If ever there was a course for a rider, Red Hills is the place for Phillip Dutton.

The twisty cross-country course, designed by Capt. Mark Phillips, winds in and out of trees, up and down hills, around spectators and vendors, and has one technical question after another. It rewards an unrelenting pace–a pace at which Dutton always appears to be right at home.

In this year’s renewal, March 9-12, Dutton posted the two fastest rounds of the day in the FEI World Cup qualifier and demonstrated why he’s won three of the four CIC*** events held in Tallahassee, Fla. (He finished second to Darren Chiacchia in the fourth).

He brought home his de-fending champion, The Foreman, with just 2.8 time penalties (7 seconds over the time) to take the title and earned just 7.2 time penalties with Connaught, who finished fourth.

“The fewer strides you take on a course, the faster you’re going to go,” said Dutton simply. “I try not to be taking back to the jumps.”

That speed launched him into the lead, ahead of Great Britain’s reigning Olympic gold medalists, Leslie Law on Shear L’Eau, who finished 42 seconds slow. Law and Darren Chiacchia, with Windfall, had been tied for the lead after dressage, but when Chiacchia’s left rein broke on the approach to the Dolphin Dance, cross-country fence 24, he had to dismount to fix it, accumulating 44.8 time penalties to drop out of contention.

The Foreman, owned by Annie Jones, had been closely stalking the dressage leaders from seventh place on Friday with a score of 51.2. “He did quite a good test,” said Dutton. “After talking with [dressage coach] Sandy Phillips, I realize I just need to polish it a bit more, make it look easier and a bit softer.”

Dutton thought the changes made to the cross-country this year–the course started at the top of the hill and wound around in a different direction in the beginning–only suited him better.

“It made it even harder to get the time,” he said with a smile. “You don’t want to come here with a green horse, because there’s a lot of turning; it’s not very flowing. But if you want to be competitive, you’ve got to go fast.”

Both Chiacchia and Dutton were held at the start of cross-country for nearly half an hour as medics attended to Bobby Costello, who fell with Wild Delight at an oxer, the first element of Tarzan’s Tree, fence 25ABC. He was airlifted to Tallahassee Memorial Hospital with a severe concussion. His scans reportedly looked good, and he was released from the hospital the day after the event.

“Bobby’s a close friend and one of the most liked riders,” said Dutton. “It’s always a concern [when you hear a friend has fallen], and it’s not the easiest thing to go out on course after that.”

Growing Up
The Foreman, a 10-year-old, U.S.-bred Thoroughbred, won the CIC***-W last year, but he was still a bit of an unknown quantity for Dutton at the time. But now, with two four-star finishes behind him, Dutton said the horse has reached a whole new level.

“His cross-country has become excellent,” said Dutton. “He’s much more mature now.”

The only phase where “Chip” didn’t show his best form was in show jumping, where he took down an uncharacteristic two rails. But Dutton attributed that to a bit of rust. He’s only competed once this spring, winning an intermediate division at Pine Top (Ga.) in February, after taking the winter off following his second-placed finish at the Burghley CCI**** (England) last fall.

“I was lucky to have two down and still win. He wasn’t all that attentive,” said Dutton. “He looked at the liverpool and had that down, and I might have been a little weak off the turn [to the vertical at fence 10]. He was not as in sync with me, but I’m not too concerned about it [at this point in the season].”

Ironically, Law and Shear L’Eau, who moved into their Olympic gold-medal title with two clear show jumping rounds, also pulled two rails at Red Hills.

Dutton was plenty grateful for the leeway on this occasion–although he’s won nearly every major event in the United States, Red Hills offered one prize he’s never had–a year’s free lease on a 2006 BMW X3. He gets to pick out the car’s color, but he may have to consult with his wife, Evie, as he expects that she’ll end up using it most.

“She takes the kids to school and drives a lot,” he said.

The BMW meant more to Dutton than the points he earned for the World Cup standings. “I’m in no rush to go back to the World Cup,” said Dutton, who finished ninth in Malmo, Sweden, last summer aboard Nova Top. Instead, his focus this year will be on the World Equestrian Games in Aachen, Germany. And even though he didn’t care about World Cup points, he thinks that the atmosphere at Red Hills is good preparation for any championship.

