Oliver Townend praised the 10-year-old Cooley Rosalent this evening after the pair finished just one second over the optimum time on the Defender Kentucky Three-Day Event cross-country course.
“She’s different world, isn’t she?” said Oliver after his round. “Whatever happens from this point, bringing her here was a big gamble that paid off because the amount she’ll have learnt out there is incredible.
“Every distance that I wanted, I just about got – like the second pond [the Cosequin Cove at fence 8ab], a few have done five strides there and I said, ‘No, we’re going to make four happen. One day you’re going to be at Burghley, you’re going to have to learn now’ and she’s just incredibly honest.
“I’ve had her from four years old, and she’s as good as we always hoped.”
Oliver took one long route, at the final difficult combination, the Park Question at fence 23abcde.
He explained: “It was always in my mind, and I just thought that she had had a bit of a huff and a puff and not jumped the Fox’s Den fence before amazingly well. I thought timewise I was going to be about there, so I just thought it’d be a nice breather for her rather than flinging her at one more angle that might have been too much for a 10-year- old.
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“I’m still very conscious when I’m riding around that although I’m trying to be competitive, I’m also trying to half produce and half save her for hopefully, another seven years – like we’ve had out of [triple five-star winner] Ballaghmor Class.
“So it’s always long term in mind and don’t get me wrong, I’m sure one day I will fling her at it and I’m sure she’ll answer the question beautifully, but I just thought that she’d pulled enough out of the bag up to there for me to give her a little breather.”
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Pippa is a true eventing geek and has been H&H’s eventing editor since 2005. She has first-hand experience of competing up to British Eventing intermediate and international CCI2*-L level, and has worked in the industry on a top event yard. Pippa enjoys nothing more than immersing herself in the sport at the highest level, reporting from the five-stars and international championships, including the Olympics.
