The $60,000 USEA Advanced Final came to an exciting conclusion on Friday evening at the United States Eventing Association (USEA) American Eventing Championships presented by Nutrena Feeds (AEC). The Advanced division also served as the USEF Advanced Horse Trials National Championship, and Liz Halliday and Miks Master C won the national champion title as well as the legendary Jack Le Goff Trophy after leading the field from start to finish.

Halliday (Lexington, Ky.) and Miks Master C started the competition with a lovely dressage test showing how their partnership has developed in the past year. The pair was rewarded with a score of 23.1 to take the early lead.

Photo – Liz Halliday and Miks Master C  (US Equestrian)

“I was thrilled with Mickey in the dressage. He was a little wiggly down the first centerline, which was a little random, but the rest I thought he was spectacular. I was really thrilled with him,” said Halliday. “We are still a fairly new partnership me and him even though we have done a lot of things. I sort of find that I am always trying to fine tune it because he is a big, powerful horse. He offers a lot in the ring. He is a lot to manage sometimes, but I thought he tried really hard. He was relaxed and did a very good test.”

Halliday and the 2012 Swedish Warmblood gelding owned by Ocala Horse Properties, LLC and Deborah Palmer tackled Jay Hambly’s cross-country course in impressive fashion. The optimum time was hard to make, and the duo tallied 3.2 time penalties but maintained the top spot on the leaderboard.

Amazing All the Way

“For cross-country, he is an amazing horse,” said Halliday. “He is strong and a lot of horse to ride. He got a bit of a head of steam with me at the end, so I balanced him, which is where the time faults came. But he is an amazing galloper; he is an amazing horse.”

In an exciting conclusion, the show jumping phase was the main event on Friday evening with AEC competitors and supporters watching the competition conclude over Robert Murphy’s course in Rolex stadium. Halliday and Miks Master C were the last pair to go and had an excellent round until a peek at the last fence—a liverpool—resulted in a rail. That plus eight-tenths of a time penalty made for a tight finish, but Halliday and Miks Master C won the title by four-tenths of a point with a score of 31.1.

“I am totally thrilled,” said Halliday. “He just jumped phenomenally all weekend. That light’s a little funny in there, and he saw a glare in the water tray as he took off and I was shocked because he was jumping so well. I had gotten a little quiet to not wind him up so that he could jump really well. Then, I thought, ‘Oh boy, I have cut that too fine.’ But luckily, we squeaked in there. He is a really wonderful horse. He loves the sport. He is very generous. He tries very hard and he’s very, very talented. I just feel really lucky to ride him.”

A Stellar Finish

Phillip Dutton claimed the reserve champion and third-place finish with Z and Azure – as well as sixth place with Denim – for a stellar finish at the event. Dutton (West Grove, Pa.) and Z were close behind Halliday and Miks Master C throughout the competition, beginning with a flowing dressage test that scored 27.5. The pair tallied four time penalties while navigating the cross-country track. Dutton and Z, a 2008 Zangersheide gelding owned by Thomas A. Tierney, Suzanne Lacy, Caroline Moran, Ann Jones, Evie Dutton, Patricia Vos, and David Vos, delivered one of only four double-clear rounds in the show jumping phase to finish on a score of 31.5.

“Z is just a great horse to have and be friends with. He is in it for all the right reasons,” said Dutton. “He loves to compete; he loves it all. He gets pretty wound up about it, but that’s him enjoying it not because of any other reason. I still think it is such a great sport that a horse his age—he’s 15 now—just keeps getting better and better. It is really fun to be a part of it.”

With Azure, Dutton had an excellent finish with his relatively new partner. The pair scored 32.0 in the dressage phase for a solid start to the competition. Dutton and the 2012 Irish Sport Horse mare owned by Caroline, Anne, and Michael Moran had one of only two double-clear cross-country rounds followed with a double-clear show jumping round to finish on their dressage score of 32.0.

“Up until now, it hasn’t been much of a partnership. It’s been all on her terms,” said Dutton. “It’s all about what she wants to do. I’m gradually just trying to encourage her to let me have a little bit of a say in it.”

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