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Saturday dawned clear, cool and breezy with temperatures which reached the low 70's - in short, perfect Cross Country weather.

The time allowed over the 40 jumping effort course designed by Captain Mark Phillips and built by Scotland's Hugh Lochore was a very tight 6 minutes 30 seconds. In fact only one competitor, Phillip Dutton riding the Foreman, actually made the time.

The largest crowd ever to witness a Red Hills Cross Country competition was treated to a great exhibition riding by Phillip Dutton a member of two Australian Olympic Gold Medal Teams (Atlanta, 1996 and Sydney, 2000) and by Darren Chiacchia, a member of the USEF's Bronze Medal Team at Athens, in 2004.

The first of the overnight leaders to run had been scheduled (on an Order of Go different from the Dressage Order of Go), to be Darren Chiacchia with Windfall. However, Windfall was switched to Ahlerich's place so that instead of running 4th Cross Country as on the written schedule, Windfall ran in the 35th position.

Bonnie Mosser and Jenga, fourth overnight, ran in their scheduled position - 7th. Jenga picked up 14.8 time faults for 37 seconds over the Ttime Aallowed to finish the day in 7th place, on 63.7. (Bonnie and Jenga are pictured at the left above jumping St. Mark's Lighthouse.)

Next among the top competitors came Australia's Phillip Dutton riding Mrs. Annie Jones' The Foreman (# 131), last year's Fair Hill International CCI*** winner, who had been second after the Dressage Phase. This pair ran in their scheduled 12th position. Phillip kept his foot on the accelerator and this good galloping thoroughbred jumped confidently and made the time by two seconds - as it transpired the only horse in the competition to do so. The Foreman held onto his second position.(Phillip and The Foreman are pictured at the right jumping the house out of the water after the bounce bank.)

Heidi White, who lay third overnight ran in her assigned position of 21st and finished with no jumping faults; but, accrued 12.4 time faults for 31 seconds over the Time Allowed, putting them 5th after Cross Country with a score of 60.0.

Next of the contenders to run, in their scheduled position of 26th, was Phillip Dutton on his second of three horses, Bruce Duchossois' Connaught. Again Phillip gave an exhibition of Cross Country prowess for a clean round with 7.2 time faults for 55.6 and a final standing of fourth after Cross Country.
(Phillip and Connaught are pictured at the left at the log on the bounce bank into the water.)

At last came the turn of Darren Chiacchia and the overnight leader Timothy Holekamp's Windfall II (# 130), who ran in 36th position on the Cross Country Start Order. Places had been switched between Windfall and Darren's non-contending horse Ahlerich, who had run in the 4th position. Windfall had done his Dressage on the Dressage Start Order before Phillip and The Foreman and had a number lower than The Foreman's. On Cross Country Windfall ran 24 places after The Foreman giving Darren an exact knowledge of what The Foreman had done and what Windfall had to do to stay in front. (Darren and Windfall are pictured at the right jumping off the bounce bank into the water.)

Darren rode as if he were being pursued by the Hounds of Hell and, to his credit, got a fast round out of the Trakehner stallion who is not known to be the quickest over the ground. Windfall had no jumping faults and picked up 3.2 time faults for 8 seconds over the Time Allowed, holding on to first place after Cross Country by 2.8 faults.

There was one more contender to be seen over the Country. Phillip Dutton rode his third horse, Shannon Stimson's Nova Top, his Athens Olympic Games Team ride, and the winner of the Red Hills CCI-W***, in 2003, in his assigned position of 39th and last on the Cross Country Start Order. Nova Top jumped clear and had the second fastest time Cross Country of 3 seconds over the Time Allowed for 1.2 tme faults and a final score of 53.4, which was good for third place after the two days.

Karen O'Connor had a fall from Joker's Wild at an early fence named "Phillip's Folly." Though it was announced that she had retired, she did remount and finished the course; however, she did not ride her second horse Upstage.

As Ted and I were walking in from The Cross Country Course after the CCI-W***, Annie Jones, The Foreman's owner, hurried past us saying, "Phillip split his chin on one of his other horses (apparently Connaught) and I have to take him to the hospital for stitches." (Phillip is pictured at the left on Nova Top. Note the bandage on his chin.)

