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There was a leaderboard shift following cross-country in the CCI4*-L at the Bromont CCI on Saturday. Jennie Brannigan riding Nina Gardner’s homebred 12-year-old Thoroughbred gelding Twilightslastgleam (National Anthem x Royal child) moved into the top spot ahead of former leaders Liz Halliday-Sharp and The Monster Partnership's 10-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding Cooley Moonshine (Cobra x Kilpatrick Duchess) after adding just 1.6 time penalties to their dressage score. Brannigan now sits in the lead going into the final phase tomorrow, show jumping, on a cumulative score of 34.2.
Speaking of the course and show management's decision to run the highest levels first because of the wet ground rather than as a feature over the lunch as usually done Brannigan said, "they obviously made the right call. Derek obviously knows what he is doing running the four-star divisions first. Derek is such a good course designer.”
In the CCI4*-S, wet footing certainly played a part in the day's results with 60% of the contestants not finishing their cross-country rounds. The new CCI4*-S leader going into jumping is Valerie Pride on her own 14-year-old Oldenburg gelding Favian (French Kiss x Risiko).
In the CCI3*-L Halliday-Sharp maintained her lead, however, she now leads aboard the Calmaria Partnership's 9-year-old Irish Sport Horse Mare Cooley HHS Calmaria (Cyrano x Chester Lass) following a double-clear cross-country round. Her former CCI3*-L leader Shanroe Cooley (Dallas x Shanroe Sapphire), the 7-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding owned by Ocala Horse Properties, now sits in fourth after adding 5.6 time penalties to their dressage score. Halliday-Sharp reflected that Cooley HHS Calmaria “was a beast who has really stepped up and suddenly become the horse I believed she was.”
While the wet ground did certainly play a part in every ride today, Halliday-Sharp shared positive comments about how hard everyone had worked to make the ground the best it could be for the horses and riders. “It is gorgeous, I will definitely be back. This is one I have been trying to come to for years, and years, and years!”
Halliday-Sharp also held onto her leading position in the CCI2*-L aboard Laurie Cameron's 10-year-old Swedish Warmblood gelding Miks Master C (Mighty Magic x Qui Lumba CBF), but with the addition of 0.4 time penalties, Halliday-Sharp now shares the lead position with Phillip Dutton who has the ride on Caroline Moran's 7-year-old Holsteiner gelding Denim (Denkin x Celia II). Both pairs sit tied for first on a score of 24.7.
Not one who seems to ever travel in the slow lane Halliday-Sharp heads to Luhmühlen right after Bromont for the last in a series of U.S. team selection trials that included Bromont. She also has her eye on taking four horses all the way to Rebecca Farm, another great destination event in Kalispell, Montana next month.
In the CCI2*-L U25 Bromont first-time attendees Ayden Schain and Dawn Barclay's 9-year-old Zangersheide gelding Fernhill Hole Shot (Entertainer x Coriander Z) remain in first place.
The final horse inspection takes place Sunday morning at 8:00 a.m. followed by a challenging Sarah Roberts-designed show jumping course.
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