Derek di Grazia’s CCI4*-S track proved that three-day events are not just a dressage show. A total of 47 competitors went out Saturday morning to tackle the Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event CCI4*-S cross-country course and only one competitor put in a double clear round – Dan Kreitl and Carmango, a 9-year-old Westphalian gelding (Chirivell x Taramanga) owned by Kay Dixon.
Kreitl shot up the leaderboard as he was 11th after dressage and now, after cross-country he is the overnight leader going into tomorrow’s show jumping on a score of 29.0. “It was a super fun course. It was only his third four-star, and the same for me, as we just moved up to the level. He’s super honest and does his job the best he can. He was trying to read every question. It was super fun, probably the most fun cross-country course I’ve done,” said Kreitl.
“I went out of the start box with my foot on the gas, and that was my plan to try to get ahead as much as I can. I didn’t get ahead so, I just kept on kicking. He’s a fast horse. On the galloping fences I didn’t try to slow down too much, I tried to find them right out of stride and keep it efficient and smooth.” Kreitl was efficient as he was the only one to make time out of the 47 competitors in the CCI4*-S.”
The Indiana native moved up to the Advanced level this year. “Me being new to the level, I have a good coach, Sharon White coaches me. I always hope he’s fit enough but, he had plenty left in the tank so I feel really happy and confident about that. It was the first time at this level that I’ve come out trying to make the time, so it was really fun,” said Kreitl. “It was a hard course and we’re tired, but he felt like he could have definitely kept going.”
The first pair out of the start box was Liz Halliday-Sharp on Cooley Quicksilver (Womanizer x Kylemore Crystal) an 11-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding owned by the Monster Partnership. The pair put in a clear round only adding four time penalties to sit in second on a score of 29.7. Rounding out the top three is Phillip Dutton on Quasi Cool (Quo Vados I x B-Estelle ) an 11-year-old Holsteiner gelding owned by Caroline Moran.
The CCI4*-S will resume with the final horse inspection at 7:30 a.m. on Sunday where 30 pairs will present in front of the Ground Jury.
Helpful Links
Don't forget to follow the USEA event coverage on social media!
Facebook | Instagram | Twitter
The countdown is on for the 2022 USEA American Eventing Championships presented by Nutrena Feeds! This year, the USEA AEC moves to the beautiful Rebecca Farm in Kalispell, Montana. The AEC will move back to the Kentucky Horse Park in 2023, so if you have ever dreamed of riding in the Flathead Valley of Montana with views of Glacier National Park, you won’t want to miss this year’s very special opportunity.
USEA Podcast host Nicole Brown is joined by USEA CEO Rob Burk and USEA President Max Corcoran to look back on the highlights of the season so far. From the big five-stars to the road to Pratoni and what to look forward to this year.
When Auburn University’s Alayna Backel jumped the final jump on her cross-country course today you couldn’t even hear the announcer over the mob of Auburn students, fans, and family members standing at the finish flags. As the last member of the Auburn War Eagles team to compete at the 2022 USEA Intercollegiate Eventing Championships, Backel’s double-clear cross-country round with Amy Dobbins’ 17-year-old Halflinger gelding Oliver Twist (Aurora x Ludora de Las Perlas) solidified Auburn’s first victory at the Intercollegiate Championships in three years on a cumulative team score of 79.23.
It has been three years since Auburn University has clinched the title of USEA Intercollegiate Eventing Champions, but the team aimed to rectify that at the 2022 Championships by sending six teams to compete, one of which, the Auburn War Eagles, sits in the pole position following the first day of competition.