The top 10 Placings after Cross Country:

1. Darren Chiacchia, Windfall - 44.2 (2.8 Time Faults)
2. Phillip Dutton (AUS), The Foreman - 47.0 (Double Clear)
3. Phillip Dutton (AUS), Nova Top - 53.4 (1.2 Time Faults)
4. Phillip Dutton (AUS), Connaught - 55.6 (6.4 Time Faults)
5. Heidi White, Northern Spy - 60.0 (12.4 Time Faults)
6. Jan Thompson, Waterfront - 60.4 (7.2 Time Faults)
7. Bonnie Mosser, Jenga - 63.7 (14.8 Time faults)
8. Wendy Lewis, Rampant Lion - 63.8 (4.8 Time Faults)
9. Imtiaz Anees (IND), 64.2, (6.8 Time Faults)
10. Buck Davidson, Idalgo, 67 (14.8 Time Faults)

The CCI-W*** Show Jumping is scheduled to begin at 2:00 on Sunday

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CIC**

Nadeem Noon (PAK) who had been tied for third after the Dressage Phase in the CCI** had only 2 time faults Cross Country to move up to first on a score of 51.1. Megan White and Worcester stand second on 54.4 (2.8 Time Faults).
Mara Dean, the Dressage leader, is in third position with a score of 54.6 (14 Time Faults).

For complete results please click on Event Results at the above left.

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Dressage Day, Friday, March 11th

26 competitors in the CIC-W*** did their Dressage before judges Jo Young (CAN) and Roger Haller (USA).

To no one's surprise, Darren Chiacchia and his Athens Olympic Bronze Medal Team mount, the 13 year old Trakehner stallion Windfall, laid down one of their patented rides to vault into the lead on a score of 41.4. Darren must have had a nervous moment just prior to Windfall's test. As the black stallion entered the area around the arena, a small lawn tractor was leaving. Windfall took serious exception to the tractor's presence! Nonetheless, he settled quickly and behaved like the pro he is. Darren and Windfall won this competition in 2004. Windfall is owned by Dr. Timothy Holekamp, of Columbia, Missouri.(Darren and Windfall are pictured above at the right.)

Australia's Phillip Dutton, who winters in Aiken, South Carolina, stands second with Mrs. Annie Jones' 2004 Fair Hill International CCI*** winner, The Foreman. This horse, now a 9 year old, displayed some maturity gained over the winter, receiving a score of 47.0. Phillip has won this particular competition before, in 2003 with Shannon Stimpson's Nova Top, who is a competitor here again this year, and scored 52.2 in the Dressage phase. (Phillip and the Foreman are pictured at the left._

Heidi White, of Chadd's Ford, PA, rode her own 12 year old thoroughbred gelding Northern Spy to third place on 47.6, just .6 of a fault adrift of her mentor Phillip. Heidi and Northern Spy placed 4th at Red Hills in 2003. It seems to be a repeater's competition! (Heidi and Northern Spy are pictured at the right below.)

Bonnie Mosser, another Phillip disciple, now on her own, is in fourth place on Jenga, a 12 year old thoroughbred gelding who competed at the World Cup in Pau, France last fall. The FEI Eventing World Cup final will be held in Malmo, Sweden this year.

Phillip appears on the Leader Board again, this time in fifth place riding Bruce Duchossois' 12 year old Irish Tthoroughbred gelding Connaught, with a score of 49.2.

Karen O'Connor, of The Plains, VA, rounds out the top six with Mr. and Mrs Richard Thompson's 13 year old Thoroughbred gelding Upstage on a score of 50.5.

Mara Dean leads the CIC** with Good Stuff (40.6) from Nadeem Noon and Phantom.

For complete Results please see Event Results at the left above.

The CCI-W*** Cross Country begins on Saturday at 12:10 PM.

eventingetc.com will carry bulletins of the Cross Country and Show Jumping results Saturday and Sunday and a full Cross Country report with pictures on Monday.