Lexington, KY – With three riders in the top 10, the Land Rover U.S. Eventing Team had everything to play for in the show jumping on the final day of the 2011 Fidelity Blenheim Palace International Horse Trials in Woodstock, U.K.
And Tiana Coudray played the game the best for the U.S. throughout the week, adding nothing to her dressage score of 49.4 to finish second on Jaital, Inc.’s, Ringwood Magister, a 10-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding.
“Today it was pretty much textbook,” said Coudray after the show jumping.
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The California native has had a rough spring. After falling at their first CCI4* at the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event presented by Bridgestone in April, they then struggled at the Lumuhlen CIC3*, but Coudray made the decision to stick it out in England over the summer and regain the form that saw her win the Jersey Fresh CCI3* with her flashy grey in 2010.
She found it at Blenheim.
“I am so, so pleased,” said Coudray. “It’s extra special because things have been so tough for quite a while. I was a pretty good way to finish off the season.”
Clark Montgomery received a Land Rover Competition and Training Grant to fund his trip with Loughan Glen from Georgia to Blenheim. He capitalized on the opportunity and he finished fifth in a star-studded field. He added only eight time penalties to his dressage score on the 9-year-old Irish Sport Horse owned by Holly Becker, Kathleen Kraft and Carole Montgomery.
“I am thrilled to death with Glen’s performance today,” said Clark. “I can’t say it was one of my smoothest show jumping rounds but it was the hardest I have ever felt him try for me. An enormous thanks has to go to Land Rover and to the USEF for this opportunity that has undoubtedly furthered our education and our careers.”
Will Faudree (Hoffman, NC) received a Land Rover Grant as well and he has been in England all summer preparing Jennifer Mosing’s Pawlow for the Blenheim CCI. He worked hard for a double-clear round in the show jumping today and jumped from 14th after the cross-country to eighth.
Olympic veteran Phillip Dutton (West Grove, PA) was unlucky to have the middle rail of the triple combination down on Bruce Duchossois’ Mighty Nice. But at only 7 years old, he is looking forward to a bright future with the Irish Sport rose who received a Land Rover Competition and Training Grant to go to Blenheim.
Information about Land Rover’s partnership with the USEF is available here: http://www.landrover.com/us/en/lr/experience-land-rover/sponsorships-events/equestrian-usef/
Follow the U.S. Eventers in Europe throughout this fall on the USEFNetwork.com here:http://usefnetwork.com/featured/EventersinEurope/
Scores and results are available here: http://www.bdwp.co.uk/ble/
