Phew this course is tough. I love to see the bold fences and true tests (like that HUGE triple bar to the very collected 4) - it will definitely let the top riders show off their skills and shine!
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Gigi Moynihan just made that look like a walk in the park.
Grace DeFoe also had excellent command of the track into the post and rail one stride, both ways. And she made it hard on herself, she took the shortest turn option both times.
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Zayna and Elli both had quite nice rounds but each with a rail down. Zayna had the rail on the out of the 4 stride. Elli had the last fence down. It’ll be interesting to see what the judges do with that on the standby.
Jordan had a very smooth round, but I was distracted by how long her reins were.
At the rate we are going I think we’ll have to see them both on the first standby, just because of the quality of rides we’ve seen so far, but unfortunately those fences are both placed where they are and shaped the way they are to ask “can you ride carefully enough to keep them up.” I would look harder at rails on those two fences than I would at a rail almost anywhere else.
I quite like Grace Rabb as a rider- this was not her year, but that was tactful and sympathetic.
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Steve Stephens is cracking me up. “I have to say… darn!” (about Hensley Humphries who turned in a lovely round on a big rangy chestnut horse, who almost did the work to bring him back in four to the brush with the black rail, but didn’t quite command his front end and he ticked the rail.)
Agreed. I appreciated that she took the time to hold the horse steady after the refusal and let him look, take a breath. She got herself organized, took the long approach to give him plenty of time to see it the second time and got him over it.
Mimi Gochman just laid down a lovely trip. A little close in some spots but answered all the adjustability questions easily and looked confident doing it.
I help her ( Grace )on the regular 😊 She is a lovely child and this is the horses first time doing any finals.
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And she had a better horse when she finished than she started - I’ll watch her next year.
I like Mimi much better on this Heroy horse than Kaskade. That was nicely done.
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Rails in equitation are 4pts off, unless determined to be rider caused, in which case the 45 score is awarded. So if you are on a 95 score, one rail still leaves you at a 91
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Please tell us she has another year so we can see her come back with that same tact and style, and a more seasoned version of the same horse! That’s a handsome fellow and they look like they understand each other.
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Love the course!
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Right. Objective and yet still somehow subjective, but I guess that’s the nature of the beast. :lol:
She is riding as 14 this year 😃
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Well, I’m off to the gym for a bit. Normally I set up the course at home after finals but I can say, this year, the juniors can do what they want. If I set up a 27’ one stride off a short turn, or even the equivalent step in rails on the ground, my 25-year-old will put his foot down. :lol:
My new ride is a scopey Grand Prix horse with a huge step who is a lazy slug out of the turns so I think I know what jumps I’ll be dragging around the ring today. :lol:
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Who are the commentators this year?
Steve Stephens, Ava Stearns (2019 winner), and i believe the third commentator is Tom Brennan?
Thanks so much!
Definitely not Tom; he has a student participating today. I think it’s Brian Lookabill.
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