August 31 – September 5, 2021, Kentucky Horse Park, Lexington, Kentucky
By Katie Lokey, USEA Staff; Photos courtesy USEA
The 2021 USEA American Eventing Championships (AEC) presented by Nutrena Feeds now stands as the largest eventing competition in North American history. The AEC at the Kentucky Horse Park garnered nearly 1,200 entries.
Thanks to the generous support of many sponsors, the USEA was able to provide AEC competitors with over $100,000 in prize money, and hundreds of thousands of dollars in prizes and in-kind donations.
On Cue was On Point to Win the $60,000 Adequan USEA Advanced Final
By Leslie Mintz, Summer Grace
Boyd Martin came to the 2021 USEA American Eventing Championships (AEC) looking to defend his 2019 $60,000 Adequan USEA Advanced Final title; while he succeeded at the goal, it wasn’t with the same mount. However, Martin’s victory lands him in the history books as the first rider to win the AEC Advanced class two times on two different horses.
After leading the dressage with Long Island T, Martin fell from him on the cross-country. He then returned and jumped a clear cross-country round with On Cue – déjà vu from the 2021 Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event. Martin started his week in eighth place with Christine Turner’s 16-year-old Selle Francais mare, but moved up to fourth after adding only 6.4 time penalties to his dressage score of 27.3.
Bobby Murphy’s show jumping course under the lights in front of a packed Rolex Stadium proved very influential to the top of the standings. When Buck Davidson lowered a pole on both his second and third-placed mounts, and the overnight leader, Fylicia Barr, dropped two rails, it opened the door for Martin and On Cue to take the win and a check for $30,000. They had no show jumping penalties and finished on their 33.7 score.
Martin is no stranger to riding the victory gallop with this mare, having been the top-placed American horse at the Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day event earlier this year.
“I am just thrilled with On Cue, she is everything you dream of in a horse— she’s a mover, she’s a galloper, she’s sensitive, she’s elegant, she’s bright, and I’m just blessed to have her, she’s been on fire this year,” he said.
Doug Payne and Quantum Leap made a steady climb up the leaderboard throughout the competition starting in 14th and ending in the reserve position (34.7). Liz Halliday-Sharp and Cooley Quicksilver rode for ribbons as the third of the top three finishers (35.1).
While Bruce Davidson’s rails dropped him off the podium he still finished in fourth with Jak My Style (36.0), a 16-year-old Thoroughbred owned by Kathleen Cuca, and fifth with the Carlevo LLC’s Carlevo (36.3), a 14-year-old Holsteiner (Caresino x Ramatuelle).
$500 Horse Takes Lead in $60,000 Adequan® USEA Advanced Final
By Shelby Allen, Leslie Mintz
Derek di Grazia’s challenging cross-country course shuffled the leaderboard in the $60,000 Adequan® USEA Advanced Final, with Fylicia Barr emerging as the new leader Barr, a West Grove, Pa. resident, was one of the quickest rides on a day when no one made the time with her own Galloway Sunrise, a 13-year-old American Warmblood mare (Duty Officer x Coco Chanel), who she bought for $500 off Craigslist.
“She was a feral 2-year-old when I got her. Like, wasn't even halter broke at the time. You know, it's been a really, really long journey. And obviously, as a kid, my dream was always to go Advanced with her. And now she's here. And it's a little bit of that dream come true moment,” Barr said.
This combination picked up only 2.4 time penalties to move from sixth into first on a score of 28.9.
Barr and Galloway Sunrise picked up 8 jumping penalties and 2.4 time penalties in show jumping to finish in sixth (39.3).
Dreams Come True for Novice Champions
By Summer Grace
At 67 years old, Mary Millhiser’s victory in the Novice Master Amateur division with her partner, My Boy Tex, is lifelong in the making. Millhiser sat in the fourth-place position with the 15-year-old Thoroughbred gelding (Noble Houston x Take It to the Gold) after the dressage and cross-country phase of competition on a score of 27.4. However, the pair shone during the final day of competition in the show jumping element and jumped clear to ultimately don the tricolor champion ribbon.
Millhiser has been a life-long horsewomen since the age of 10 years old. She competed in various hunters and fox hunting events throughout her childhood and younger years. After an 11-year hiatus, she moved to the Richmond, Virginia area and decided to pursue fox hunting and eventing since 1986.
“I just want to give a shout out to all of us that are still out here doing this at a slightly more advanced age,” Millhiser added. “Just keep on keeping on and don’t let age be a determining factor in what you think you can do because I feel like I am at the peak of my riding career.”
