Thieriot Stutes Takes the Top Spot at Galway Downs After Dressage
At the conclusion of dressage it was Frankie Thieriot Stutes and The Catwin Group’s Chatwin who stood firmly in front of the pack in the Adequan USEA Gold Cup CIC3* division. The 9-year-old Oldeburg gelding (Contendro I x Oktav) earned a score of 42.1 from judges Marilyn Payne (USA) and Helen Brettell (USA).
“I actually was not that happy with our test,” Thieriot Stutes commented. “He broke in the counter canter, and I was very surprised. He just seemed to come out of that half pass and not quite be under himself and be able to hold it. I had a bit of a challenge getting him back to get the proper lead which was just very uncharacteristic of him, so I just tried to take that movement for what it was and move forward and get my change and try to make up for it a little bit.”
Despite the bobble in the counter canter, the judges rewarded the pair for Chatwin’s correct movements throughout. “Overall I think that in the whole test he’s pretty strong as a whole. We’ve worked a lot and now we can get really nit-picky. I think he’s come up so much in the canter. Now in these tests when we get into the canter I think, ‘oh good, we’re in the canter,’ because it’s easier to ride him in the canter,” she continued.
Mackenna Shea and Landioso. USEA/Shelby Allen Photo.
Following in a close second is Mackenna Shea and her own Landioso. Just .3 behind our leaders, this pair sit on 42.4 penalty points going into this afternoon’s show jumping. Shea who is a 2017 Karen Stives Eventing Endowment Fund Grant recipient, is slated to represent the United States at the Houghton Hall CICO3* and Bramham International CCI3*-U25 this summer with the 15-year-old Bravarian Warmblood (Legendaer I x Aspen).
Third place currently goes to Heather Morris and Charlie Tango, a 9-year-old Irish Sport Horse (Shannondale Sarco St Ghyvan x Our Queen Bee) owned by Team Express Group. This pair sits on a score of 46.3 after a rhythmical round.
With less than one point between Thieriot-Stutes and Shea, the pressure is on for this afternoon’s show jumping. Three-star competitors are set to jump beginning at 5:00 p.m. PST. Don’t forget you can watch the action live at www.rideonvideo.net.
The 2017 Adequan USEA Gold Cup Championship features 11 qualifying competitions throughout the United States at the Advanced Horse Trials and CIC3* levels. Qualifying began last fall and continues through August with the final taking place at the USEA American Eventing Championships, August 30 – September 3 at the Tryon International Equestrian Center in Mill Spring, 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 2017 Adequan USEA Gold Cup Series is made possible through the support of its many loyal sponsors: Adequan, Standlee Forage, Nutrena, Merck Animal Health, Broadstone Equine Insurance Agency and FITS.
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