Just two events into the 2006 Adequan USEA Gold Cup Series and Phillip Dutton, last year’s Advanced Series champ, has already taken the lead in both divisions.  At the Southern Pines Horse Trials, March 17-19 at the Carolina Horse Park in Raeford, North Carolina, he and Nina Gardner’s House Doctor won the Advanced division on a score of 36.1, putting them into the top spot on the Gold Cup Advanced Leader board with 305 points.  House Doctor used to be a household name, and it’s wonderful to see the 14 year-old Thoroughbred gelding making his mark after nearly three years off.

Dutton was his own closest competition at Southern Pines, finishing 1.3 penalties behind on Bruce Duchossois’ 15-year-old Thoroughbred gelding Hannigan.  That performance put him and Hannigan tied for second place on the Gold Cup Leader board with 270 points.  The pair are tied with Jonathan Holling and his 12-year-old Thoroughbred gelding Lion King II, who the weekend before had placed second at the Red Hills Horse Trials CIC***-W division.

Dutton aboard Suzanne Kloud’s nine-year-old Thoroughbred gelding Happy as Larry top the Gold Cup Intermediate Leader board with 235 points after winning their division at the Southern Pines Horse Trials.   They are followed by Elisa Wallace and her seven year-old Thoroughbred gelding Jackson XIII, who placed fourth in the CIC** at Red Hills and hold the second place spot in the Gold Cup with 190 points.  They earned that Gold Cup spot by  finishing on their dressage score.  The Gold Cup Leader board’s point system rewards more than just final scores—  Wallace and Jackson were able to move up by finishing Red Hills with no jumping penalties in cross-country or show jumping, in addition to finishing on their dressage score.  For more details on the points matrix, visit the Gold Cup page on the USEA website.

For complete results of the Red Hills Horse Trials and Southern Pines Horse Trials visit www.rhht.org or www.carolinahorsepark.com.

The Cup’s next destination is 3,000 miles west, to Temecula, California to kick off the Pacific Division at the Galway Downs CIC-W*** and International Horse Trials, March 31 to April 2.  Like Red Hills, Galway Downs is also hosting an FEI World Cup qualifier, so expect the top horses and riders on the West Coast to put in their best performances.  For more information on the event, visit www.galwaydowns.com.

Then it’s back to the East Coast for The Fork Stables Horse Trials, now known as the BB&T Outdoor Heritage Days, April 6-9 in Norwood, North Carolina.  This event is another World Cup qualifier, and festivities are planned throughout the weekend, including a falconry show, retriever demonstration, and other entertainment for both kids and adults.  Visit www.forkstables.com to learn more about the farm and the event.

The USEA is pleased to welcome back many of our 2005 sponsors, including Title sponsor Adequan, Presenting sponsors Nunn Finer, Amerigo, and Nutrena, and Contributing sponsors Cover-All and UlcerGard.  A new Contributing sponsor, Premier Equestrian, has joined us this year, along with Patron sponsor, Mountain Horse.

Winners of the Gold Cup divisions at each event take home a seven-dose pack of Adequan, a Mountain Horse jacket with Gold Cup logo, and a front and hind pair of Nunn Finer American Style brushing boots.  The second and third place finishers at each event will receive a front and hind pair of Nunn Finer brushing boots. 

This December at the 2006 USEA Annual Meeting and Convention in St. Louis, Missouri, a grand prize Gold Cup trophy and Amerigo saddle will be awarded to the rider from each division with the most points at the end of the year. In addition, the Gold Cup champion at the Advanced level will receive a check from the USEA for $6,000, and the Intermediate champion receives a check for $4,000. Both winners will also receive an additional supply of Adequan.  The second placed rider at Advanced wins a $3,500 Bit of Britain gift certificate, and their Intermediate counterpart wins a $2,500 gift certificate.

For more information on the Gold Cup, visit the USEA website (www.useventing.com) and click on the Gold Cup logo on the home page.