United States Eventing Association

Like the CIC3* division before it, the top three in the Adequan USEA Gold Cup Advanced division also remained unchanged after show jumping today at Plantation Field International Horse Trials. Erin Sylvester and Paddy the Caddy are in the lead followed by Boyd Martin and Steady Eddie in second, and Ryan Wood and McLovin in third.

Frank McEntee’s Paddy the Caddy (Azamore x Slamy) carefully navigated around today’s course adding no points to their dressage score of 29.7. The 9-year-old Irish Thoroughbred finished very pleased with his achievement, sharing a nice big buck with Sylvester. “When he’s feeling pretty good about himself he likes to buck. The cheering just kind of fed it, and then he put on quite a show,” Sylvester laughed.

“Paddy” is still relatively inexperienced at the level, so anther clear round is a great addition to his growing record. “He doesn’t normally jump in footing that soft, so he almost felt like he was just a little unsure, so he was a little more difficult to keep a rhythm and see a distance than normal, but it didn’t hinder him at all,” she said.

Looking forward to tomorrow’s cross-country, Sylvester thinks this will be a good challenge for Paddy. “We do the same course as the three-star, so it’s definitely going to be on the tough side for him. He’s really green at the level, he’s just been waffling between the Intermediate and Advanced for the year, but he feels really confident right now, and he’s been schooling really well so I think it’s going to be a good experience for him,” she explained, and added that despite his experience level, she will still aim to be competitive across country.

“He’s a fast horse, so I can make up the time over the gallop fences, but I’m really going to need to take my time at the combinations so he can read stuff and understands what he’s doing. He’s not a slow horse and he’s really nifty, so giving him an educational round, I may be able to not be too slow.”

Boyd Martin and Steady Eddie. USEA/Shelby Allen Photo.

Boyd Martin and Steady Eddie (Jetball x Tudnela) also had a double clear round to stay in second place. Owned by Gretchen Winters, Pierre Colin and Denise Lahey, the 13-year-old Australian Thoroughbred has 31.8 points going into the cross-country. Ryan Wood isn’t too far behind. He also jumped clear with McLovin (Dixieland Band x Too Shiek), a 12-year-old Thoroughbred owned by Heather Sinclar and Wood, to hold third place.

Advanced takes on Mike Etherington Smith’s cross-country course tomorrow with the first rider out at 2:28 p.m.

Scores

About the Adequan USEA Gold Cup

The Adequan USEA Gold Cup 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.