In this series, the United States Eventing Association (USEA) is partnering with Athletux to critique your off-the-track Thoroughbred (OTTB) eventing prospects. Would you like to have your off-the-track Thoroughbred featured in the next edition of OTTB Critique presented by Athletux? We are looking for our next horse! Email your tips to [email protected].
OTTBs come in all shapes, sizes, and ages. While sometimes known for being younger, this month’s OTTB didn’t come off the track until the age of six after he made a whopping 41 starts. We are so excited to feature Noontime Badge in this month’s OTTB critique column.
Noontime Badge found his way into eventing after Stella Sunstein and Kristin Schmolze saw his Facebook ad. “He was listed on Facebook right off the track and Kristin and I bought him as a resale project,” Sunstein explained. Sunstein took him to his first event and then decided to keep him after he surpasses all of her expectations.
With over 15 USEA starts under his belt through the Training level, Noontime Badge hasn’t had a single cross-country jump penalty and has never finished outside of the top 10. Most recently, Noontime Badge scooped up another top 10 finish at the Maryland Horse Trials in the Training division. He is eyeing a Preliminary move up with Sunstein in the irons and she is so excited to see where they can go together!
This month we are excited to have five-star rider Jennifer McFall of Dragonfire Farm with us to critique Noontime Badge. Known for producing young horses up the levels with phenomenal success, McFall has a knack for spotting talent and knowing what it takes to succeed in the upper echelons of the sport. Right off the bat, McFall said, “He’s obviously going to stay sound with that many starts! And clearly, he has a great attitude if he is already excelling in his new career so quickly.” McFall was sure to point out, “Truly, temperament is as important as any talent.” Right from the beginning, it is obvious Noontime Badge has the temperament to succeed and a personality to match.
McFall then transitioned to his pedigree. “I looked up his papers and he has good sport lines a ways back. I really like Fappiano on his dam side,” she added. McFall then looked over his conformation, noting, “He is quite attractive and has a strong and solid build.” Finally, if she was going to be picky, McFall noticed, “His top line is weak, especially behind the withers. He also is a bit downhill, with his hind legs being a bit longer than his front. He is built for speed,” she said with a laugh.
In addition, McFall added, “They will need to take care to develop his style over higher fences as the engagement will be a little tougher, as well as the collected movements in the upper-level dressage.” After looking over the various under saddle photos, McFall also stated, “He seems to give the fences plenty of room, so this style of jumping can overcome a flatter jumping style.” Overall, McFall is very impressed with this horse’s jump technique so far as he looks to have a natural jumping style as well as a try-hard attitude. Not only that, but McFall feels his heart also is his biggest asset and goes such a long way in this sport.
In conclusion, McFall feels Noontime Badge has all the makings to be very successful in the sport of eventing. She looks forward to watching him and his team in the future and following along with his progress. There is nothing like an OTTB who gives his all and this horse looks to be a star for his owners now and in the future.
Riders in both the Cosequin Lexington CCI4*-S and the Defender Kentucky CCI5*-L are sharing similar sentiments about this year's cross-country courses: course designer Derek di Grazia didn't play around this year. Here is what some of the riders across both divisions had to say about the tracks they will aim to conquer on Saturday.
Off The Record decided not to let Michael Jung be the only record-breaking entry at the Defender Kentucky Three-Day Event this week and delivered a career-best score in the Cosequin Lexington CCI4*-S on Friday morning. He and Will Coleman delivered a test that received a score of 21.8, not only marking a personal best for the horse but also securing their position at the top of the leaderboard going into cross-country tomorrow.
Boyd Martin and the 12-year-old Holsteiner gelding Commando 3 were the last pair to go in the Defender Kentucky CCI5*-L field on Friday afternoon and were warmly greeted to the bluegrass with an impressive downpour that outshined anything the other horse and rider pairs had to combat throughout the day. But that didn’t stop this pair from putting their best foot forward and impressing the judges enough to earn them a score of 26.0, just 0.2 points ahead of second-place pair Tom McEwen (GBR) and Brookfield Quality.
Please always remain vigilant when it comes to sending any personal communications via email or text. Every year we receive reports of members and leaders of our sport receiving phishing attempts both online and by phone. These are often communications disguised as being sent from USEA staff or other leaders. As the years go on, the phishing attempts appear to be more directed and tailored.