HERNING, Denmark--The U.S. Jumping Team is 14 faults behind the leading team from Belgium following the first day of World Championship competition with all four riders contesting the Speed Round.
Brian Moggre (Photo by Allen MacMillan)While that seems a lot, each of the three or four riders per team has two more rounds to jump, so being behind by three rails is difficult but not insurmountable.
The first class of the week, the Speed, in which 4 seconds were added to the time for each rail down, saw 22 teams and 103 total riders, including individuals, compete.
Following the Speed class, the leading rider was given 0 faults, with each following rider assigned faults on their standing, and the total of the top three riders from each team was the team score gong into the first team competition.
The first round of team competition will begin Thursday at 7:00 a.m. ET with the U.S. set to go 15th in the order of 22 teams.
LILLIE KEENAN on Argan de Beliard was the trailblazer, going late in the first rotation of riders to compete over the track set by Louis Konickx of the Netherlands, set to 1.55m specs.
Lillie Keenan (Photo by Allen MacMillanKeenan of New York N.Y., is competing on her first championship team for the U.S. this week and had a good first clear round, crossing through the timers in 87.23 seconds to stand 38th individually.
In her second World Championship appearance for the U.S. Jumping Team and riding Cristalline, her gold-medal winning partner from 2018, Adrienne Sternlicht of Greenwich, Conn, had a rail midway through the trip and crossed through the finish in 89.07 seconds, which converted to a final score of 93.07 to stand 69th.
On Balou du Reventon, Brian Moggre of Flower Mound, Texas, in his first championship appearance with the seasoned stallion, had a decisive and quick effort around the track to go clean in 83.89 seconds, the highest-placed individual U.S. rider at the conclusion of the day, standing 19th place overall.
As the anchor and most veteran rider on the team, McLain Ward of Brewster, N.Y., went late in the order as the 102nd to enter the stadium.
Contagious dropped a rail early, but was fast, stopping the timers in 81.30 seconds, for 85.30 total, to stand 29th.
McLain Ward 0n Contagious(Photo by Allen MacMillanCompetition begins Thursday at 7:00 a.m. ET with the U.S. team going 15th in the overall order.
Ward on Contagious will lead off, going 14th, with Sternlicht on Cristalline going 43rd.
Moggre on Balou du Reventon will go 71st, with Keenan on Argan de Beliard going 96th in the order.
