Sunday,
April 2 - Cross Country Day
The
lack of rain in the area from Pennsylvania to Virginia has been raising havoc
with Point-to-Points and Eventing in the region. The Ground is hard and
even areas in old grass with deep roots are not as springy as many competitors
would like.
The
runners at Mr. Stewart's Fox Hounds Point-to-Point, in Unionville, were sparse
and the Open and Novice Races had to be combined. Only two horses answered the
call to the post for the prestigious Rokeby Bowl at the Piedmont Point-to-Point,
in Virginia.
On Sunday, Eventing felt the same problem at Morven Park,
in Leesburg, Virginia, when only seven horses from the original entry of nineteen
ran Cross Country. (None of the top six finishers from Saturday's Dressage and
Show Jumping took on Tremaine Cooper's Cross Country course, some because they
were heading to The Fork next weekend, which offers a CIC*** World Cup Qualifier
as well as Gold 
Cup
competitions, and many because of the drought conditions which caused hard ground.
Kelli Temple didn't run Paris, who stood in first place; Mara Dean decided not
to run either Nicki Henley, second place, nor Jos Ambition, fourth place; Boyd
Martin declined to run Ying Yang Yo who stood third; and Steve Bradley didn't
cross between the Start Flags with Jane Sleeper's UN' from sixth place.)
Phillip
Dutton ran only Mrs. Annie Jones' Handyman Hughie, preferring to leave Lucky Stripe,
who had been in fifth place, and Amazing Odyssey in the barn. (Phillip and
Handyman Hughie are pictured at the right above jumping out of the water.)
Phillip
rode with his usual care and judiciousness turning in a well timed ride for 11.2
time faults. Hughie's final score of 52.5 was more than adequate to win the Advanced
Section by just under 25 faults from second place finisher Ashley Brown and Patmos
Bentley who picked up 16.4 time faults. Ashley and
Patmos
Bentley are pictured at the left above.)
The
best news of the Morven Park Spring Horse Trial was that Sharon White is
back! Late last summer Sharon suffered a bad fall schooling and has two
plates in her pelvis to show for it. In her second event back she won the Open
Preliminary Section 1 with Trooper Pendragon. eventingetc
says, "Welcome back Sharon!"
(Sharon, who won a Section of Preliminary with Trooper Pendragon is pictured
at the right at the drop before the Intermediate water riding Ronaldo.)
Final
Results:
Advanced:
1.
Phillip Dutton,
Handyman Hughie
-
52.5 (11.2 time XC)
2.
Ashley Brown, Patmos
Bentley
- 77.2
(16.2 time XC)
3.
Melissa Hunsberger, Just
Fun Stuff - 96.9 (29.2 time XC)
(Only 7 Competitors Ran Cross Country Due to
Hard Ground
from
Drought.)
Open
Intermediate 1:
1.
Alexandra Zavoyna, Merloch
- 53.3 (9.6 time XC)
(Alexandra
and Merloch are pictured at the left in the Intermediate water.)
2.
Sally Cousins, Top
Deck - 55.3 (6.4 time XC)
3.
Merida Lloyd, Bungee
-
56.6
(3.6 time XC)
Open
Intermediate 2:
1.
Stuart Black, Fleeceworks
Starlight, 38.8 (5.2 time XC)
(Stuart
and Fleeceworks Starlight are pictured at the right jumping the skinny after the
Intermediate water.)
2. John Strassburger, Master Merlin - 45.3
(6.8 time XC)
3. Sally Cousins, Center Field - 46.8 (6.4 time XC)
Open
Preliminary 1:
1.
Sharon White, Trooper
Pendragon - 38.9 (2.4 time XC)
Open
Preliminary 2:
1. Alexandra Tatham, My Security Blanket - 24.6
(FODS)