“It’s a good pressure situation for riders and horses,” he said. “It’s a stiffer test at the beginning of the year, but I encourage my students to come here. And I really like the idea of winning a car,” he admitted with a laugh.

Dutton’s students made a strong mark on the event, with Heidi White finishing fifth on her Northern Spy, Mara Dean finishing sixth on Nicki Henley, and Jan Byyny finishing ninth with Task Force.

In all, Dutton and his True Prospect Farm connections claimed five of the top 10 places.

In addition to a fast cross-country round with Jim and Julie Richards’ Connaught, Dutton jumped one of four clear show jumping rounds.

“I’m really happy with him,” said Dutton, who plans to compete the 12-year-old Thoroughbred in the Jersey Fresh CCI*** (N.J.) in June, while The Foreman will head back to Rolex Kentucky, where he was second last year.

In the CIC**, Dutton added another FEI title on Rebecca Broussard’s Lucky Stripe. The 11-year-old Thoroughbred had previously competed with Cindy Burge, who suffered a fatal fall aboard the horse at the 2004 Event At Rebecca Farm (Mont.). Broussard decided to send the horse to Dutton to evaluate and possibly sell.

Lucky Stripe won an intermediate division at Pine Top (Ga.) before Red Hills, but his round at Red Hills was a big step up for him. “I think that’s as fast as he’s ever gone,” said Dutton with a laugh. “It was a bit of an eye-opener for him.”

Now Dutton plans to move him up to advanced. “I think he’s really nice and has a lot of potential,” said Dutton. “But I think everyone’s going to be after him now.”

Pay Off
Jonathan Holling and Lion King II aren’t new to the advanced level, but five years of hard work with the 12-year-old English Thoroughbred started paying off for Holling as he finished second to Dutton in the CIC***.

“It’s been a long process, but I’ve always known he’s exceptional,” Holling said of his horse. “I just haven’t put it all together until now.”

He credited his breakthrough to David O’Connor, who’s been helping him for a year, especially in his mental approach to competition.

“My New Year’s resolution was to be competitive, not just to be at events,” said Holling. “You learn winning by practicing, so I want to try and practice winning–being relaxed and focused on what I’m doing.”

For the first time, Holling said he didn’t even hear the announcer as he entered the ring to show jump under the greatest pressure of his career to date. “For the first time, I got that tunnel vision and focus on myself and my horse,” he said.

That clear round, one of just four in the CIC***, vaulted Holling from third to second and nearly stole the title from Dutton. It’s the biggest finish yet for Holling, 29, who runs Willow Run Farm in Ocala, Fla., with his wife, Jennifer.

Ironically, show jumping is the one phase in which Holling wasn’t sure “Simba” would excel when he bought him from Peter Green five years ago.

“His footwork was always good, I just wasn’t sure he’d be careful enough,” said Holling. “He’s an exceptional horse on the flat and cross-country but not the type who leaves the ground and you say, ‘How do I stay on this jump?’ He’s very efficient, but it’s funny–when you ride them properly, they jump properly!”

Holling has also benefited from being on the winter training list and working with Capt. Mark Phillips, Robert Dover and Laura Kraut. “It steps your game to the next level,” he said. “[This weekend] it seemed like everyone was wanting me to do well, which was kind of fun.”

Holling laughed at an interview with a reporter from the Tallahassee Democrat newspaper: “They asked me what it’s like coming out of nowhere [to be second]. I said, ‘I didn’t come out of nowhere. I’ve been banging my head against the wall for seven or eight years!’ “

But with his top finish at Red Hills, Holling is most excited that Simba finally gets the credit he’s always deserved.

“I know he’s an exceptional horse, and it’s about time. I know that he doesn’t care–he’d rather just be eating grass–but I just want people to realize what a great horse he is. Finally, I said, ‘Here, see, I told you so–he is great!’ “

Doing What He Does Best
That faith in his horse kept Holling working even when things weren’t going as well as he wanted. “I knew what was in there, but it was like putting the pieces of a puzzle together,” he said.

