United States Eventing Association

Rain fell steadily on the morning competitors as scattered thunderstorms stayed in the area long enough to cause two rain delays. The competition was pushed over an hour behind schedule, but fortunately for the competitors in the inaugural Philippa Humphreys Advanced division, Richland Park has a phenomenal crew who worked tirelessly through the day to maintain the footing. These Adequan USEA Gold Cup riders kicked on through the altered terrain, but no one was immune to its effects on the optimum time. Out of the 11 starters, 10 came home with no jump penalties and all finished at least a few seconds over time.

Katie Ruppel and her 12-year-old Thoroughbred, Houdini (Hot Rock x Nancys Star), cruised to a clear round, adding 3.2 time penalties to Thursday’s dressage score. “The footing made the conditions a little bit tougher. You had to be a little more creative in the galloping lanes. He struggles with mud sometimes, but he felt good today,” she said.

This event is the pair’s first outing since the spring four-star in Kentucky, and she said the round was a perfect track for their return to competition, but she went carefully after the downpour earlier today. “I went as fast as I felt safe doing without sacrificing his shape or jumping technique, and he went even better than expected,” Ruppel said. “It was challenging enough, but it wasn’t overly demaning. I think that was a good thing considering how much rain we had today because that was a challenge enough.”

Finishing the day in second place is Joe Meyer and South Paw (Sir Caletto x Rodozoom), a 9-year-old Hanoverian/Thoroughbred stallion owned by the rider, his wife and Nora McDonald Yaney. They jumped up from sixth place with 12 time penalties tacked onto their dressage score.

Lauren Kieffer and D.A. Duras. USEA/Shelby Allen Photo.

Lauren Kieffer and D.A. Duras round out the top three for this Advanced division. “Duras” is a 8-year-old Dutch Warmblood owned by Debbie Adams and Jacqueline Mars. This event was the 2015 YEH Holekamp/Turner Le Lion d’Angers grant recipient’s second Advanced, and Kieffer piloted him to a very confident finish.

The advanced division this year was named in honor of Philippa Humphreys, who died competing earlier this year. After relocating to the U.S. from her native England, Philippa touched down in Michigan, and she was a familiar face at the Richland Park Horse Trials each year. The highest placing women in the advanced division will be honored with a special award in Philippa’s name.

Three Advanced competitors withdrew before the cross-country phase, Anita Gilmour and RF Fantastique (9th), Kristen Rozycki and Full Circle (4th), and Rachel McDonough and Irish Rhythm (8th).

Adequan USEA Gold Cup Advanced Top Ten:

The Advanced competitors will show jump starting at 1:45 pm in reverse order of standing.

Click here for a complete list of scores.

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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.