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Nathalie Bouckaert led from "Flag Fall to That's All" with her father's talented West Farthing. She also was in second position throughout riding the 7 year old grey gelding Everest. (Nathalie is pictured at the left after the Show Jumping Phase.)

Although the latter pulled two rails in the Show Jumping, he gained some breathing space when Just Kidding, who had been standing third on 53.9, applied the brakes abruptly at a spread fence and decanted Jennifer Carter. This pair toted up a cricket score high enough to drop them well out of the prizes.

India's Imtiaz Anees and Freetown, who had been in fourth place after a clear Cross Country run with only 1.2 time faults, had only one rail down to step into third place on a score or 61.3 faults. (Imtiaz and Freetown are pictured at the right below, galloping through the first water.)

Final Placings:

1. Nathalie Bouckaert, West Farthing - 46.5 (4 failts SJ)
2. Nathalie Bouckaert, Everest - 56.3 (8 faults SJ)
3. Imtiaz Anees (IND), Freetown - 61.3 (4 faults SJ)
4. Jesslyn Woodall, Tucker - 63.7 (0 faults SJ - 1 of only 2 double clears)
5. Jackie Sturm (CAN), T'Jean - 65.2 (0 faults SJ - 1 of only 2 double clears)
6. Christy Price, Barber's Berber - 67.7 (4 faults SJ)
7. Jennifer Irwin*, Rangitiki -
8. Kari Mulhern*, Truman
9. Blair King*, King's Whisper - 72.3 (8 faults SJ)
10. Melanie Smith*, No Tomorrow - 73.3

Editor's Note: Apologies to the final four ribbon winners - their scores are not precisely known at Press Time.

Saturday, September 4 - Cross Country Day

Nathalie Bouckaert of Chatsworth, GA, rode her father's West Farthing to a clear Cross Country with only .4 of a time fault to maintain her leading position on a score of 42.5. (Nathalie and West Farthing are pictured at the left, jumping out of the first water.)

Nathalie also stayed in second place with the 7 year old grey gelding Everest, who ran a double clear over the course at the Kentucky Horse Park to finish on his Dressage score of 48.3. (Nathalie and Everest are pictured at the right below, jumping into the second water.)

Nathalie said, "I have a better partnership with the gray horse. I've had him since he was 5. Neither of them have been out since Over the Walls and that's five weeks ago. This course is a good preparation for The American Eventing Championships. (Which will be held at the Carolina Horse Park, near Southern Pines, NC, two weekends from now.) You do all the exercises without it being hard on the horses. It asks all the questions; bit, the fences are smaller."

Michael Pollard, Nathalie's husband, added, "We ran in great big studs. It was greasy. You had to penetrate the top layer." There has been copious rain in Kentucky this summer. Your intrepid reporter noticed huge skid marks more than a foot long, as well as stud mark skids 6 inches long at the turn prior to the fence into the first water. Apparently, no stone dust was available. It certainly could have been used on the take off for the first part of the Coffin!

Jennifer Carter, who rides Just Kidding, stands third on a score of 53.9, with .4 of a time fault. She is 11.4 faults adrift of the leader. (Jennifer and Just Kidding are pictured below at the left, jumping out of the first water.)

Imtiaz Anees, a finisher for India at the 2000 Olympic Games, in Sydney, is in fourth position on a score of 57.3, including 1.2 time faults.

Other placings in the CIC**

5. Jesslyn Woodall, Tucker - 63.7 (.8 of a time fault)
6. Christy Price, Barber's Berber - 63.7 (13.2 time faults)
7. Blair King, King's Whisper - 64.3 (4.0 time faults)

If you are wondering what happened to Kelli Temple and Paris, who were third after the Dressage Phase, the below pictures, taken at the second part of the bounce out of the first water, will answer your questions.

Neither Kelli nor Paris were injured in this sensational fall.

* * * * * * * *

The Kentucky Classic, held at the Horse Park, in Lexington, September 3 - 5, ran two sections of CIC**'s.

Editor's Note Saturday, September 4th: Let me start by correcting my mistakes from Friday.

Althought the CIC** was listed as being run in two separate Diivisions in the Program, it was NOT! It was run as one Division. Hence, the placings stated in Friday's article below have been corrected in red beside the original placings.

Division A is in the firm grip of Eventing's newest married couple, Nathalie Bouckaert and Michael Pollard, of Chatsworth, GA.

Michael led off the Division with SS Jett. This good moving chestnut gelding had a pleasant test for a score of 51.2. The pair is prepping, in Kentucky, for the American Eventing Championships, which will be held in two weeks, at the Carolina Horse Park, near Southern Pines, NC. They plan to run Advanced at the AEC. Then, if all goes well, they will head for the Fair Hill International CCI***, in Maryland, in October. (Michael and SS Jett are pictured at the right.)

"He went to Over the Walls and was good. We hope to get a good run here and have a nice school," Michael commented.

Two riders later, Michael's wife Nathalie guided West Farthing to a super, if slightly tense, test which grabbed the lead on 42.1 and relegated Michael to second place.

Nathalie and West Farthing had been Short Listed for the Athens Olympic Games. Peter Green, Chairman of the Selector's commented, "Nathalie is coming off a brilliant ride at Over The Walls."

Nathalie, who is planning on the same schedule as Michael - The AEC and the Fair Hill CCI***, said, "He needs to get lighter in front with the same movement behind." (Nathalie and West Farthing are pictured at the left.)

Johathan Holling is in third (eighth) place with Direct Merger (53.8); while, Imtiaz Anees (IND) and Freetown are in 4th on 56.1

In the CIC Division B, run with Division A as one competition. early competitors, Kelli Temple (CAN), on Paris, and Peter Green, of Upperville, VA, with Magical, had nice rides. Final scores were not available at Press Time.

The Final Results after Dressage were:

1. Nathalie Bouckaert, West Farthing - 42.1
2. Nathalie Bouckaert, Everest - 48.3
3. Kelli Temple, Paris
4. Christy Price, Barber's Berber
5. Michael Pollard, SS Jett - 51.2
6. Peter Green, Magical
7. Jennifer Carter, Just Kidding
8. Jonathan Holling, Direct Merger 53.8