BROMONT, Canada-Things not only got shaken up but turned upside down following and exciting and influential cross-country day at the Bromont CCI on Saturday, June 8.
Boyd Martin on Feliche Des Rouges (Photo by Cealy Telley)Of the six leaders at the start of the day, only one has retained his lead heading into the show jumping Sunday, and that's world number two ranked eventing rider, Boyd Martin.
Martin still holds the top two placings in the CCI2*-L with Fetiche Des Rouges and Kolbeinn, having added just a few penalties to their dressage scores, 0.4 time penalties and zero penalties respectively, in a day where just three single rides of nearly 100 came within the time allowed.
Martin's horses are going into show jumping on 21.2 and 21.7.
Canadians lead in both CCI4* Divisions.
The marquee division, the CCI4*-L , had some of the most movement with the elimination of the overnight leader Lucienne Bellissimo of Great Britain who fell off after a chancy jump.
Deep going caused a number of falls of horse or rider and many slow rounds with numerous time faults.
CANADA'S Waylon Roberts on OKE Ruby R held his time penalties to just 10.8, to vault up into the lead on a score of 46.0 penalties.
Waylon Robertson OKE Ruby R (Photo by Cealy Telley)Allison Springer on No May Moon is second on 46.1 penalties, so Roberts will have to be clean and inside the time in Sunday’s show jumping to hold Springer to the runner-up spot.
Arden Wildasin on Sunday Times had the fastest round in the cross country, adding just 10.4 time penalties to climb from 10th overnight to third on 48.1.
Martin on Miss Lulu Herself is fourth on 50.6 and Olivia Dutton was clean cross country but was a full minute faster that the optimum time to drop to sixth on Sea of Clouds.
“Bromont is an event that I try to put on all my horses schedules at a certain point of their career,” Roberts said. “I think if you have horses that you're looking to go to Morven Park, Maryland or Kentucky, Bromont needs to be included in your preparation, if not as a goal. It is truly a world class cross-country venue.
“I haven't been at four-star long for a few years now, and this was Ruby's first time at this level of competition." he said. "So it was hard to know what to expect. I definitely was looking to have a good educational round for her. And her best way of going is forward and covering ground. If she's making time or doing well on the clock, it's not because I'm trying, it's more that that’s where she likes to be. The minute markers here at Bromont are very familiar to me, so I sort of knew where I needed to be, at 2-3-4 minutes. And then I just tried to keep those jumps in front of her and keep jumping. So I was really pleased with how she came along.”
In the CCI4*-S, the overnight leader Canadian Jessica Phoenix on Watson GS was also eliminated following a rider fall.
Canadian Karl Slezak on his 2023 Lexington CCI4*-S winning mare Hot Bobo was able to add only time faults to his dressage score to move up from second into first, as was America’s Hannah Sue Hollberg with Capitol H I M, moving from third into second.
Arial Grald on Isla de Coco is now third, but the biggest move in the division came from the busiest rider in the division, Phoenix on Fluorescent Adolescent, who went from 14th overnight to fourth.
“In the beginning, every time we took her to cross country schooling, it was like she'd never seen a cross country fence," said Slezak. "Even still, if she has a long break, it's like she's never seen one. But then she has a few runs, and she just keeps getting better and better. And now it's a very different ride for me. She just cruises around.”
With it being an Olympic year, everyone is waiting to hear who might be named to Canada’s eventing team, and Slezak is no different.
“She's been show jumping well leading up to this,” he said. “I'm excited about tomorrow, she should put in a good round. And fingers crossed, the selectors are happy with it.”
Boyd Martin and Fetiche Des Rouges lead the CCI2*-L after cross-country.
Martin was one of the only riders to add little or no time penalties over the course of the day, and on newer and younger horses.
“You have to go pretty quick to make the time at Bromont] and the jumps are big and the terrain's undulating," said Martin. "You get a little bit of an inside look of how much heart they've got, and I really think they learn a lot too. So coming here, I know it's nice to win, but it's more that this sort of run hopefully helps them for the future. So I think today was a great stepping stone for them. it's just a wonderful place to bring a young horse to really see if they've got the ingredients for a big time horse for the future.”
Arden Wildasin on Billy Beaufort added just 1.6 time penalties to vault up the CCI3*-L leaderboard from 13th into the lead on 35.2 penalties, bumping the overnight leader Sara Schulman and Cooley Chromatic into second on 35.6.
Jennie Brannigan on Kismet is third on an even 38.
