PrintNicholas Cwick didn't come to win the short-format Galway Downs CCI** in Temecula, Calif., Nov. 3-6. He just wanted a qualifying score.
But after winning the dressage with Asterix, he decided he'd better go for it.
"I'm working toward a three-star in the spring," he explained. They've already completed two advanced horse trials, so he hadn't planned to go for time on the 8-year-old Oldenburg (Sion--Fiola).
But his big-moving, careful-jumping horse is the epitome of the modern event horse. His expressive gaits and relaxed manner easily moved him to the top of the 19-horse field after dressage (45.6), even though a miscommunication led to a brief break to canter.
"I made a few mistakes. I wasn't on," said Cwick. "But he was giving me everything that he could. I thought it was one of his best tests."
And then Cwick couldn't resist trying to find out if he could maintain the lead.
Last year they were sitting in second place in the two-star after dressage when a bobble in the water caused Cwick to miss the B element of the water jump with Asterix.
But the 23-year-old was confident that he'd have no trouble this time, and he didn't. "Everything rode as planned," said Cwick.
He had worried about his horse's fitness, but it turned out not to be an issue. "He was so fresh in the warm-up, and for the first 10 jumps I was getting run off with," he said with a laugh.
Michael Etherington-Smith's cross-country course was in his signature style--technical, but forward riding and educational for the horses.
Every bump and berm was put to good use because Galway Downs is home to a racetrack and the terrain available is minimal, although mountains surround the land.
Mike's Mounds, two narrow brush fences set on top of two bumps, caused a great deal of difficulty late in the course, but Cwick never wavered. "Asterix schools a lot of skinnies," said Cwick. "I stuck to my plan, and it worked. I rode quite forward to the first one to get him to jump across it."
An easy jog-up just left show jumping for Cwick, and he put in a confident clean round aboard the extravagant Asterix. He added just 1 time penalty to his dressage score to win the division over Tiana Coudray on King Street.
A young professional from Saratoga, Calif., Cwick works for trainer Dayna Lynd-Pugh at Flying Tail Farm and hopes Asterix is his ticket to the top of the eventing ranks. They've been together since the gelding was 4, and Cwick has turned down offers to sell him for big money as a show jumper.
"I couldn't replace him!" he said. He's careful with his mount, hardly ever running for time.
"I try not to do too much because I don't want to break him," said Cwick.
Survival Of The Fittest
Josh Barnacle rode another indispensable mount, Florestan du Serin, to victory in the traditional-format two-star. Just as they did last year, the Galway Downs organizers offered both options for the competitors at the one- and two-star levels.
The traditional-format two-star ended up being a last-man-standing competition since Barnacle was the only rider to get around cross-country without jumping penalties.
Debbie Rosen had led the division with two horses, Quito 10 and Gina Miles' Philippa, but a green Philippa got a little too confident cross-country.
