Lexington, KY – The next round of Land Rover Competition and Training Grant Recipients will test their eventing skills at the 2011 Fidelity Blenheim Palace International Horse Trials in Woodstock, England September 8-11. 2010 winner William Fox-Pitt (on Parklane Hawk) are fresh from their win at last week’s Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials, will have two chances to win the CCI3*, but the U.S. is coming well-armed with an arsenal of horses and riders.
Phillip Dutton (West Grove, PA) will lead the effort as the most experienced rider in the group. The four-time Olympian (and two-time Olympic Gold medalist while representing Australia) will ride Bruce Duchossois’ Mighty Nice in the horse’s first CCI3*. A recipient of a 2011 Land Rover Competition and Training Grant, Dutton was second at the Blenheim CCI3* in 2003 on Nova Top. Mighty Nice is a 7-year-old Irish Sport gelding who was third at the Bromont International CCI2* in June.
“I’m excited to bring Mighty Nice to Blenheim,” said Dutton. “I believe he is a horse with a big future and I think Blenheim will be a great stepping stone for him.”
Loughan Glen and Clark Montgomery (Photo: www.stockimageservices.com)
Clark Montgomery (Chattahoochee, GA) is a former Young Rider champion and he too is a 2011 Land Rover Competition and Training Grant Recipient. He will ride Kathleen Kraft, Carole Montgomery and Holly Becker’s winning machine Loughan Glen. With the 8-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding, Montgomery won the CCI2* last fall at the Fair Hill International, earning National Championship honors in the process, he has won four Horse Trials so far in 2011 and the Bromont International CCI3*. Most recently he won his final preparation at the Millbrook Horse Trials in August.
Like Montgomery, Will Faudree grew up in Texas, but left the west behind to pursue his eventing career. He rode on the 2003 Gold medal-winning Pan American Games team and represent the U.S. in Aachen, Germany at the 2006 FEI World Equestrian Games. He will return with Jennifer Mosing’s CCI4* veteran, Pawlow, to his second Blenheim International CCI3* and they will be looking to improve on their 11th place finish from 2009. The 12-year-old Thoroughbred cross has been in the U.K prepping all summer which included a 22nd place finish at the Luhmuhlen CCI4* after a win at the CIC3* at the Jersey Fresh Three-Day event in May.
Aimee Chambers (a Californian native) and Jules Stiller (a Vermont expatriate) are now both based in the UK and Chambers will ride the 11-year-old KWPN After Eight at their second Blenheim CCI3*, they jumped a clear cross country round in 2010 adding only time penalties. Stiller also competed last year – on the horse she rode last weekend at Burghley, Chapel Amble, and Carolinus. She has had a busy year with the 10-year-old Westphailan Enjoy Me – her mount for the 2011 CCI3*, most recently they were 11th in a very competitive CIC3* at Hartpury.
Tiana Coudray (Ojai, CA) is looking to return to the form that she had last year with Jaital, Inc.’s 10-year-old Irish Sport Horse Ringwood Magister. They won the 2010 Jersey Fresh CCI3* and Coudray is determined to stay in the UK until she and her flashy grey get back to their winning ways. They were 15th in the Barbury CIC2* in July.
Dressage begins on Thursday and continues on Friday, a CIC3* for 8 and 9-year-olds. Cross country will run all day on Saturday and the show jumping finale will conclude on Sunday.
-Joanie Morris for USEF
