April 7, 2024—The top three finishers at the Stable View $60,000 FEI CCI4*-S this weekend are planning to head to the Kentucky Three-Day Event. The competition will be at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, April 25-28, 2024.
Boyd Martin and Commando 3 won the Stable View CCI4*-S in Aiken, South Carolina, with a score of 32.5. Will Coleman and Chin Tonic HS finished second with a score of 34.1. Doug Payne and Quantum Leap rounded out the Stable View CCI4*-S top 3 with a score of 35.1.
Martin has entered Commando 3 in the Cosequin Lexington CCI4*-S. Similarly, Coleman and Chin Tonic HS are on the Kentucky CCI4*-S entry list. Payne and Quantum Leap have their sights on the Kentucky Three-Day Event CCI5*.
“I really like to use Stable View as my preparation leading up to Kentucky, which is my big goal for the spring,” Martin said after the Stable View CCI4*-S cross-country course Saturday.
Likewise, answering a question about why he brought his horses to Stable View, Coleman said, “The timing works for what we want to get the horses ready for Kentucky. I had good runs here last year.”
Stable View CCI4*-S: Cross-Country
Martin and Commando were the last combination to ride the CCI4*-S cross-country course at Stable View, and they kept their lead from the previous day’s dressage and show-jumping phases. The pair added 6.8 time penalties on cross-country to their dressage score. “The new course designer, Helen West, built an unbelievable track,” Martin said.
West (GBR) shared that she made the four-star track with the idea that it is a pre-Kentucky warm-up.
Coleman and Chin Tonic HS added 7.6 penalties to their dressage score. When asked if he thinks this weekend prepared him for the rest of the weekend, Coleman said, “I think so. There were some good questions and I think my horses got something out of those. I guess time will tell, right?”
No combination made the time on West’s course, but Payne and Quantum Leap came close. They added just two seconds of time to their dressage score. “It’s a really great prep for Kentucky,” Payne said. “The new courses were challenging, and I think [Quantum’s] going to be as sharp as he can. I brought Quiberon and Camarillo as well. Camarillo will run his first five-star at Kentucky and this was Quiberon’s probably fourth Advanced. It was challenging, but I think that is the heart of the sport. I think the greener ones you can go a bit slower, but the more experienced guys can cut some corners.”
Coleman and Martin rounded out the top five on their other mounts: Off the Record and Fedarman B, respectively. While no one managed to make the time, 61% of the field jumped clear. One of the most influential questions turned out to be Fence 9C. This was the second angled brush that was set on a one-stride following a drop into water.
Entered in Kentucky
Along with Chin Tonic, Coleman has entered Off the Record in the Cosequin Lexington CCI4*-S. Likewise, Martin has entered Fedarman B as well as Miss Lulu Herself in the CCI4*-S in Kentucky.
Other top-10 finishers in Aiken are looking toward Kentucky as well. Phillip Dutton and Denim, who finished eighth at Stable View, are entered into the Kentucky CCI5*. Dutton is also entered in the CCI4*-S in Kentucky with Jewelent. Also scheduled for a CCI4*-S appearance in Kentucky are Julie Wolfert and SSH Playboy, who finished sixth at Stable View.
Stable View CCI4*-S: Dressage and Show Jumping
What started as a cold morning turned into a beautiful sunny day of sport on Friday. Riders performed their dressage tests first and then jumped over Chris Barnard’s track in the Tree Arena.
Four-Star riders completed the CCI4*- 2024 FEI Four-star Test B in the Mark Phillips Arena. At the conclusion of dressage, Martin riding Commando 3 were in the lead on a score of 25.7.
Coleman and Chin Tonic and Liz Halliday and Cooley Quicksilver were close behind. The two were tied on a score of 26.5. (Halliday and Quicksilver had a fall on cross-country at Fence 9C.)
The four-star competitors showed their experience and the top few remained unchanged after jumping double clear. Martin and Commando 3 stayed on their dressage score. Martin shared his thoughts for cross country. “The course looks challenging. Hats off to the new course designer Helen West. She’s really tried to mimic some of the questions we’ll be faced with at Kentucky. My plan tomorrow would not necessarily be to go too fast but to give them a good run.”
Coleman and Chin Tonic stayed tied for second place with Halliday and Cooley Quicksilver.
For complete results, click here.
Thanks to Cosequin for our coverage of the 2024 Defender Kentucky Three-Day Event, including rider interviews, competition reports, horse spotlights, photos, videos and more.
