Bettina Hoy rode a blistering cross-country round in the worst of the weather at Blenheim Palace International Horse Trials to hold on to her dressage lead in the CCI3*.
Riding Seigneur Medicott, owned by Gerd-Hermann Horst, the German former European champion picked up 8.4 time-faults to add to her dressage mark of 32.9.
She said: “He was really fantastic. He gave me a wonderful ride; he’s just a little bit green still and would like to take a second to look at each fence, but you just can’t—you have to keep going.”
Hoy is on a score of 41.3, which gives her a show jump in hand tomorrow over second-placed Hannah Sue Burnett, who rode a terrific round for the USA on Jacqueline Mars’ Harbour Pilot and ends the day on 46.9.
Holly Payne Caravella is also in the top 10 after cross-country riding Bethann Groblewski’s Santino to a clean round with just 9.2 time penalties to sit in 7th place. Kurt Martin also moved up from 49th to 25th after cross-country on Carol Jean Martin, William Martin Jr. and his own Delux Z, after adding 15.6 time penalties.
The two other U.S. riders, Will Faudree riding Jennifer Mosing and Sterling Silver Stables' Pfun, and Tamra Smith riding the Twizted Syster's Group Twizted Syster, retired on course.
Best Brit is local Oxfordshire rider Lydia Hannon, third on Mr. and Mrs. Christopher Harris’ My Royal Touch with a score of 48.5. Lydia picked up just 3.2 time-faults—the third-fastest round of the day.
Lydia was thrilled to find herself so far up the order, and said: “She’s a superstar. She was a really good girl. We did a good dressage test for her, and I didn’t want to waste it and knew I post a good time on the cross-country.
“I walked the course with Nigel Taylor, who told me to kick on and go straight!”
Quickest of all were the first combination of the class, Andrew Nicholson and his own and Philip Channer’s Teseo, who came home just 1 second over the time and are in fifth on 48.9—just behind Oliver Townend and Peter John Windus’ Dunbeau, who were second-fastest with two time-faults and slot into fourth place on 48.8.
Temecula, Calif.—March 30— "World class." That's what Galway Downs Spring International dressage judges Helen Brettell and Robyn Fisher said in unison of the two rides that put Tamie Smith in the one and two spots in the CCI4*-S after dressage.
Myakka City, Fla.—March 30—In the third year of hosting FEI three-day events and recognized horse trials, TerraNova Equestrian Center welcomes an eventing date to their busy spring competition schedule. Riders from all walks of life, Olympians to young eventers, flocked to TerraNova to experience the previous two fall three-day events. The addition of the spring date gives riders an opportunity to run an FEI event and horse trials before heading home after the winter season.
The United States Eventing Association, Inc. (USEA) is delighted to announce the renewed partnership with SmartPak as the “Official Feeding Supplement of the USEA” for 2023. SmartPak will also continue their support of various USEA programs as a “Gold Sponsor of the USEA American Eventing Championships,” “Contributing Sponsor of the Adult Team Championships at the AEC,” “Bronze Sponsor of the Classic Series” and “Contributing Sponsor of the Young Event Horse Series.” The “SmartPak USEA Stallion of the Year” and “SmartPak USEA Pony of the Year” leaderboards will also allow the company to assist in recognizing the top placing stallion and pony of the Association at the USEA Annual Meeting and Convention in St. Louis, Missouri this December 6-10. SmartPak will provide ample prizes and awards for the programs and championships that they support.
From horse trials in her home state of California where she prepared herself and her horses to take on the best in the nation and around the world to five-star events overseas where she represented the United States on some of eventing’s biggest stages, Tamie Smith had a remarkable season and finished 2022 as the Bates USEA Lady Rider of the Year for the second year in a row.