Designed to showcase top-level eventing in an exciting show jumping–style arena format, the high-energy Grand-Prix Eventing competition brought together elite riders and world-class horses. Held at US Advanced level, it was equivalent to FEI CCI4*.
Hill and Hughie quickest on course
Sophia Hill and off-the-track Thoroughbred Humble Glory (Bernardini x Shovhog) were in equal 19th place following Friday’s dressage phase, with their score of 35.1 tying them with the New Zealand combination of Monica Spencer and Artist. Coincidentally, Humble Glory has been based with the Kiwi duo in the USA — and Artist is also a Thoroughbred!
Hill and ‘Hughie’ were then clear in Friday’s show jumping to rise to eighth, before posting the quickest round of the Jay Hambly-designed cross-country course on Saturday, where they were again foot-perfect and made short work of 30 jumps in less than four-and-a-half minutes.
Finishing clear and under time, they were one of only two combinations to do so; the other was Olympian Phillip Dutton with Denim, who ultimately claimed the win on 30.3.
It was a podium finish for the Australian duo, who completed on their dressage score — the only combination to do so, with Dutton adding 1.2 time faults in the show jumping — to place third.
“Everything came up so fast… but I couldn’t have been sat on a better horse for it,” said Hill in a post-cross-country event interview. “[Humble Glory is] just so agile, has such quick acceleration, and just loves to gallop. He was really rideable and good out there.”
Road to Kentucky
Hill is currently sharing her time between her home base of Bluebell Park near Mansfield and Monica Spencer’s property in Maryland, USA, where Hughie has been based since the Maryland 5-Star in October last year — where they were also the quickest combination out on cross country and finished on their dressage score in sixth place.
Hill has said the plan is to have another eventing start before they tackle the prestigious Kentucky Three-Day Event CCI5*L (23–26 April), where they will aim to add to their impressive list of CCI5*L completions that currently include Adelaide, Burghley and Maryland.
Meanwhile, Hill will head back to Australia to contest two CCI4* events with her Australian-based horses before returning to the USA for The Event at TerraNova CCI4*S with Hughie (26-29 March). It’s then back to Australia for the Adelaide Equestrian Festival (16-19 April) — and then back to the USA for Kentucky Three-Day Event.
Fellow Australian Ema Klugman also contested the Grand-Prix Eventing at Bruce’s Field, placing eighth with Chiraz (50) and 12th with Bronte Beach Z (55.1).
