report_midsouth

Strains of "Oh! Canada" drifted across the Kentucky Horse Park signifying the victory of Wendy Southam, of Stowville, Ontario, Canada, and her Belgian bred mare Ruba Z in the Open Division of The Midsouth CCI*. Wendy and Ruba Z led from the moment they entered the Dressage ring last Thursday, until they passed throught the finishing markers in the Show Jumping, adding one time fault to their Dressage score of 49.4, for a final winning score of 50.4. (Wendy and Ruba Z are pictured at right.)

Nadeem Noon, who rides for Pakistan, placed 2nd riding Phantom, with one rail down for 54.0. Had the pair jumped clean, they would have pipped the winners by .4 of a fault.

Momo Laframboise, known for several decades as a leading Canadian eventer, hasn't lost a step. She and the stylish chestnut Devil's Pride finished 3rd, with one rail down for 56.0

Dorothy Crowell of Frankfort, KY was the highest placed American, in 7th place on 61.1, with a clear Show Jumping round on Austen Kerr's skewbald gelding Nigel. Mrs Kerr is the Chairman for the Rolex-Kentucky CCI****. Dorothy won the Individual Silver Medal at the World Equestrian Games at The Hague, in the Netherlands, in 1994 riding Molokai.

11 horses in this section ran double clears on Cross Country. Stuart Black and Fleeceworks Starlight, who were in 3rd place after the Cross Country, did not Show Jump on Sunday. Stuart did finish 5th on Tacoma Longshot (58.4, 4 faults SJ) .3 of a fault behind Katie Evans, who rides for Canada but resides in Grand River, Ohio, and Dr. Rhythm (58.1, 4 faults SJ).

Ashley Smith, of Barrington Hills, Illinois won the CCI*/JR for the Harry T. Peters Trophy with her 12 year old thoroughbred Harvest Moon on a score of 52.7 (4 faults SJ). (Ashley and Harvest Moon are pictured above left. Please notice the Jack O Lantern in the Judges' Stand window.) Stephanie Sims and Mecca (60.2, 0 Faults SJ) were second and Kristen Rozycki and Gemeni (61.2, 4 faults SJ) placed third.

Sydney Conley of Benton, Louisiana, and and her 7 year old thoroughbred mare Raja's Dawn won the CCI National Section for the Alexander Mackay-Smith Trophy. Sydney and Raja's Dawn finished on their Dressage score of 51.7. (Sydney and Rajas Dawn are pictured at right.) Stephanie Ralph, of Bloomington, Indiana, and Sweet Music placed 2nd (59.9, 1 time fault SJ). Sweet Music also won the prize for the Best Conditioned Horse. Ashley Classon, of Keller, Texas placed 3rd on Ballynoe Rum (60.0, 0 faults SJ).

Saturday, October 18th, CCI* Cross Country

The first horse in the Open, or International, CCI* was scheduled to start Phase "A" at 8:16 AM. The fog was so thick at that hour that one could not see from one steeplechase fence to the next. As a result, the Organizing Committee delayed the start for 30 minutes. Visibility was a bit better; but, truly did not improve until about 11 o'clock. It was so foggy that at least two riders in the International Section actually got lost between Fence 3a and 3b and Fence 4. If a rider did not go through the correct gap in a fence line near the Lexington Bank, they ended up near the Rolex "D" Box and then galloped around frantically looking for the correct line to Fence 4.

The time was very generous so the top six finishers after Cross Country, in the International Section all ran double clears to finish on their Dressage scores.

Wendy Southam (CAN) is still in first place with Ruba Z on a score of 49.4. (Wendy and Ruba Z are pictured at left above at the fence in the water at the Head of the Lake.)

Phantom and Nadeem Noon, who rides for Pakistan, is still second on 50.0, inspite of rather unsettling , knee straigtening mistake at the second to last, # 23b, the house after The Lexington Bank. (Nadeem and Phantom are pictured at right, in a happier moment, at the trakehner after the Head of the Lake.)

Stuart Black, who lives in Bluemont, VA, is a Canadian citizen and has always ridden for the Maple Leaf internationally. He and Fleeceworks Starlight, who won the CCI* in Lexington, Virginia, this spring, stand 3rd on 51.9. He is also 6th with Tacoma Longshot, also a double clear, for 54.6.

Stuart spoke about his horses and about the course, designed by Derek di Grazia. "Both (horses) were super! It is a beautifully presented course, one of the nicest one stars I have ridden. The fences asked decent questions of young horses, none in any way dangerous. I think there was a bit of a mix up with the time. The minute markers were OK up to the (Lexington) Bank. Then you came off the bank and were 40 seconds up." (Stuart and Fleeceworks Starlight are pictured at left crossing the first water.)

Apparently, Stuart was correct. Momo Laframboise (CAN) finished on her Dressage score for 52.0 and 4th place and Katie Evans (CAN) rode a double clear on Dr. Rhythm to finish on 54.1 for 5th place.

Only 2.6 faults, less than one rail down and less than 3 seconds over the time in the Show Jumping, separate first place from 4th place; while only 5.9 faults separate first place from sixth place. Sunday's Show Jumping, which begins at 12 Noon for the CCI*, will surely decide the final placings.

Ashley Smith leads the Junior CCI*, as she did after Dressage, on a score of 48.7, riding Harvest Moon. (Ashley and Harvest Moon are pictured below center at the fence in the water at the Head of the Lake.)

Thursday, October 16, CCI* Dressage

18 of the 25 entries in the Midsouth CCI*, held at the Kentucky Horse Park were, Canadians. One was surprised not to have to go through Customs and Immigration in order to attend the competition. Besides the Canadians there were 4 American entries; 1 from Great Britain; 1 from France; and one from Pakistan.

Not surprisingly, a Canadian, Wendy Southam and the grey mare Ruba Z, lead after the Dressage Phase on a score of 49.4. They were the only pair to break into the 40's. This duo had won two Open Preliminary Horse Trials in Canada this summer. (Wendy and Ruba Z are pictured above at the right.)

Hard on the leader's heels, a mere .6 of a fault adrift, were Pakistan's Nadeem Noon and Phantom, on 50.0. Phantom performed a lovely test, showing a good deal of self carriage. Nadeem lives in Bloomington, Indiana, and attended Indiana University. Phantom is a six year old dutch bred gelding who had been started by Nadeem's wife Sherry. (Nadeem and Phantom are pictured at the left.)

Former Canadian Olympian Stuart Black stands 3rd riding Fleeceworks Starlight, who is fresh from a second place finish in an Open Preliminary Section at the Radnor International CCI** and Horse Trials, in Pennsylvania last weekend. Fleeceworks Starlight's score is 51.7. Stuart is also 6th with his other ride, Tacoma Longshot on a score of 54.6. (Stuart and Fleeceworks Starlight are pictured at the right below.)

One has to go down to 7th place to find a American. Carol Kozlowski, of Geneseo, NY, upheld the honor of the Stars and Bars when she rode Nordic Sparrow Hawk to a Dressage score of 55.9.

The CCI* Endurance test begins at 8:16 AM Saturday as the first horse, Stuart Black's Tacoma Longshot, heads out on Phase "A", the Roads and Tracks. The trail blazers start Steeplechase at 8:37AM and will be the first on the Cross Country, Phase "D", at 9:30 AM.

There is also a Junior/CCI* with 11 entries as well as a second Section of CCI* which has approximately 30 entries.