United States Eventing Association

Competition at The Fork got underway this morning in Norwood, N.C. with the first of two days of dressage. This event is the fourth qualifier of the 2016 Adequan USEA Gold Cup Series, which will cumulate to the finale at the Nutrena USEA American Eventing Championships in Tryon, N.C. this September.

Maya Black and Doesn’t Play Fair (Camiros x Oncoeur), now becoming regulars atop leaderboards, finished the day in the leading spot with a score of 41.80. Black had her work cut out for her when Dawn and Jonathan Dofelmier’s “Cody,” a 10-year-old Holsteiner gelding, was a bit jumpy in the earlier movements. “I was really happy with the majority of it. I think that moving forward I still know how I need to make it better for those first movements,” said Black. “I think it just takes him a minute to settle in the ring, so I need to do a little better about making sure that I really have him on my seat and leg going into the ring, I was really happy we were able to move forward and have a decent rest of the test.”

The pair, who were in a three-way tie after dressage at last month’s Carolina International CIC3*, ended that weekend in second place despite two pesky rails in the show jumping, which Black hopes to correct here. “He’s been getting quite strong in the show jumping, so I’ve been working a little bit to make sure he’s toning it down a notch,” she said. “I’m hoping long term that I can get him a little more in his own balance in the show jumping and not so much on my hand.”

Maya Black and Doesn't Play Fair.

Phillip Dutton and Fernhill Cubalawn (Con Capitol x Corse Lawn), a 12-year-old Holstiener gelding, are currently sitting in second place behind Black and Cody. Owned by Tom Tierney, Simon Roosevelt and Caroline Moran, “Cuba” secured a penalty score of 44.90.

“It’s exciting to have him like this now. He’s getting pretty well trained, so hopefully we’ll have a good run on the cross-country and in show jumping,” said Dutton. “[We] won’t be setting out to break records or anything like that, but we’ll just have a good fitness run for him and onto Kentucky.”

Dutton and Cuba, who were the highest placing American pair at Rolex Kentucky last year, are looking for a solid performance in Kentucky again in front of the eyes of the Olympic selection committee. “Hopefully we can do a little better than we did last time. That would be the goal,” said Dutton, but he won’t claim which horses could be his personal top contenders for the Olympics. “That’s like having a favorite child. You’re not allowed to do that,” he joked.

Phillip Dutton and Fernhill Cubalawn.

Colleen Rutledge rounded out our top three today on her own Covert Rights (BFF Incognito x Let’s Get It Right), a 10-year-old Thoroughbred gelding. Rutledge and “CR” improved their three-star dressage score by 6.5 points after last month’s Carolina International, where the pair ended the weekend in sixth.

“Considerably better than Carolina. He was a lot softer, he was a lot more willing to play with me. All-in-all I’m a lot happier with it,” Rutledge said on today’s test. “There’s always things that can be improved, but overall from Carolina a much better test.”

Rutledge took the gelding to his first CCI4* at Rolex last spring where the pair finished 11th before they continued on to complete the Land Rover Burghley CCI4* later in the year. “His experience level this year is a lot better. He learned from last year, which is all you can ever ask,” explained Rutledge. “But the other half of that is that he knows he knows more, so he doesn’t necessarily think he has to listen to me every time. He’s cheeky. His mother was a chestnut Thoroughbred. It’s coming out right now.”

Colleen Rutledge and Covert Rights.

Advanced A

Liz Halliday-Sharp blew the lid of the Advanced A division on Deborah Halliday’s 13-year-old Irish Sport Horse, Fernhill By Night (Radolin x Argentina XII), with 19.40 penalty points going into the jumping phases. “I was surprised. I thought I had thrown some marks away, and I felt a bit untidy myself,” said the self-titled perfectionist. “I think the horse is a lot stronger this year. He’s got a lot more life in his paces, so I think where he would’ve had 7s before now he’s getting 8s.”

This pair, who finished second in the two-star division at Carolina, is also headed to Rolex again this year, after having a disappointing end to the weekend last year with a rider fall. “[The cross-country] is all about having him come out really happy for Kentucky. That’s the main goal. He just needs confidence really,” Halliday-Sharp explained.

Liz Halliday-Sharp and Fernhill By Night.

Advanced B

Buck Davidson and Sherri Martin’s The Apprentice (Casado x Funny Girl) lead the second Advanced division at the end of the day. The 12-year-old Irish Sport Horse scored a 29.60 to edge into the lead near the end of the division.

“He’s much more grown up now than he was last year. He doesn’t feel like such a weird horse anymore. He knows his job. He physically looks better. I’m very excited about him. I have a lot more confidence than I’ve ever had in him. I’m looking forward to hopefully not falling off before I get to ride him this weekend,” he joked.

Davidson withdrew The Apprentice from the three-star division at Carolina after falling from Carlevo earlier in the division. He has been cleared to compete and is in good spirits about this weekend before he takes this ride to the Badminton CCI4* in May.

Click here for a full list of scores.

The remaining CIC3* riders get their chance in the dressage ring tomorrow starting at 8:30 a.m. with Caroline Martin and Pebbly Maximus.

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About the Adequan USEA Gold Cup

Qualifying for the 2016 Adequan USEA Gold Cup Championship began last fall with the Richland Park Advanced & CIC3* (MI), Aspen Farms Advanced (WA), Plantation Field Advanced & CIC3* (PA) and the Woodside International Advanced & CIC3* (CA) and features 11 qualifying competitions throughout the United States at the Advanced Horse Trials and CIC3* levels. The final will take place at the Nutrena USEA American Eventing Championships, September 1-4 in Tryon, North Carolina. Riders who complete a qualifier earn the chance to vie for $40,000 in prize money and thousands of dollars in prizes in the Adequan Advanced Division and the title of Adequan USEA Gold Cup Champion.

The 2016 Adequan USEA Gold Cup Series is made possible through the support of its many loyal sponsors: Adequan, Standlee Forage, Nunn Finer, Nutrena, Merck, Broadstone Equine Insurance Agency, and FITS.