Allentown, N.J.—May 9

Stand near a combination anywhere on the cross-country course at the Jersey Fresh International and you’ll probably hear Lauren Kieffer exclaiming “Good boy! Good boy!” as she whizzes past on Landmark’s Monte Carlo.

“He feeds off that a lot,” she said after the pair took top honors in the CIC*** this weekend. “I’m not a huge talker cross-country but with him it helps him a lot. He’s like ‘OK! OK!’ ”

The pair from The Plains, Va., started their weekend second after dressage on 46.40 penalties behind Emily Beshear and Shame on the Moon. A clear show jumping round this morning brought them into the lead, and they added only 8 time penalties in the afternoon’s cross-country to finish on a 54.40 to stay ahead of second-place finishers Ryan Wood and Frankie (57.0).

Kieffer has been riding the gelding since his early days, running him at his first novice in 2012.

With top horses like Czechmate and Veronica in the barn, Landmark’s Monte Carlo has been flying under the radar. Jacqueline Mars’ 9-year-old homebred Irish Sport Horse was third in the Lexington CIC** (Va.) last May before placing second in the CCI** at Bromont (Quebec) the following month.

He moved up to advanced at the Cloud 11-Gavilan North LLC Carolina International (N.C.) and finished fourth at The Fork (N.C.). Jersey Fresh marked the gelding’s first CIC***, and his first FEI win.

“He’s a really cool horse,” Kieffer said. “He’s one you really have to have a partnership with. It’s taken us a few years, and thank goodness Ms. Mars is his owner because she’s been extremely patient with him. He’s a horse he needs to feel like you’ve got his back.

“He’s really good cross country horse. He really kind of fights for it and he can be scrappy, and he doesn’t get worried.”

After winning dressage on a 41.60, Beshear dropped to ninth place after her mount lowered four fences in the show jumping, and the pair finished an eventual seventh.

A Final Prep Run

Buck Davidson brought his 2014 Jersey Fresh CCI*** winner, Sherrie Martin and Carl Segal’s Copper Beech, out for a final prep run before shipping out to the Tattersalls CCI***(Ireland) this month. The 9-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding won the CIC** division (47.4) over Doug Payne and Lysander.

“He’s very fit. He’s a completely different horse than what showed up here last year,” said Davidson. “From the time I got off Carlevo and had to be on Be Mine [his CCI** horses], it was about 35 minutes and I had to show jump ‘Sean’ in between there. I didn’t realize they changed the course, so I just cantered around and jumped a couple of jumps. He was a little wild for the show jumping and for the cross-country.”

Sean hadn’t run at an event since the Carolina International in March, so he was full of running. “Probably the jumps weren’t quite big enough for him,” said Davidson. “Like in the arena, when he had something to do, he was quite focused, but then of course he’s very Irish and didn’t want to leave the barns back there. He’s a funny horse. He’s still only a 9-year-old and he’s half the size he was last year.”

Buck Davidson and Copper Beech won the CIC**. Photo by Lindsay Berreth.

Tidbits

– Twenty horses contested the CIC*** and 17 completed. Six pairs had double clear show jumping rounds which were held in the morning before they went cross country. Only Jenny Caras and Fernhill Fortitude had a double clear cross country and five pairs finished with cross country jump penalties.

– Caroline Martin and Quantum Solace were in second after show jumping but withdrew according to plan since the pair will be contesting the Tattersalls CIC*** in Ireland at the end of the month.

– After a bit of a rough go—which included a refusal, Erin Sylvester elected to retire Mettraise.

– In the final combination Boyd Martin parted ways with Steady Eddie when the pair slipped between fences two from home. Both horse and rider were uninjured, and Martin returned to ride SBF Cortez to 17th in the CIC**.

– Twenty-two of 27 starters completed the CIC**. Thirteen pairs went double clear in the show jumping. No pairs made the time cross country, with third-placed Joe Meyer and Clip Clop coming the closest with .80 time penalties. Only Lucia Strini and Galway Bay Cooley picked up jump penalties. With two stops late in the course. Strini ultimately elected to retire.

– Tracey Bienemann withdrew Geoni following dressage, and Jessica Pheonix did not get to jump Pavarotti after she was injured in a fall during the CCI**.

– Sable Giesler parted ways with Devil Munchkin at the Jersey Shore water complex, and Bevin Dugan took a tumble from Kemmerlin. 

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