They started out at Training Level and soon moved up to
Preliminary, where Kevin says he’d have been happy to stay— but with Phillip’s encouragement they moved up to Inter- mediate in 2010 and Advanced in 2011. In 2012 they placed third in the Fair Hill International CCI3*, but their rise to the four-star level had to wait while Butterfly was sidelined with an injury after he was kicked in the head by a stallion. They were able to get back in the swing of things in time to tackle their first four-star at Rolex Kentucky in 2014.
The oldest horse competing at Rolex Kentucky was one of 23 off-the-track Thoroughbreds entered this year. Relent- less Pursuit, aged 19, slogged around cross-country on Saturday only to be eliminated in show jumping on Sunday in his second run at Rolex Kentucky. Owner Dana Widstrand, 30, is a Chicago native who now
lives near Raleigh, North Carolina and works as a financial project controller for a wireless communications company. Dana bought “Rover” as a three-year-old off the track, where he raced under the name Super Rover. Together, Dana and Rover competed in everything from their first Novice to their first Advanced event, through the Young Rider ranks right up to the four-star level.
Health and fitness are important concerns for riders of any
age, and are generally harder to maintain as one ages. But Kevin says a lifetime of healthy living has kept him in great shape. He was a long-distance runner from the time he was young, including in high school, until he was about 40 years old, which has given him a solid base of fitness. “Basically I think decades of long-distance running put
me into a fitness mold and I’ve followed that lifestyle,” he explains. “Just by good fortune I like to eat healthy foods; I
THE OLDEST AND YOUNGEST FOUR-LEGGED COMPETITORS The youngest horses at Rolex this year were a pair of
nine-year-olds. Maryland rider Colleen Rutledge’s Covert Rights, a homebred gelding who is three-quarters Thor- oughbred and one-quarter Clydesdale, was fifth after dres- sage, added 12 time faults on cross-country and had two rails down to finish eleventh. Colleen also finished four- teenth on Shiraz. New Jersey rider Holly
Payne’s Never Outfoxed, a 2006 Thoroughbred geld- ing owned by the Never Outfoxed Syndicate, moved up from 57th after dressage to 20th final placing even with time faults cross-coun- try and three rails down in the show jumping. Holly says she was thrilled with his performance at such a young age and is looking forward to a bright future with her young star.
Dana Widstrand and her 19-year-old Relentless Pursuit during cross country. The pair were eliminated during show jumping the next day.
24 July/August 2015
TOP: Colleen Rutledge’s Covert Rights, a Thoroughbred-Clydesdale cross, shown here in their dressage phase. After show jumping the pair finished 11th. BOTTOM: Holly Payne and her young Thorough- bred Never Outfoxed, during dressage. They later placed 20th.
Ed Haas
Ed Haas
Allen MacMillan / MacMillan Photography
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