Will Coleman and Icarus bounded into the lead in the CCI*** after a double-clear cross-country round this afternoon moved the pair up from third place.

The pair’s confident finish belied their new partnership, as this weekend marks only the second outing for the two. “I got him the week of Plantation (Pa.), I ran him there, then this is the second event I’ve done with him,” said Coleman. “I’m just getting to know him and it’s going steady.”

Stephen Bradley and From’s clear cross-country trip moved the pair up to second from fourth, adding nothing to yesterday’s 46.5.  “He went well,” said Bradley. “Right now we’re taking it one step at a time.”

Dressage leader Mara Dean and Nicki Henley slipped to third after earning 4 time penalties on the cross-country. Dean was thrilled with her horse’s performance, as he has had some run-out tendencies in the past.

“He went much better than last year,” said Dean. “This is the most rideable he’s been. He is not an easy horse, but we’ve been taking it slow, making some changes and it’s all been working out.”  The pair finished with a score of 46.9, just .4 behind Bradley.

The superstar of the CCI** today was Clark Montgomery, who posted two of the six total double-clear rounds in the division. His first mount, Up Spirit, logged the first of the day, moving up from third place to first. With a score of 47.6, the pair enters the stadium round with two rails in hand. Montgomery guided his second ride of the day, Raconteur, to another double-clear round, which catapulted the pair from 31st to ninth.

Jessica Kiener and My Boy Bobby are currently tied with Buck Davidson and Ballynoecastle RM, both of whom scored minimal time penalties to move up in the rankings.

“I’ve had him since he was 5, and I brought him up,” said a proud Kiener of the 11-year-old Irish gelding, clarifying, “He’s sort of brought me up.”

Double-clear rounds were also posted by Jennifer Libby and Jazz King, launching the pair from 18th up to fourth, and Julie Norman and Bradley, who jumped from 20th to fifth in the standings. Young rider Olivia Loiacono and Subway moved from 34th to 10th, while Will Faudree and Mr. McWhinney jumped from a tie for 36th to 11th place.

Stuart Black and Fleeceworks Mystere du Val slipped from second place down to 18th after a run-out at Fence 9, The Splash; previously top-seated Coleman and Ret Mercury retired after the rider fell at one of the corners at 11AB, a combination that dashed the hopes of many a rider over the course of the morning.

“I tried to re-arrange the face of that corner,” Coleman explained good-naturedly. “I don’t know what happened, I just ended up on the ground!”

Seven horses withdrew before the cross-country in the advanced horse trial division, most of whom had just run around the course at the Rolex Kentucky CCI**** at the end of April. Phillip Dutton chose to pull both his horses from the competition, which is serving as a selection trial for Americans and Canadians seeking a bid to the Pan Am Games this summer. Crowd favorite Theodore O’Connor was also withdrawn by Karen O’Connor, along with Bonnie Mosser’s experienced mount Jenga.

Jonathan Holling moved into first place aboard Lion King II after adding only 4 time penalties to their score. “It was a good test of horses on a horse trial course,” he remarked of the design. “They’ve really stepped it up this year and this is as good a course as anywhere I’ve ridden.”

Dressage leaders Darren Chiacchia and Better I Do It slipped to second with 10.4 time penalties, while Mosser and Close The Deal moved from ninth to third with only 7.6 time. Canadian Penny Rowland and Windswept had one refusal, dropping them to 10th from their previous position in third; Kyle Carter and Madison Park are now the highest-placed Canadian pair, sitting fifth.

An overnight thunderstorm gave the fairways at the Horse Park of New Jersey just the drink they needed, and most riders asserted that while the heat and humidity were uncomfortable, their horses performed and recovered well.

Unfortunately, however, Laine Ashker’s long-time partner Eight Saint James Place collapsed and died after completing the CCI*** course after jumping around clean with minimal time penalties. Per Federation Equestre International rules, the incident will be reviewed by an investigative panel before more details are released.