that Hopper ran here at Fair Hill, in 1994, and then went to the Pan Am's.
She said, "Derek has done a beautiful job with the course. You have to be
positive and hold a very straight line."
Robin
Fisher, who led after Thursday's Dressage and maintained that lead through the
Friday onslaught said, "I'm stunned! I can't believe it! I can't remember
anything about my Dressage ride - I can just remember Phillip in my head saying
'Sit up and get his nose out."
The
Top Twelve at the End of The Dressage Phase Were:
1.
Robyn Fisher, Le
Samurai - 39.6
2. Nathalie Bouckaert, West Farthing - 40.4
3.
Mara Dean, Nicki Henley - 42.2
4. Will Faudree, Antigua - 43.9
5.
Buck Davidson, Idalgo - 45.4
6. Jonathan Holling, Lion King II -
47.0
7. Corinne Ashton, Dobbin - 47.4
8. Phillip Dutton, Connaught
- 47.6
9. Stuart Black, FleeceworksStarlight - 47.8
10. Becky
Holder, Courageous Comet - 48.3
11. Bobby Costello, Wild Delight
- 48.5
12. Mara Dean, Good Stuff - 49.1
(9.5
faults separate the top twelve competitors.)
(Nathalie
Bouckaert, Robyn Fisher and Mara Dean, the top three competitors after the Dressage
Phase at the FridayPress Conference.)