Read more AEC News at: https://useventing.com/category/aec and on the United States Eventing Association, Inc. (USEA)facebook page.
Summary: Division Winners
$60,000 Adequan® USEA Advanced Final: Boyd Martin, On Cue (33.7)
USEA Intermediate Championship: Leslie Law, Lady Chatterley (25.5)
USEA Preliminary Amateur Championship: Arden Wildasin, Southern Sun (24.2)
USEA Preliminary Horse Championship: Elisabeth Halliday-Sharp, Shanroe Cooley (28.5)
USEA Preliminary Junior/Young Rider Championship: Vienna Allport, DHI Zatopek B (28.3)
USEA Preliminary Rider Championship: Sophie Miller, Quarlotta C (35.5)
USEA Open Modified Championship: Julie Wolfert, Namibia (25.2)
USEA Training Amateur Championship: Lisa Niccolai, KC’s Celtic Kharacter (27.6)
USEA Training Horse Championship: Lauren Lambert, Biscotti (24.3)
USEA Training Junior Championship: Shelby Murray, Reverie GWF (22.4)
USEA Training Rider Championship: Katie Sisk, Long Legs Lenore (30.7)
USEA Novice Amateur Championship: Cecilia Emilsson, Blazing Angel (22.3)
USEA Novice Horse Championship: Chloe Smyth, Byzantine SC (28.3)
USEA Novice Junior Championship: Mia Brown, Duke HW (22.3)
USEA Novice Junior 15 & Under Championship: Margaret Frost, Euro Star (29.6)
USEA Novice Master Amateur Championship: Mary Milhiser, My Boy Tex (27.4)
USEA Novice Rider Championship: Jane Musselman, Bentley’s Best (24.2)
USEA Beginner Novice Amateur Championship: Cami Pease, Vibrant (24.8)
USEA Beginner Novice Horse Championship: Kristine Burgess, Marisol (25.5)
USEA Beginner Novice Junior 14 & Under Championship: Laura Voorheis, Hillcrest Hop (27.1)
USEA Beginner Novice Junior Championship: Erin Buckner, Picassi (18.5)
USEA Beginner Novice Master Amateur Championship: Gerlinde Beckers, Roscommon Fagan (28.5)
USEA Beginner Novice Rider Championship: Leigh Wood, Dollar Mountain (27.1)
Find full results at: https://eventing.startboxscoring.com/eventsr/aec/ht0821/
By Katie Lokey, USEA Staff; Photos courtesy USEA
The 2021 USEA American Eventing Championships (AEC) presented by Nutrena Feeds now stands as the largest eventing competition in North American history. The AEC at the Kentucky Horse Park garnered nearly 1,200 entries.
Thanks to the generous support of many sponsors, the USEA was able to provide AEC competitors with over $100,000 in prize money, and hundreds of thousands of dollars in prizes and in-kind donations.
On Cue was On Point to Win the $60,000 Adequan USEA Advanced Final
By Leslie Mintz, Summer Grace
Boyd Martin came to the 2021 USEA American Eventing Championships (AEC) looking to defend his 2019 $60,000 Adequan USEA Advanced Final title; while he succeeded at the goal, it wasn’t with the same mount. However, Martin’s victory lands him in the history books as the first rider to win the AEC Advanced class two times on two different horses.
After leading the dressage with Long Island T, Martin fell from him on the cross-country. He then returned and jumped a clear cross-country round with On Cue – déjà vu from the 2021 Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event. Martin started his week in eighth place with Christine Turner’s 16-year-old Selle Francais mare, but moved up to fourth after adding only 6.4 time penalties to his dressage score of 27.3.
Bobby Murphy’s show jumping course under the lights in front of a packed Rolex Stadium proved very influential to the top of the standings. When Buck Davidson lowered a pole on both his second and third-placed mounts, and the overnight leader, Fylicia Barr, dropped two rails, it opened the door for Martin and On Cue to take the win and a check for $30,000. They had no show jumping penalties and finished on their 33.7 score.
Martin is no stranger to riding the victory gallop with this mare, having been the top-placed American horse at the Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day event earlier this year.
“I am just thrilled with On Cue, she is everything you dream of in a horse— she’s a mover, she’s a galloper, she’s sensitive, she’s elegant, she’s bright, and I’m just blessed to have her, she’s been on fire this year,” he said.
Doug Payne and Quantum Leap made a steady climb up the leaderboard throughout the competition starting in 14th and ending in the reserve position (34.7). Liz Halliday-Sharp and Cooley Quicksilver rode for ribbons as the third of the top three finishers (35.1).
