'Yellow Pony' Notorious Steps Up to Take the Win in the CCI3*YH-S at the USEF/USEA Developing Horse National Championships
Leesburg, Va.—Oct. 11—The USEF/USEA Developing Horse National Championships continued on Saturday at Morven Park, and there were unexpected shakeups in the CCI3*YH-S, which finished up with show jumping and cross-country.
Overnight leaders Jennie Brannigan and the 7-year-old Oldenburg gelding Royal Scandic (Revolution x Schatzi) delivered a clean jumping round with just 0.4 time penalties in show jumping to hold onto their lead at the conclusion of the division.
Unfortunately, Brannigan parted ways from Kismet in the start box of the CCI4*-L, resulting in an injury that did not allow Brannigan to continue on to the final phase, cross-country, later in the day.
In the end, it was Arielle Aharoni and Notorious who rose to the top of the four-horse division, finishing on a score of 47.3.
“Noodle,” a Dutch Warmblood/Danish Warmblood gelding (Good Times x Alino Queen) is a full brother to Aharoni’s former five-star partner Dutch Times, and they purchased him in utero from Goldhope Farm in Pennsylvania.
The pair finished well in the 6-year-old Developing Horse Championship last year, and Aharoni knew the 7-year-old division was a great next step for Noodle. He'd also competed in the USEA Young Event Horse program.
“I love the young horse classes. It's nice for these horses to shine,” said Aharoni. “He's still fairly green to the level, so I'm glad that he gets a win. [In the YEH,] he wasn't focused and was just a wild man, but he's fantastic now. I think the young horse classes are almost like a streamlined track to the top, and I think having the opportunity to have the young horse classes and where people kind of guide you towards the goal of eventually going five-star, I think it makes it a little bit easier with a clear path and a clear destination.”
Aharoni said Noodle has always been “a bit of a wild man,” not naughty or evading, just excited about his job. He has a personality as big as his colorful buckskin coat.
“He just really loves going, and he wants you to come with him,” she said. “He's the sweetest horse. He always wants to be with the people. His form was kind of shaky in the beginning. We were like, oh, he does not jump like his brother? But I think he was always kind of off in La La Land and not really paying attention. And as the jumps got bigger, and he needed to focus more, his form really started to show, and he started to look like more and more like a serious horse, and he just absolutely loves it out there. From last year to this year, I think he's shown us even more how much he takes this sport very seriously, and he's not so much of a goofball when he's out there anymore.”
Noodle has a bit more development to do on the flat according to Aharoni, and she took the blame for their single rail in show jumping today, but as for his trip around Derek di Grazia’s cross-country, “he was incredible. He just takes you, even when things don't show up just right. He doesn't care,” she said. “His footwork is so fast and he doesn't even notice that something was probably not quite right. He just keeps plugging along.”
Aharoni doesn’t plan on a CCI3*-L this year since Noodle is still new to the level this year, but she has big hopes that he’ll follow in his brother’s footsteps in the future at the Advanced level.
The reserve champion was Sally Cox’s DHI Noteworthy ridden by Elinor O’Neal. This was only the 7-year-old Dutch Warmblood (VDL Zirocco Blue x Jestarina VDL) mare’s second outing at the Intermediate level, but O’Neal couldn’t have been more proud of “Nesta’s” performance.
“I was so happy with her. She's really green at the level, so I was a little bit not knowing what to expect. She came out of the box and just really ate everything up and answered every question,” said O’Neal.
Nesta will run a few more easy Intermediates this fall, but O’Neal is very much thinking of the future with this promising young horse. Big picture, she hopes that Nesta will be the horse to take her back to Advanced after a five year step away from the level while she and her husband Alex O’Neal started a family, and she’s grateful for the opportunity to have competed her up-and-coming eventing star in the Developing Horse Championships while working towards that goal.
“We were all really grateful for this program,” she shared. “I feel like it really helps them grow well and gets them ready for the next step, next year. The courses were great, and we love the event, and we love coming here, and they did a great job running it.”
The O’Neals, who have a boutique breeding program in Ocala, Florida, are hopeful that they can pull some embryos from Nesta to help bring along the next generation of Developing Horse Champions. Nesta did have a foal as a 4-year-old before coming to the O’Neal’s barn and a client of theirs found a breeding expert who was able to track down the foal in Holland.
“They said they were going to consider selling him next year, so I'm hoping maybe that they will!” Elinor said.
Arden Janeway Continues to Lead CCI2*YH-S Going Into Final Phase Sunday
“Jane is G.I. Jane because she really fights for it,” said Sharon White of Arden Janeway after their show jumping round helped them hold onto their overnight lead in the CCI2*YH-S in the USEF/USEA Developing Horse National Championships.
The 6-year-old American Warmblood (Jaguar Mail x Freespirit) mare, co-bred by Anita Antenucci and White and owned by Antenucci, had one rail down to still sit at the top of the leaderboard on a score of 31.4.
“She used to have a little bit of a short stride, and now all of a sudden it's become this ginormous stride–that's what happens with training and time, that strength gets them better,” said White. “She jumped really well, and I just got a little too deep to the liverpool, because all of a sudden I have so much more stride than I used to. That's the joy of bringing young horses along, is that they do change and develop.”
That’s one of the big things White loves about working with young horses.
“She just keeps getting better and better; I find that very fun and satisfying,” she continued. “And sometimes you have a rail, and it’s always disappointing, but it can happen. She’s a very good jumping horse, and she wants to jump cleanly, so those are really useful things.”
Their score of 31.4 gives them a three-point lead going into cross-country tomorrow, so there are a few seconds of time in hand if White feels the need to use them, but she is more focused on the overall development of the horse in the long run.
“I think the most important thing is giving her a good experience,” White noted. “I am obviously a competitor, so we'll always be trying to go for it, but I will just do my best to make sure that she has a good feel out there.”
Helpful Links
Follow the USEA event coverage on social media!
Related Articles
Off the Record Digs Deep in US Equestrian Open of Eventing Final at Morven Park
Will Coleman and Off The Record hold onto their overnight lead in the US Equestrian Open of Eventing Final CCI4*-L after posting one of only two double-clear rounds across Derek Di Grazia’s cross-country course at Morven Park. They will have less than one show jumping rail in hand over the second...
Off the Record Sets a New Record and Takes Over Lead with Will Coleman Ahead of Cross-Country at the US Equestrian Open Eventing Final CCI4*-L
The dressage phase of the US Equestrian Open Eventing Final CCI4*-L concluded on Friday at Morven Park International Equestrian Center. 16 horse-and-athlete combinations took their turn down the centerline, making up the second half of the 30 total starters of the US Equestrian Open Eventing Fina...
Brannigan and White Take Early Leads in USEF/USEA Developing Horse National Championships at Morven Park
While all eyes have been on the US Equestrian Open of Eventing Final dressage the past two days, this afternoon, the stars of the future got to shine in the USEF/USEA Developing Horse National Championship for 6- and 7-year-olds.
