March 9—Tallahassee, Fla.
In his first two competitions stateside this spring, Mystery Whisper stayed true to his name. The 12-year-old warmblood gelding, who was bred and trained in Australia by Heath Ryan until James Wildasin imported him in December, managed to fly a bit under the radar.
In February he and Phillip Dutton, who’s taking a shot at the Olympic Games this summer with the gelding before handing over the reins to Wildasin’s daughter Arden, placed second in a small intermediate division at Pine Top in Georgia. And when they moved up to advanced there a few weeks later, they finished an uninspiring 13th with a mediocre (at best) dressage score.
But in their Fédération Equestre Internationale-sanctioned debut at the Red Hills CIC*** today, Dutton and his new mount blew the field out of the water, scoring a stunning 27.9—a mark most riders would kill to make in a horse trial, let alone a CIC—and pulling ahead of the pack by more than 10 points.
“Sometimes you get a score that doesn’t seem very good, but it’s only a few little tweaks away from a good score,” Dutton said. “He’s getting fitter now, and he got a little bit tense at Pine Top. He’s always a pretty laidback horse, so that was what surprised me the most.
“But I got here on Wednesday and got him settled in, and I think that’s important for him to get used to his surroundings,” he explained.
Mystery Whisper’s test came mid-way through the CIC*** field today, and the nearly black gelding wowed judges and spectators alike with his rhythmic gaits, expressive lateral work, obedient changes and overall air of supple relaxation. He’s been well trained on the flat, as Ryan is not only a legendary Australian eventer, but also an Olympic dressage rider as well.
“It’s very exciting to have a horse that’s well schooled and educated; he knows a lot more about dressage than I do,” said Dutton, West Grove, Pa.
Mystery Whisper’s international record shows that he’s struggled most on cross-country, having been twice eliminated at the Adelaide CCI**** (Australia) as well as his last CCI*** outing with Ryan in October. So Dutton will have his work cut out for him tomorrow around Red Hills’ twisty, undulating course, designed by Hugh Lochore.
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“It’s a unique course, but it’s going to be pretty similar to the one at the Olympics, so it’s good for us to practice on,” Dutton said. “This is my first step in getting him qualified for the Olympic Games, so one step at a time. In a moment of weakness, Arden told me I could ride him for a few months, so we’ll see how it goes!”
Dutton also stands sixth on Ben (42.6) and 10th with William Penn (50.4).
Ladies Locked In Second
Red Hills’ defending titleists Allison Springer and Arthur tied for second place with Marilyn Little-Meredith and RF Rovano Rex, more than 10 points behind the leader, on 38.1 penalties.
“He was himself,” said Springer, of Upperville, Va., of her spooky but talented longtime partner. “The biggest part of my warm-up is always my first ride of the day, and he was pretty tense this morning. There was some confusion about which rings we were all allowed to school in, and it was a little bit of a broken up warm-up, which wasn’t great.
“But he’s a tricky horse, and I’m learning,” she continued. “I’ve done a better job of trying to keep him in front of my leg. I love having him here. I love the challenge of the atmosphere.”
It’s only been about 1½ years since Little-Meredith, of Frederick, Md., started eventing, but Red Hills has quickly become a favorite competition of hers.
“Last year was my first time here, and I think it’s the greatest event that I’ve been to so far!” she said.
Both RF Rovano Rex and her second three-star mount, RF Demeter, are new rides for Little-Meredith, but so far their partnerships have been jelling just as she hoped.
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“A lot of people are riding new horses here, so that’s going to be a real test for us all [tomorrow],” she said.
While she was thrilled with Rex’s position on the leaderboard, Little-Meredith was a little disappointed in Demeter’s test, which scored a 53.7 to put the pair in 13th place.
“I think she just woke up on the wrong side of the bed today,” she said. “She should really be in the top one or two every time, but today it was just kind of wrong from A to Z. But I guess it’s good to consolidate all that into just one test! Some days it’s chicken, and some days it’s feathers.”
Too Hot To Handle
Michael Pollard stands fourth and fifth in the CIC*** with Schoensgreen Hanni and Icarus, respectively, and Karen O’Connor also rode her two mounts into the top 10. Veronica stands seventh, followed up by new stablemate Mr. Medicott in eighth.
Like Dutton and Mystery Whisper, O’Connor and “Mr. M” are making their FEI debut together at Red Hills, and many had expected them to be top contenders, given the gelding’s previous international performances with German rider Frank Ostholt.
But the chestnut was tense and spooky today, balking at the gate stewards before entering the ring and then again as he turned off centerline at the beginning of the test. And when the crowd started applauding the conclusion of another test in a nearby ring during the second half of O’Connor’s half-pass zig-zag, Mr. Medicott spooked so violently that she had to repeat the entire movement. Afterward, however, the canter work seemed to settle him, and the pair finished their test strongly and salvaged a 44.4.
Cross-country begins bright and early tomorrow morning at 8 a.m., so check back for news, images and analysis of all the day’s action on Saturday night.
Looking for full provisional results? Visit Event Entries.
