Kim Severson and two-time Rolex Kentucky CCI**** winner Winsome Adante took a three-point lead after the dressage (40.2) and easily clocked around the cross-country course of 19 fences, designed by Capt. Mark Phillips on July 13. With just one rail down in the show jumping course held under the lights, they won the U.S. Equestrian Federation’s Mandatory Outing for the 15 horses and riders on the Olympic short list.

At The Horse Park of New Jersey, dressage judge Jessica Ransehousen spent several minutes after each test evaluating the movements with the riders, and when Severson, as the final of the 15 riders, finished her test, Ransehousen spent some additional time helping Severson further perfect her half passes.

Severson’s 2002 World Equestrian Games teammate, John Williams, finished just 3 points behind her, in second, on Carrick.

Darren Chiacchia/Windfall 2, Stephen Bradley/From and Williams/Carrick  tied for second in the

Amy Tryon stood fifth (45.6) after dressage on Poggio and ninth on My Beau, who was the first horse in the ring. Poggio produced a very professional, consistent test and then bounded around the cross-country with his usual ease and enthusiasm.  Two uncharacteristic rails down in the show jumping left him third. My Beau, who scored 49.2 in dressage, also had no trouble with the cross-country, but five rails dropped him to 12^th overall, as only dressage and show jumping counted for the ribbons.

Holly Hepp on Damien and Nathalie Bouckaert on West Farthing tied for sixth in dressage (46.8). But both horses encountered difficulties on the cross-country. Hepp never got Damien over the corner in the water (fence 15ABCD). After he bounced into the water, he ran by the corner three times, and finally Hepp, under selector Peter Green’s advice, just jumped the second corner, two strides after the corner in the water. Bouckaert had two stops at fence 12AB, which was a log atop a mound, followed by a second log on a mound. West Farthing stopped

Will Faudree, in eighth place after dressage (48.0) with Antigua, had one of the best rides through the water, attacking the two corners, which were set on a long two strides and making it look easy. Heidi White, 10^th after dressage (49.8) on Northern Spy, had a similarly confident ride, and with just two rails down in show jumping, she moved into fifth place. David O’Connor, in 11^th after dressage (50.4) on Outlawed, completed the cross-country without any problems, as did 12^th-placed

Richards produced the only clear show jumping round. “I have a horse called Jacob Two Two-hat’s the secret,” she said of her clear round. She had also practiced under the lights at Poplar Place Farm (Ga.), at her husband Jim Richards’ insistence, and, like Severson, thought the shadows only made her horse jump better.

Jan Thompson and Task Force had some troubles with their flying changes, which often involved bucking, and scored a 56.4 for 13^th place. Thompson attacked the cross-country, looking to be one of the quickest rounds and flying through the difficult water complex, but two fences later, at the coffin, Task Force just dropped a leg after the short distance to the C element and knocked Thompson off. She quickly remounted to finish.

And Severson’s first ride, Maguire, who has never contested a four-star, showed his inexperience in the dressage, placing 15^th with a 62.4. He then ran out twice at the corner off the bank at fence 13 ABCD. Severson circled him around, jumped the other side of the corner, then pulled up. She chose not to show jump him.

The cross-country was designed to be a school for the horses before shipping to England but proved a bit more challenging. “You were not necessarily competing over it, but you had to come out and go cross-country,” said Bradley. “There was enough to do out there, and a number of us hadn’t done cross-country since [Rolex] Kentucky [in April]. You had to be in the spirit of cross-country, not just out there to school.”