United States Eventing Association

The Red Hills International Horse Trials made its triumphant return today in Tallahassee, Florida, as one of the nation's elite events. In addition to hosting CIC3* (as part of the Adequan USEA Gold Cup series), CIC2*, CIC1*, Advanced, Intermediate, and Preliminary divisions, Red Hills offers one of only two HSBC FEI World Cup™ divisions in the country (as does the Montana-based Rebecca Farm).

In the Adequan USEA Gold Cup CIC3* division, Imtiaz Anees secured a comfortable lead with a lovely test. Aboard his 12-year-old Australian Thoroughbred gelding, Interwin, he earned a 58.7 which seats him alone at the top of the board by nearly 8 penalty points.

“I’ve had [Interwin] for about two years,” Anees said. “We’ve started the season very well at an Intermediate/Preliminary, and finished second. Unfortunately, I fell off a young horse and couldn’t run him at the Advanced event I was supposed to, so he’s here.”

He said Interwin’s test today was the best he’s done. But, “there’s obviously always room for improvement,” he said. “I was really worried about the crowd. He’s a nice horse, but he can get upset quickly—he can take quite awhile to settle.”

Heading into the newly designed cross-country course, Anees is comfortable in his experience. “I’ve ridden here before and have had some great runs at Red Hills,” he said. “The course is definitely more open with more galloping and nice, big, straight-forward fences. All the fences are extremely well built. I think the first part of the course gallops fast and then the two waters are a bit tricky—they are serious questions.”

The riders in his division will be vying for points, prizes and cash in the first event of the of the Adequan USEA Gold Cup Series, which will make eight stops across the country this year. Year end winners receive not only great prizes but $10,000 in cash!

In the HSBC FEI World Cup Qualifier CIC3*W division, Mara Dean and her ever-prominent partner, Nicki Henley, stole the show (pictured left). With a 42.6 to take the lead , the pair will take their tour around Hugh Lochore's newly designed cross-country track.

Now 15, Nicki Henley trotted and cantered down the centerline with as much pizzazz as ever.

Dean enjoyed the test (and taking the lead) so much, she decided that her trip in the Open Intermediate division with High Patriot should be yield the same result, which it did. She and the leggy 12-year-old Oldenburg gelding topped the charts with an impressive 28.0.

She has never been one to rest on her laurels and call it day, even after two beautiful class-leading tests. So she resumed her day by trotting Chequers Macon, her 7-year-old Thoroughbred gelding, to the top of the Open Preliminary division, continuing to shave numbers off scores and posting a 24.8.

Buck Davidson and Carl and Cassandra Segal's popular ISH gelding My Boy Bobby trotted into the lead in the Advanced with a 34.7. However, they opted to withdraw before cross-country, leaving Ashley Adams and Vaunted as the leaders (with a 37.0) while Laine Ashker and Anthony Patch nip at their heels only a point behind.

Hannah Sue Burnett is another rider comfortable taking the lead on day one. Once again with Dick Thompson’s 10-year-old Thoroughbred gelding, St. Barths, the pair’s performance posted a score of 46.4.

With success seeming to follow them everywhere they go, Burnett is beginning to suspect that Mr. Thompson is a good luck charm.

“He was at Stuart CIC2* and Fair Hill CCI2*,” Burnett explained referring to the two events she won last year with St. Barths.

And even more than a lucky charm, Thompson is a steadfast supporter of Burnett, Team O’Connor, and the sport of eventing in general. “He was helping with the bills, but I was kind of paying for him for a little while. We talked about it, and since I was still struggling to pay the bills on my other horse, Keep The Faith, and he’s taken over everything. He’s made it really easy for me, he supports me and he’s really understanding. He’s the best owner ever.”

Though this trip to Red Hills is St. Barths first, he performed like a seasoned pro. “I was really impressed with him because he’s never been here before, and I haven’t been here in about three years. There’s so much atmosphere—he’s a little redhead anyways, so he can be a little flighty,” she said. “I got on him this morning around eight and he was pretty wound up, and so I rode him probably three or four times before my test at 11:15,” she laughed.

During those three or four rides, Burnett benefitted from some schooling from newly inducted USEA Hall of Famer David O’Connor. “He told me to, ‘just ride your horse – act like you’re at home and stop running your horse into the boards, and take a deep breath,” Burnett said, who admits she tends to get too deep into the corners.

Like Anees, Burnett is looking forward to enjoying tomorrow’s cross-country course. “The course looks awesome—they’ve taken out a couple of the old combinations and they’ve added a couple mounds,” she explained. “I wouldn’t say it’s ‘softer’ by any means, but it definitely has a really nice flow and they’ve done a great job of placing the fences so that the terrain kind of takes you to where you’re supposed to be.”

As all goes well, Burnett and St. Barths, plan to move up to Advanced at Southern Pines in two weeks. “It’s been good for him to wait,” she concluded.

Cross-country kicks off bright and early tomorrow morning, with the Preliminary riders being the first to gallop over the course at 8:30AM. Be sure to check out the live scores and stay up to date with your favorite horses and riders!

A Note from Our Sponsors...

The Adequan USEA Gold Cup Series is made possible through the support of its many sponsors: Title:

Adequan; Legacy: Nunn Finer and Nutrena, and Patron: Broadstone Equine Insurance Agency, Mountain Horse, and Succeed.

Winners of the CIC3*, the designated "Gold Cup division," will take home $500 in prize money, 7-dose box of Adequan, a three-month supply of SUCCEED, and a pair of Nunn Finer American Style open front boots. Second place finishers take home a Nutrena feed gift certificate and a pair of Nunn Finer American Style open front boots, and third place receives a pair of the Nunn Finer boots as well.