April 29, 2016 
It was the last ride of a picture perfect day Friday at Rolex Kentucky 2016, and the sun was still high in the sky when Allison Springer (USA) and Arthur cantered into the Dressage Complex before a packed crowd. After a methodical schooling up top, Springer and her 17-year-old Irish Thoroughbred executed one movement after the next with calculated precision—the kind of confidence that comes after a 12-year partnership and a handful of top finishes under their belts, including seven starts at Rolex.
As Springer started down the center line for her closing salute, the crowd burst into a thunderous and sustained applause, a sound that finally seemed to rattle Arthur’s Jedi-like concentration. But it didn’t matter. When the scores were tallied, Springer’s 39.7 had moved the pair into second place behind Michael Jung (GER) and Fischerrocana FST’s commanding 34.4. Marilyn Little (USA) and RF Demeter sit in third with a 42.5.
“This test was close to our best, but I think that the 2014 test was a tick better,” said Springer, 41, of Upperville, Virgina. “Today I felt like I was sneaking through the walk and praying for the rein-back not to be too exciting.”
©Horse Network
While Jung has a wide scoring gap between him and Springer and Little, they don’t have much of a gap behind them: There are 27 horses between Little’s mark of 42.5 and the 50 penalties scored by Landmark’s Monte Carlo and Lauren Kieffer. Another 15 horses are crowded between 50.0 penalties and 55.0 penalties.
That means that if Jung has a refusal tomorrow, he could drop to 40thplace.
The tight scores and the weather are why everyone’s focus has now shifted to the Kentucky Horse Park’s exquisite cross-country course, designed, as it has been since 2011, by Derek di Grazia of Carmel Valley, Calif. The weather forecast is for showers overnight, followed by thunderstorms throughout the day.
“This is probably the most tiring track I’ve seen at Rolex,” said Springer of di Grazia’s considerably revised course. “We used to have a really nice, long hill down the backside where they could catch their breath. But I don’t think there is any place where they can catch their breath this year. I think they’re going to be tired, really tired, at the end. I think that the fitness requirement is going to be different.”
Springer said that Arthur hasn’t missed any preparatory gallops this spring, but that, because of his age, she’s competed him lightly. Springer admitted that being the final starter is likely to be a disadvantage that she’ll have to prepare for, although by the time she starts she’ll know how her competitors have fared in the expected difficult conditions.
“I hope he’ll go the distance for me,” she said.
Jung will be the man with the most to gain and the most to lose in the rain on Saturday. Fischerrocana FST will be the 25th of 71 horses on the course, but Dutton will be the first rider to go on fifth-placed Fernhill Fugitive and will likely finish in a fast time over the pristine course. And Halliday-Sharp will be the ninth starter on fourth-placed Fernhill By Night. So Jung will have to decide how fast to push his mount, based on Dutton’s and Halliday-Sharp’s results and how much the footing has deteriorated. All but one of the other top-10 horses start after Jung.
Michael Jung and FischerRocana at Rolex Kentucky 2015. ©Horse Network
Jung said that he is considering all his options around the 29-fence course. “At the moment, I have not changed my plan. At the moment we will try to go fast,” he said. “She feels very happy and very strong, but it can change tomorrow morning.”
Jung’s strategy is further complicated by his quest to become the second rider to win the Rolex Grand Slam. Rolex Kentucky would be his second victory in the three-leg challenge—he won at Burghley (England) in September and would need to also win at Badminton (England) next weekend, where he has his Olympic and World Champion, La Biosthetique Sam, entered.
“Rolex Kentucky and the Rolex Grand Slam are very important to me. It’s a very long trip to here. I’m not coming here to have a nice holiday. I come here to win,” Jung said firmly.
Then he added, “But it depends on the horse. The horse says to you in the first medium trot of the dressage test if he’s ready to try for you. And it’s the same in the warm-up for cross-country. Sometimes the weather is not so good or you could lose a shoe and you have to go slower. It’s very important to finish the event with a healthy horse and so the season can go on.”