He’s found that taking the pressure off Simba just before an event makes him happiest. “I need to get him in a relaxed, happy mental place, then go to the show and feel like I’m just letting him do what he does best, allowing him to show off,” he said. “When I do that, he’s capable of quite a lot.”

Although Simba’s resume with Holling includes completing the Rolex Kentucky CCI**** and Burghley CCI**** (England), Holling said his second place at Red Hills was by far his most meaningful achievement.

“The cross-country course here is as difficult as anything I’ve seen anywhere in the world,” he said. “It’s definitely my biggest accomplishment to be standing there [in the final line-up] sandwiched between Phillip Dutton and Leslie Law.”

In the past, Holling has struggled with Simba being too strong on cross-country. But last fall at the Fair Hill CCI*** (Md.), he said he turned a corner.

“Saturday [at Red Hills] he continued on that path. He took a flier at the second fence, and I thought this might be a long day. But he settled down, and everything went according to plan. It was one of those moments of Zen. He was on and incredible. He did his job and took care of me.”

Holling would love to compete in either the FEI World Cup Final this summer in Sweden or in the World Equestrian Games. “The WEG is Plan A, because riding on the team has always been my goal, but the World Cup would be a great opportunity,” he said.

But this early in the season, he’s just admiring his partner’s effort in Tallahassee. “You just look at him and know this is what he’s meant to do,” said Holling. “He’s without a doubt the greatest horse I ever sat on.”

A Big Step Up
Karl Slezak scored his first advanced win on a horse he’s thrilled to be riding. Owner John Rumble, who rode on Canada’s bronze-medal Olympic team in 1956, wanted to sponsor an up-and-coming young Canadian rider and selected Slezak to ride Foxwood Spencer, his 11-year-old Dutch Warmblood.

Slezak trains in Ontario with Garry Rogue and has been taking advantage of David O’Connor’s new role as Canadian coach. Foxwood Spencer had won at intermediate before, but in his second advanced, Slezak didn’t know what to expect. “This was a big step, and I was really nervous yesterday [on cross-country],” he said. “But he proved himself.”

The tight cross-country course concerned Slezak. “With him being a warmblood, he’s a little sticky, and he needs the flow of the course. This one was tight and through the woods, and it’s hard to get a rhythm. But he came out of the start box ready to go, and he’ll jump anything I point him at.”

Slezak, a professional trainer, has been competing the horse for four years. “I thought he’d have trouble here on the cross-country because of the crowds, but when he’s in that groove, he just jumps around,” he said. “At the barnyard jump [fence 7], I thought he’d really back off, but he jumped in like a trooper.”

Slezak, 24, hopes to compete in his first three-star at the Jersey Fresh CCI (N.J.) in June, and he has his sights set on next year’s Pan Am Games.

Red Hills Quick Facts:
– Stephanie Butts finished ninth in the competitive CIC** aboard her mother, Gretchen Butts,’ former four-star partner, Zydeco.
– Lion King, a.k.a. Simba, was named by the 5-year-old daughter of the horse’s breeder in Great Britain.
– Four riders jumped clear show jumping rounds in the CIC**: Jonathan Holling/Lion King, Phillip Dutton/ Connaught, Werner Geven/Esker Riada, and Ursula Brush/Bru Maguire.
– Phillip Dutton had the two fastest cross-country rides in the CIC***, and the next-fastest time belonged to Bruce Davidson Sr., on Jam.
– Karen O’Connor finished sixth in the advanced division on the 14.3-hand sport pony, Theodore O’Connor.
– Lion King doesn’t like to show his softer side. “He’s really grumpy. If you’re alone with him, he’s quite sweet, but you can’t love and cuddle him too much,” said rider Jonathan Holling.
– Sallie Ausley and Sylvia Ochs are stepping down as co-organizers after this year’s event. Colin Phipps, who owns the Elinor Klapp-Phipps Park that hosts the event, will take over the management, but whether the CIC***-W is offered again will likely depend on whom he hires to manage the competition in the future.