Millstreet, Ireland – The U.S. Eventing Squad closed out the inaugural FEI Eventing World Championship U25, at Millstreet International in Co. Cork, Ireland, with Olivia Dutton and Jewelent claiming individual bronze and finishing as the highest-placed U.S. combination. The U.S. saw two more combinations finish inside of the top ten, with Molly Duda and Disco Traveler earning fifth overall on a final score of 49.2, placing just ahead of Jack Curtis and Luska Candy Clover, who finished in sixth on a score of 49.2.
The new FEI championship, contested at the CCI4*-S level, was created to help bridge the gap between Young Rider and senior-level competition. The inaugural year drew 40 individual combinations from 14 different nations to Millstreet for the championship and featured representation of five different international teams.
"It feels unreal to be on the podium,” said Dutton. “It’s been a dream come true coming here. I am so grateful to [Jewelent’s] owners for letting me ride him. He is an unbelievable horse and he tries so hard. Our cross-country effort felt amazing and to jump clear around that tough jumping course was the icing on the cake. I couldn’t be happier and thankful to the team and everyone supporting us, especially my parents and my sister. It’s a huge team effort and for us to produce this kind of result makes the hard work worth it.”
Dutton (West Grove, Pa.) and Jewelent, a 2012 Irish Sport Horse gelding (Valent x Roselier) owned by the Jewelent Group and cared for by Emma Tuit, sat in 26th at the conclusion of the dressage phase on a 35.8, before climbing up the leaderboard after a strong cross-country round, adding 12.0 time penalties to move forward to the final day of competition on a score of 47.8, and holding 12th place overnight. The pair kept all the rails in the cups after a stellar final jumping round. They added just 0.4 time penalties to seal the pair’s final score of 48.2 and secure the first-ever individual medal for the United States at the inaugural championship.
Dutton's result capped a strong showing for several combinations representing the U.S. Eventing Squad. Duda (Menlo Park, Calif.) and her own Disco Traveler, a 2010 Oldenburg gelding (Donatelli x Unknown) cared for by Carine Wancowicz, steadily moved up the standings throughout the competition. After finishing dressage with a score of 35.6, the pair produced an impressive run across the challenging cross-country track, adding 9.6 in time penalties, marking one of the faster finishes of the day. The pair held eighth overnight and added four faults on the final day to finish on a final score of 49.2, which pushed them into the top five overall standings.
Jack Curtis (Beverly, Mass.) and Luska Candy Clover, a 2013 Irish Sport Horse gelding (Sligo Candy Boy x White Clover) owned by Betsy Curtis and cared for by Jason Wood, made steady moves up the leaderboard as well, improving with each phase. The pair received a 35.2 for their efforts inside of the dressage court, before posting a confident round on cross-country, adding 14 penalties for time, moving them from 22nd to 14th heading into the final day. The duo posted the only double clear effort in the final jumping phase, finishing inside of the time allowed and jumping around the stadium track with ease. They finished on a 49.2 for sixth place, with Duda and Disco Traveler slotting just ahead of them with their faster trip across the country. Meg Pellegrini (Malvern, Pa.) and Dondante, a 2010 Irish Sport Horse gelding (Pachio x Euro Clover), owned by Team Rebecca, LLC, and cared for by Sarah Rupert, took 13th overall on a final score of 56.9.
A challenging day for the U.S. Eventing Team on cross-country saw two combinations eliminated on course, pushing the team from potential podium contention with an added 200 penalties to the team total as a result of only two combinations finishing the day. Both Dutton and Meg Pellegrini were the two team combinations to complete the championship weekend.
Great Britain finished atop the leaderboard as a team on a total score of 149.7, ahead of Germany, who finished on a team total of 168.6 for silver. Team Ireland took bronze, completing the championship on a 180.0. Calvin Böckmann (GER) and Altair de la Cense secured individual gold on a final three-phase score of 40.0, with Cerys Macaulay (GBR) and Kananaskis earning individual silver on 45.3.
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