Lucinda Fredericks Gallops Into the Leap with Headley Britannia After Cross-Country

The top three riders were back for interviews in the press tent after the cross-country phase this afternoon at the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event, but were seated in a slightly different order. Australian Lucinda Fredericks, aboard Headley Britannia (pictured at left), jumped to the head of the pack after posting a brilliant double-clear round over Michael Etherington-Smith’s course, finishing right on the optimum time of 11:02, adding no penalties to her dressage score of 32.3.

Bettina Hoy of Germany and Ringwood Cockatoo, yesterday’s dressage leaders with an astounding 28.8, dropped to second after racking up 9.6 time penalties, leaving them with a score of 38.4. Top American rider was Buck Davidson, who rode My Boy Bobby to a fast round in the talented gelding’s first four-star. Davidson added only 1.2 time penalties to their dressage score, rounding their score up to 40.2 heading into tomorrow’s show jumping phase.

Tim Lips of the Netherlands and Concrex Oncarlos posted a beautiful double-clear round to hang onto their fourth place position, and French rider Nicolas Touzaint and last year’s Badminton winner Hidalgo de L’ile jumped from seventh to fifth.

Lucy Wiegersma of Great Britain and Woodfalls Inigo Jones dropped from fifth to sixth after picking up 1.2 time penalties, while fellow Brit Oliver Townend and Carousel Quest posted a double-clear to stand in seventh.

William Fox-Pitt had a run-out on his first horse Navigator at the brush after the Normandy Bank, but finished in eighth on Seacookie, who only picked up a handful of time penalties.

Last year’s Rolex champions Phillip Dutton and Connaught had a foot-perfect ride, and moved up one position to ninth with his double-clear finish. Stephen Bradley and Brandenburg’s Joshua also performed a faultless round, settling in right below Dutton in the standings. Nine-year-old Leyland coasted easily around the challenging course for Amy Tryon around his first four-star and finished inside the time, to take home the twelfth place heading into tomorrow.

Nicola Wilson of Great Britain and Opposition Buzz also posted a double-clear round. Rolex rookie Ralph Holstein and Arctic Dancer also pulled off a fault-free round as did Sara Dierks and Somerset.

First Place Finish for Fredericks

The 15.3-hand Irish Sport Horse mare sired by Jumbo, performed a beautiful round, and though she doesn’t have the biggest stride, she worked her little legs double-time to get inside the time. To be on the safe side, Fredericks took a very long route at the Head of the Lake (#15ABC), swinging quite wide to go make it cleanly through. She ended up clear, but wasted several precious seconds.

“Things didn’t quite go according to plan at the Lake,” said Fredericks. “Brit’s a funny little thing and she’s so strong and quite difficult to manage at the start of the course.”

“I’d always planned to do the long route at the Sunken Road,” she continued. “I just had a bee in my bonnet about it, and that’s what I wanted to do. I was making up time and she’d opened up a fair bit and I came around the corner and saw this ‘not ideal’ sort of open distance to the logs [before the Head of the Lake],” said Fredericks.

“I’d planned to go on six strides and it turned into four,“ she laughed. “Brit took control and as I jumped in I sort of had a look to the right to see where the corner was, and I thought gee, no point in risking that. So I turned ‘round and kept going, and to be honest, from there I never took a pull.

“She just motored. I had a fantastic ride over the second half of course. It’s just easier riding to the bigger fences, but she had to really stretch at the top of the quarry (The Hollow, #21ABCD), which I knew she would do. She can stretch if she’s got speed, but she only has a tiny stride, and it doesn’t honestly get that long, even when we’re really going. We did motor! I don’t think we’ve ever been so fast, but I really enjoyed it.”

The Squirrels (#8/9AB) combination, which consisted of a rails, ditch, and squirrel tail brush required correct presentation and good riding. “It was technical enough—there were lots of big uprights with something on the downward. And I think the Squirrels caused not any major problems, but certainly uncomfortable jumps because the horses just seemed to look into the ditch which then put you off your rhythm. I certainly had to push that hard to get the two strides to the squirrel brush.”

The quick mare easily made up the time on the second half of the course, taking all the direct routes through some of the technical elements such as The Hollow (#21ABCD), the Double Diamonds (#22ABCD), and skipped easily through the challenging Normandy Bank (#25ABCD). She put the pedal to the metal, and the pair galloped home, and finished at 11:02, right on the optimum time.

“It sort of went to plan, really I just kept motoring and Brit just kept galloping. As I said, the second half of the course rode brilliantly–I just seemed to get my eye in and she just loosened up and really took me home full pelt.”

If Fredericks pulls off a win today, she’ll have won the top three four-star events in the world. She and Britannia won Burghley in 2006 and Badminton in 2007, and was a member of last year’s Australian silver medal team at the Hong Kong Olympics. Her husband, Clayton Fredericks, also won the Rolex Kentucky Event in 2007 aboard Ben Along Time.

Results (25.04.09)

Cross – CCI**** Rolex Kentucky

1 Lucinda Fredericks/Headley Britannia (AUS) 32.3
2 Bettina Hoy/Ringwood Cockatoo (GER) 38.4
3 Buck Davidson/My Boy Bobby (USA) 40.2
4 Tim Lips/Concrex Oncarlos (NED) 42
5 Nicolas Touzaint/Hildago de l’Ile 44.3
6 Lucy Wiegersma/Woodfalls Inigo Jones (GBR) 44.4
7 Oliver Townend/Carousel Quest (GBR) 45.2
8 William Fox-Pitt/Seacookie (GBR) 45.9
9 Phillip Dutton/Connaught (USA) 47.0
10 Stephen Bradley/Brandenburg’s Joshua (USA) 48.6