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USEA eNews: Black Bests the Rest to Win the CIC3* at The Fork
Source: News Release/Shelby Allen
Black Bests the Rest to Win the CIC3* at The Fork
Maya Black kept a solid grip on her lead in the Adequan Gold Cup CIC3* division this afternoon Doesn’t Play Fair. Tied for second after dressage at The Fork International Horse Trials in Norwood, N.C., the pair bumped into first after a clear show jump round yesterday. Dawn and Jonathan Dofelmier’s “Cody,” a 10-year-old Holsteiner gelding positively zoomed around this track today finishing 15 seconds underneath the optimum time, which was the fastest round in the three-star. The pair ended the weekend on their dressage score of 41.80.
“He was pretty fresh at the start and in the warm up,” she said. “It took me a few fences to get into a good rhythm, but after I got going everything rode quite well.” Black piloted the enthusiastic gelding well despite his exuberance, and said running this event was great feedback on her spring training.
“I wanted to get around safely and confidently and use this to move forward,” Black said. “It was nice having the hills at the end because that is exactly what I wanted to practice. Letting him gallop up the hills, and letting him gallop down the hills and looking at where we’re at rideability wise and what we need to work on [before Kentucky]. It feels like some of the pieces are coming back together again because the horse is very capable of winning at this level, so it’s nice to have that show that our hard work at home is paying off.”
“Mainly I have to learn to ride him a bit at speed and I think this was a great run,” she added. Not having a string of upper level horses, Black mentioned earlier this week that the gallop fences here would be some of her best opportunities to practice. The 15.2 hand dynamo also seemed more keen than ever, dragging Black to the fences even at the end of the course. “I have to work harder to get him back for [combinations]. Where they walk long, I have to work harder to get him back because they don’t ride long for him. They ride short,” she said “Going into Kentucky again it’s good for me to make sure he’s in the right balance for the combinations because he has such a huge stride for his size.”
Lauren Kieffer and Veronica.
Lauren Kieffer finished second in this big CIC3* division aboard Team Rebecca LLC’s Veronica (Pacific x Kimbel). The 14-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding easily navigated around this Tremaine Cooper track adding only 1.2 time penalties to her original dressage score, which ended the pair on a 43.30.
After skipping the Carolina International this year, the mare came to the Fork off of a win in the Advanced division at Red Hills International last month. “I let her pick her own pace,” Kieffer said, and that pace was right on enough to earn a top three finish. “She’s only run at Red Hills, so she was quite keen to get out there.” Kieffer also reported this track tested her fitness well, and she’s planning on simply maintaining the mare until Kentucky.
After a solid ride around the three-star track, Kieffer had an unfortunate fall off Landmark’s Monte Carlo, another of her rides also slated for the four-star at the end of the month. She reports that both she and the horse are okay after the uncharacteristic end to their cross-country. “I’m going to try to get him into the Intermediate at Ocala next week. I feel like it was a fluke thing, so I’m not panicking much,” she said.
Collen Rutledge and Covert Rights.
Rounding out the top three was Colleen Rutledge and her own Covert Rights (BFF Incognito x Let’s Get It Right), a 10-year-old Thoroughbred cross gelding. “CR,” has been on a hot streak this spring, winning his first FEI event this spring at Pine Top Horse Trials, and then placing 6th in a huge CIC3* division at Carolina International.
“He was fantastic. He was really super and rideable,” Rutledge said. “There was a moment where he shifted his shoulders a bit at the angles brush [at 6bc], but he was really honest. He’s just so easy to ride and he’s game for everything.”
CR is headed for a second trip around Kentucky this month, and Rutledge is eager to best their 11th place finish last year at the gelding’s first four-star. “Making the dressage a little more of the show that it can be, adding a bit more rideability where I need rideability and adding a little more sparkle where I need sparkle [is the plan for Kentucky],” she said.
Following the top three ladies, Phillip Dutton claimed the next three spots finishing fourth with Mighty Nice, fifth with Fernhill Cubalawn and sixth with Indian Mill for a fantastic showing for the veteran rider.
