The Plantation Field International CCI4*-S concluded Sunday in Unionville, PA, with the cross-country phase, and the final standings were nearly a matter of “last one standing.” As tropical storm Ophelia brought a torrential downpour to the area, a number of riders decided to opt out; of 38 competitors, only six completed the CCI4-star. Twenty withdrew before the start of cross-country.
Ariel Grald and Annie Eldridge’s Diara were one of the last combinations to tackle the course, and jumped clear with 20.8 time faults to move into the winning position. Caroline Pamukcu and HSHS Vamonos, who were 13th after dressage and jumped clear in the show jumping yesterday, moved up to second overall. Third place went to Canadian combination Colleen Loach with FE Golden Eye, and New Zealander Monica Spencer, who’s here in the US preparing for the Maryland 5-Star, finished fourth with Artist after adding 32.8 time faults.
Grald said, “The ground was holding up really well through the morning and then it kept raining, and I think that was the last straw for a lot of people. Honestly that worked in my favor because I was still able to find the good ground for the take-off at a lot of jumps. For me, it was really important for this mare’s future that she learn to run in the mud. Diara is a super cross-country horse and super powerful but she tries too hard and jumps too big. It’s been a real learning year; I ran her at the four-star at Bromont in August and she was uncertain about it at the beginning, so I felt it was important to run today. And the course was so good, any time I get to run a Derek track I’m so excited. Once we were out there she felt great. After I jumped the first few jumps, I knew she was fine, and now I have that confidence going to big events.”