Sylvester and Paddy the Caddy Top the Adequan USEA Gold Cup Advanced Leaderboard on Day One at Plantation Field International Horse Trials
Erin Sylvester and Paddy the Caddy (Azamore x Slamy) are the first leaders at Plantation Field International Horse Trials after securing the only sub-30 score in the Adequan USEA Gold Cup Advanced division. Frank Mcentee’s 9-year-old Thoroughbred danced his way to a score of 29.70 to start the weekend.
The score he earned yesterday is a personal best for "Paddy", and Sylvester said he felt settled and ready to give it his all going into the ring. “He’s been going in and out of waves of nervousness this year, but he had a good look in his eye when we were tacking him up, and he felt like he really wanted to perform,” she commented. “It’s all in there. He’s very capable and he can school really well at home. He goes through stages at each level where he’s a bit insecure for awhile. He’s felt that way in his last few events, but he’s been going well the last few weeks. Today he was ready to focus.”
Paddy is still learning the level, having moved up to Advanced this spring at Pine Top. He was imported by Mcentee from Ireland as a racing prospect, but never made it to the track. “He sat in a field for awhile. I was teaching Frank’s daughter at the time, and he brought Paddy to me and said, ‘What do you think?’ He was really small, but he definitely knew how to jump from the start. He’s got this cute way of moving that he’s had from day one,” Sylvester explained.
Veterans Boyd Martin and Steady Eddie follow closely behind Paddy in second place. Gretchen Wintersteen, Pierre Colin and Denise Lahey’s 13-year-old Australian Thoroughbred sits on 31.8 points going into the jumping phases. Lauren Kieffer and Jacqueline Mars' Vermiculus, a 9-year-old Ango Arabian gelding by Sazeram, round out the top three on a score of 32.2.
The Advanced division will have a bit of downtime until they show jump over Chris Barnard’s show jumping course on Saturday. The second CIC3* Adequan USEA Gold Cup division starts their competition with dressage on Friday.
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, Aug. 30 - Sept. 4, 2017 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.
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