Martin and Ruppel Finish at The Top of The Adequan USEA Gold Cup Advanced Divisions
The Advanced entries followed up the smashing rounds of the CIC3*group this afternoon at The Fork. Because there were so many Kentucky hopefuls looking for their last great go before the big event, there were two sizeable Advanced divisions. Boyd Martin and Blackfoot Mystery (Out of Place x True Mystery) took the win in the Advanced A division, and Katie Ruppel and Houdini (Hot Rock x Nancy’s Star) won Advanced B coming out of a tie for the lead after show jumping.
“Big Red,” a 12-year-old Thoroughbred gelding owned by the Blackfoot Mystery Syndicate, was the first out on the Advanced track and set the bar high for the rest of the competitors. Kelly Prather previously campaigned this gelding to the three-star level, so Red is still a new ride for Martin, and this event shows serious potential in the partnership. “We’re just starting to get to know each other,” Martin explained.
Boyd Martin and Blackfood Mystery.
He admits one of their weak points in the show jumping, but his round this weekend marks improvement. “I messed up a bit at Carolina,” he said on their three rails in the jumping two weeks ago. “This weekend we jumped really well. He gets a bit wild in the ring. Especially in the second half of the course. He can lose a little bit of rideability.” Martin has been working with Richard Picken over fences focusing on getting Red quicker off the ground.
Big Red is entered in his first CCI4* at Rolex this month, and Martin has big plans for the future. “I think you’ll really see this horse shine once we get to the four-star level. He’s American Thoroughbred; I think he was born to run three or four miles around the Kentucky Horse Park. Where other horses might struggle with the trip, I think you’ll see Blackfoot Mystery do it without even raising a sweat,” he said. “I’ve had him in the back of my mind as a potential Olympic horse, but it’s pointless thinking too hard about that. I’ve been more focused on the short term improvements in partnership.”
Martin also finished second in this Advanced A division with Master Frisky on a 33.10 followed by Ryan Wood and Frankie who finished with a 35.50.
Martin moved to the top division after Liz Halliday-Sharp and Fernhill By Night, the overnight leaders on a 19.40, had a fall near the end of the course. We’re happy to report that “Blackie” left the course with only a bandaged cut, and Halliday-Sharp is doing okay after being checked out at a nearby hospital.
Katie Ruppel and Houdini.
Unlike Martin and Red, Katie Ruppel and Houdini have been mastering their relationship for the last decade. Houdini is a 12-year-old Thoroughbred owned by Ruppel, and they finished this cross-country with 8.40 time penalties to give them an overall winning score of 38.10.
Due to a recent lack of rain, the ground was on the firm side and riders, including Ruppel, we’re sensitive to that around the course. “I left it up to him. It’s just fitness to run on these hills. The ground was a bit hard, and we’re so close to Kentucky, so I just thought if he feels good and rideable, I’ll just got for it. He was adjustable and looking for the jumps. I can’t complain he was just better than ever,” she said.
This pair is slated for their fourth four-star together at Rolex this year. “He feels brave at the jumps, but cam sometimes struggle with confidence,” she said. “If I jump him too big or too often, he’ll start to doubt himself, so the next couple weeks I’m going to let him jump some easier cross-country. I’ll let him do some easy questions and hopefully have him feeling like superman when he goes out of the start box at Kentucky.”
Despite their many years together, Ruppel says their teamwork took new shape after their trip to Pau CCI4* last fall. “I’ve had the horse for a long time and he’s always been like an annoying little brother to me. I didn’t always want to hang out with him because he’s a little nervy,” she laughed. “But when we went to France he only had me, and I only had him. We kind of joined up on that trip, and ever since we’re way more in sync. It sounds weird, but I think we became really good friends on that trip. It’s paying off because I feel like our partnership has grown a ton.”
Caroline Martin and Effervescent jumped clear and added six time penalties to move from seventh to second place to end the weekend on a 40.30. Hannah Sue Burnett and Cooley Dream, who were tied with Ruppel after show jumping, added 18 time penalties to their otherwise clear ride to finish in sixth place at the gelding’s first attempt at this level.
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