United States Eventing Association

Bellissimo and Dyri Are Consistent and Confident to Take the Morven Park CCI4*-L Lead

Leesburg, Va.—Oct. 11—Coming off a CCI4*-S win at Stable View (Aiken, South Carolina) two weeks ago, Lucienne Bellissimo (GBR) is feeling confident with Dyri coming into the Morven Park CCI4*-L this weekend.

She and Horse Scout Eventing’s 12-year-old Holsteiner gelding (Diarado x La Calera) scored a 30.7 this morning to lead the field of 16 pairs.

While the pair had an 8:07 a.m. ride time and had to skip their usual pre-ride, Bellissimo was able to make their hard work at home pay off in the ring.

“I was really happy at Stable View. He finished with a smile on his face and feeling really confident and relaxed,” she said. “[Today] he was a touch more tense than he normally would be. I’ve been working a lot more on his straightness on the centerlines and trying to tweak those areas, and I felt as though he nailed his halts and the centerlines today.

“Some of his lateral work wasn’t quite as true as we’ve had it historically, but I was really pleased with him,” she continued. “He’s an absolute pleasure to ride on the flat now, and he always focuses in the ring. Even my bad day with him is still really lovely to ride in the arena. His attitude is so consistent, and he’s been just a gift all season. I think he’s led at the last four or five four-stars he’s done, and I really hope I can do him justice over the next 12 months and produce him to be confident cross-country, and then hopefully we tick the boxes.”

The pair was eliminated in their last CCI4*-L start at Bromont (Quebec, Canada) in June for a rider fall on cross-country, but Bellissimo has been around Derek di Grazia’s cross-country course at Morven in the rain with the gelding in 2023 where they finished fourth, and she’s feeling good about their chances tomorrow with good going and another year of experience under their belt.

At home, she works on tough complexes at Preliminary height so Dyri can have a good look at things.

“He can be such a careful horse, which is a blessing, but sometimes I think it almost takes it out of himself because he gets so lookey, and he can hang in the air a bit, then he’s hanging in the air for a second at every fence in the first half of the course. Stable View he felt much more confident going into the waters, but it’s a track he’s just a few times, so it’s a possibility it’s because he knows where he is. I had him here last year and really nursed him around and let him have a lot of time, so I’m hopeful that this year I can try and keep traveling with him a little bit more. The ground looks fantastic, so that’s definitely in our favor. I’m playing the long game with him, so if he needs to come home with time faults, he can come home with time faults.”

Hannah Sue Hollberg and Carsonstown are looking to get a second CCI4*-L under their belts this weekend, and they’re off to a good start in second place on a score of 32.1.

“I was very happy with ‘Carson,’” said Hollberg. “He was well-behaved, and handled the atmosphere really well. He’s kind of a lazy horse by nature, especially on the flat. He doesn’t see what the whole point of all of it is, even though he does like to get dressed up for a party! He danced very well today.”

Hollberg gave credit to dressage rider Nicholas Fyffe for help on the flat with Christa Schmidt’s 12-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding (Lougherne Cappuchino x Nonavic Spyridonna). “He’s ridden him a couple of times for me, and it’s incredible the difference that he can make. They all just halt square after he rides them,” she said with a laugh. “I just love riding with him. He’s got the best way of teaching and explaining things and supporting.”

Hollberg described Morven Park’s CCI4*-L cross-country as one of the hardest in the world. She’s hoping to move Carson up to five-star next year and thinks di Grazia’s track will be a good test.

She’s had the gelding since he was 8. He’d started his FEI career at the one-star (now two-star) level with Jodi Amos. British-based American rider Katherine Coleman found him and insisted Hollberg try him. “I loved him,” said Hollberg. “He’s Irish and German, and he’s got the naughty side of both! He’s taken awhile to grow and develop. He bucked me off really badly in dressage warmup once, and I got injured. It’s been a bumpy road with him, but he’s really come around in all three phases, and he loves his job now. It’s a blast to ride him.”

Buck Davidson and his own and Cassandra Segal’s Cooley Candyman slotted into third place on a score of 32.3.

“He didn’t have any mistakes today,” said Davidson. “I was a little shocked that the judges gave him a 65 percent, but what are you going to do? That’s life. I went all-in brave and didn’t do the arena familiarization [which can sometimes make him tired] or a pre-ride. He might play around a bit before, but he goes in there, and if he’s not tired, he doesn’t mess around. I’m super happy with him. I just love the horse.”

“Rolo,” an 11-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding (Sligo Candy Boy x Dashing Hill) had been off with a leg injury for most of 2023, but he completed the Tryon International CCI4*-L (Mill Spring, North Carolina) this spring.

“I think Morven Park is a better cross-country than Fair Hill [the MARS Maryland 5 Star, for him]. Fair Hill you need a horse that can gallop and get to the top at that hill for the water, and then you’re all right. Rolo’s only 11, and I didn’t want to have him be discouraged or tired at Maryland, so I thought this was a better place,” he said. “What an awesome cross-country course—super beautiful, and I’m super excited for tomorrow.”

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