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Latest News
7/21/2007
Team USA Opens Wider Margin in the Team Competition, Eventing Super Pony Theodore O’Connor Jumps to Individual Lead at Pan American Games
Rio de Janeiro—Cross-country day at the XV Pan American Games dawned clear and sunny July 21 at the Deodoro venue. With five Americans in the top five places after the first phase, and a firm grip on the team lead after the first phase, there was a lot at stake on the 10-minute track. When the dust settled, a pony took on all the horses and rewrote history.
Pathfinder Karen O’Connor, from The Plains, Virginia, got the day started with Theodore O’Connor, a 12-year-old Thoroughbred/Arabian/Shetland cross. A pony by definition, standing just 14.1 hands, he romped around the track just four seconds over the time and into the lead on a score of 48.7.
“He was plenty, plenty fit enough,” said O’Connor right after her ride. “There was no question. I got down on the clock a little bit in the woods though 17, 18 the soccer ball jump at 19, I was probably 15 seconds down at the last water, but I hustled and finished four seconds over. I’m delighted. It was the starting round for our team, and I accomplished what I was asked to accomplish. I went the long way at the big drop riding under team orders. The only time I get in trouble on Teddy is when I ride him like he’s 14.1. If I ride him like he’s 17.3, then that’s how he goes.”
The most experienced rider on the team O’Connor came back with valuable information for her teammates. Lying in third place overnight, Theodore O’Connor (owned by the Theodore O’Connor Syndicate) made light work of the track and galloped home happily into the lead and watched the score stand from the stables for the rest of the day.
“My goal has always been to just give him the very best ride possible and minimize his effort out there,” she said. “I just let him do his thing and try to make it easy for him. I was thrilled with him, he really gave me a great ride.”
Riding as an individual, Springville, New York’s Darren Chiacchia rode Better I Do It (owned by Adrienne Iorio) in his attempt to defend his 2003 Pan American Games Individual Gold medal. Lying in fourth place after the dressage, Chiacchia and the 15-year-old Swedish Warmblood started off strong and kept up a very good lick around the entire course.
“He was just right on it right out of the box. Actually a little bit too cheeky at first,” said Chiacchia. “The most difficult combination, the coffin, rode like a gymnastic exercise. He was really, really good. At the drop to the skinny was a jump everyone was concerned about when I came around the seven-minute mark, and I was close to the time. I thought the only way I can get this done is to go the straight way. So, I actually crossed over the line and changed my mind. It’s something I’ve never done before, and that was his best jump on the course. “
The combination survived an awkward moment at the second water, a jump that proved over the course of the day to be more influential than it walked.
“I had a bit of an awkward moment. People were talking about doing a bending three, and I decided to just line it up and go straight in two,” he said. “It’s a good thing I did. He jumped in, did a little stumble and had his nose in the water, and I picked his head up and there was the alligator. I’m not sure what happened, I thought I was 10 seconds under. I could have smoked those two seconds anywhere. So those were my two seconds not his. He put in a really good round.”
Chiacchia feels confident about his horse’s ability tomorrow, and he goes into the show jumping in third place on a score of 50.2.
“He wants to jump the jumps clean. There’s no question about it,” said Chiacchia. “It’s about doing my job with him tomorrow. There’s certainly a clear round in him. I think it is going to be a very tight competition in the end.”
The third U.S. rider and the second member of the team to head out on the course was California rider Gina Miles and the 13-year-old, 17.2-hand McKinlaigh. owned by Thomas Schulz and Laura Coats. The long-striding M
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