Currently active:
Who does Phillip have, besides Z? (Sea of Clouds stepped down)
Who does Boyd have, besides Thomas? (On Cue is hurt, Long Island Ice T is…?)
Who does Doug have, besides Quantum Leap? (Vandiver retired, I don’t think Starr witness has done a 5*)
Who does Hanna Sue have, besides Harbor Pilot? (Capital Him was eliminated at Ky and isn’t entered for Maryland)
I can’t keep track of who is currently active for Liz…
Tami only because of Danito making his 5* debut in Maryland.
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I was just listing everyone off the top of my head who had a 5 star horse in 2021/2022 that had still competed this year. Horses come and go. Capitol HIM was at Great Meadows and will probably be back up to the level if there isn’t something major going on. Is SOCs “stepping down” or just giving Olivia a chance to move up? If On Cue isn’t back, there will be another moving up. Same with Starr Witness, and if she’s not back, there will be someone else to fill her shoes shortly.
But the point: knocking Boyd because he only ever had 2-3 horses at the 5 star level is silly because almost no one in the USA has more than that. Buck has 4, and they aren’t 4 good ones we would hold up as the best USA has to offer.
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Unfortunately I do not think any of the Canadians have more than one solid and sound 5* horse.
Plus the divisions have over 100 riders. Here in Canada we have like 6 or 7 per division in some areas! Pretty hard to claim you are competitive if you compete against the same 6 people every week lol
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Completely agree. I don’t know what bench of horses at 3 and 4 star look like for most of the team riders either- I’d imagine Will has some nice things coming up, and Tami has a fantastic string just below 5* (Solaguayre California will be a world-beater) but the injury to Fleeceworks Royal definitely left a hole in her current 5* options.
What does Ariel or Lauren have coming up the ranks?
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Ariel has a few. Forrest Gump 124, (4*), Diara(3*), and Isla de coco(3*) and some younger as well
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Lauren has more as well. I’ll Have Another at 3 star, Landmark’s Jungle Gold at 2 star, etc. With Mrs. Mars in her corner, horse power isn’t an issue…
Lauren hasn’t had a horse who can compete at the top though, with the exception of Veronica when she had a very good day. So if it’s more of the same that she’s always had, and not the kind of horses that Will and Tamie are bringing to the table, I don’t know how helpful the Mars money behind her is.
um…BUG???
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Bug is a really lovely horse and I don’t mean to disparage him. I would never be surprised to see him in the top 10 at a major event, but I would be surprised to see him on the podium or in the top 5.
He’s kind of in the “always a bridesmaid never a bride” camp for me.
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He was 4th at Lumhulen this year and just won a Silver Medal….podium and top 4 this year 
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https://data.fei.org/Horse/Performance.aspx?p=83044E4FF1C96129A421DF0FFFDF5029
Silver medal at WEG, Top 5 at both Luhmuhlen and Kentucky, Top 10 at Burghley…
What other American horse of the past decade has that kind of record?!?
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It’s a long and inconsistent record. The top 5 in KY was 2018. Luhmuhlen had 36 starters and none of the heavy hitters. He was 19th at Pratoni. I’m not saying he’s not a good horse, but he’s not going to be on the podium as he consistently has XC time and usually a rail or two.
As for other horses that have that record… I’d suggest Tsetserleg has handily bested it, Off The Record is right in the mix, Mai Baum has consistently been top 10 since start of 2021 including at Badminton, and Ariel Grald’s horse has basically been top 15 everywhere they’ve gone since 2019, also including Badminton.
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19th in the world!
He’s also only 15 so he is JUST getting started and you know that little arab will live and event forever hahaha
It always seems like (not just here) people refuse to give Bug the cred he deserves. is it because Mrs Mars owns him? Because he’s a small little arab? I don’t get it. He is a solid solid top level horse and has proven it by helping win that Silver medal.
I’d give anything to have Bug.
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It’s because he is a small, plain bay. I agree, Bug does not get the attention he deserves.
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I have absolutely nothing against him! As an owner and lover of a small, plain bay horses I can assure you I love the little bay ones. I also don’t have anything against Jacqueline Mars, she’s a huge supporter of the sport and that certainly doesn’t turn me against her or her horses.
He’s just never a horse I expect to see on the podium. That doesn’t mean I wouldn’t root for him and cheer him on or that I don’t like him.
I’m trying to introspect so I can report back as to why I see Thomas, for example, as a more competitive horse at the big events than Bug, even though they both often put in similar performances. I think its because it’s because they are both capable of FOD, but Thomas has better dressage scores on his record.
Anyways, I don’t want to suggest that Bug couldn’t ever have a big finish, but if there was an imaginary 5* that I couldn’t watch and you told me a US pair finished on the podium, my first guess would be Mai Baum and Tami Smith 
Then probably Tsetserleg and Boyd.
There’s a lot of really nice horses who consistently put in solid performances (Ariel Grald and LMP, Philip Dutton and Z) that I don’t think will win at 5* unless they can drop their dressage scores a bit lower, but I also really like those pairs, and a top 10 finish is nothing to scoff at either. (Also, I acknowledge that Bug has better dressage scores than LMP and Z, so maybe those weren’t really the best comparisons)
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Yes I think Tami could for sure have a big win but I don’t ever see that ever happening for Boyd and Thomas just my opinion only sadly.
I think a few of the others could have good shots too, Will Coleman included.
Has anyone else watched this? I just did. I didn’t see/watch anything other than what was on EN and highlighted on FB, so it was pretty interesting to see the whole course especially from this perspective.
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Thanks for that, interesting viewing.
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OK, am I the only one who hs not received my copy of CoTH with Pratoni in it? I usually get it on Monday, but here we are on Wednesday and I still don’t have it. I have seen the cover as a header here but no mgazine. I hate to call. The last time I did, the phone answerer was pretty short with me.