While Bruce Davidson’s rails dropped him off the podium he still finished in fourth with Jak My Style (36.0), a 16-year-old Thoroughbred owned by Kathleen Cuca, and fifth with the Carlevo LLC’s Carlevo (36.3), a 14-year-old Holsteiner (Caresino x Ramatuelle).
$500 Horse Takes Lead in $60,000 Adequan® USEA Advanced Final
By Shelby Allen, Leslie Mintz
Derek di Grazia’s challenging cross-country course shuffled the leaderboard in the $60,000 Adequan® USEA Advanced Final, with Fylicia Barr emerging as the new leader Barr, a West Grove, Pa. resident, was one of the quickest rides on a day when no one made the time with her own Galloway Sunrise, a 13-year-old American Warmblood mare (Duty Officer x Coco Chanel), who she bought for $500 off Craigslist.
“She was a feral 2-year-old when I got her. Like, wasn't even halter broke at the time. You know, it's been a really, really long journey. And obviously, as a kid, my dream was always to go Advanced with her. And now she's here. And it's a little bit of that dream come true moment,” Barr said.
This combination picked up only 2.4 time penalties to move from sixth into first on a score of 28.9.
Barr and Galloway Sunrise picked up 8 jumping penalties and 2.4 time penalties in show jumping to finish in sixth (39.3).
Dreams Come True for Novice Champions
By Summer Grace
At 67 years old, Mary Millhiser’s victory in the Novice Master Amateur division with her partner, My Boy Tex, is lifelong in the making. Millhiser sat in the fourth-place position with the 15-year-old Thoroughbred gelding (Noble Houston x Take It to the Gold) after the dressage and cross-country phase of competition on a score of 27.4. However, the pair shone during the final day of competition in the show jumping element and jumped clear to ultimately don the tricolor champion ribbon.
Millhiser has been a life-long horsewomen since the age of 10 years old. She competed in various hunters and fox hunting events throughout her childhood and younger years. After an 11-year hiatus, she moved to the Richmond, Virginia area and decided to pursue fox hunting and eventing since 1986.
“I just want to give a shout out to all of us that are still out here doing this at a slightly more advanced age,” Millhiser added. “Just keep on keeping on and don’t let age be a determining factor in what you think you can do because I feel like I am at the peak of my riding career.”
Read more AEC News at: https://useventing.com/category/aec and on the United States Eventing Association, Inc. (USEA)facebook page.
Summary: Division Winners
$60,000 Adequan® USEA Advanced Final: Boyd Martin, On Cue (33.7)
USEA Intermediate Championship: Leslie Law, Lady Chatterley (25.5)
USEA Preliminary Amateur Championship: Arden Wildasin, Southern Sun (24.2)
USEA Preliminary Horse Championship: Elisabeth Halliday-Sharp, Shanroe Cooley (28.5)
USEA Preliminary Junior/Young Rider Championship: Vienna Allport, DHI Zatopek B (28.3)
USEA Preliminary Rider Championship: Sophie Miller, Quarlotta C (35.5)
USEA Open Modified Championship: Julie Wolfert, Namibia (25.2)
USEA Training Amateur Championship: Lisa Niccolai, KC’s Celtic Kharacter (27.6)
USEA Training Horse Championship: Lauren Lambert, Biscotti (24.3)
USEA Training Junior Championship: Shelby Murray, Reverie GWF (22.4)
USEA Training Rider Championship: Katie Sisk, Long Legs Lenore (30.7)
USEA Novice Amateur Championship: Cecilia Emilsson, Blazing Angel (22.3)
USEA Novice Horse Championship: Chloe Smyth, Byzantine SC (28.3)
USEA Novice Junior Championship: Mia Brown, Duke HW (22.3)
USEA Novice Junior 15 & Under Championship: Margaret Frost, Euro Star (29.6)
USEA Novice Master Amateur Championship: Mary Milhiser, My Boy Tex (27.4)
USEA Novice Rider Championship: Jane Musselman, Bentley’s Best (24.2)
USEA Beginner Novice Amateur Championship: Cami Pease, Vibrant (24.8)
USEA Beginner Novice Horse Championship: Kristine Burgess, Marisol (25.5)
USEA Beginner Novice Junior 14 & Under Championship: Laura Voorheis, Hillcrest Hop (27.1)
USEA Beginner Novice Junior Championship: Erin Buckner, Picassi (18.5)
USEA Beginner Novice Master Amateur Championship: Gerlinde Beckers, Roscommon Fagan (28.5)
USEA Beginner Novice Rider Championship: Leigh Wood, Dollar Mountain (27.1)
Find full results at: https://eventing.startboxscoring.com/eventsr/aec/ht0821/
