Clark Montgomery wins the 2016 Land Rover Great Meadow International and USA claims Nations Cup Title
Press release Land Rover – Clark Montgomery rode a near flawless riding performance over both days of the Land Rover Great Meadow International to take the 2016 title riding Loughan Glen. Montgomery led the competition from start to finish after delivering a commanding dressage score of 36.3 and a double-jumping clear over show jumping and cross-country with just 1.2 time penalties finishing on a final score of 37.5.
In the stunning Virginia Plains setting, under a sun-drenched two days of competition, the 40 competitors featuring many of the world’s top eventing riders thrilled the thousands of fans who came to cheer on their equestrian heroes in just the third running of the Great Meadow International.
Marilyn Little (USA) took second place riding RF Demeter on a score of 43.8, with Great Britain’s Jodie Amos finishing third riding Wise Crack on 49.0. Of the 40 starters on the final cross-country day, 36 completed the course with just four riders finishing with no time penalties.
A delighted Clark Montgomery said, „It means a ton to me to win here at the Great Meadow International in front of my home crowd. We had a pretty good performance and it was a great preparation run for us. He did a good dressage and I can’t complain about his show jumping at all. We had a couple of hairy moments on the cross-country but he’s such an honest horse and he still came home in a great time.“
To the delight of the home spectators, the event also served as the final preparatory event for riders from the 2016 U.S. Olympic Eventing Team prior to the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. The 2016 Land Rover Great Meadow International featured riders from the 2016 U.S. Olympic Eventing Team including Phillip Dutton, Lauren Kieffer, Boyd Martin, Clark Montgomery, and traveling reserve, Maya Black.
USA win Inaugural Eventing Nations Cup
As well as riding for individual honors, selected riders were also representing their country in the inaugural Eventing Nations Cup at the Land Rover Great Meadow International, as the FEI and USEF chose the event to host the first-ever FEI Nations Cup™ Eventing Competition outside of Europe.
Clark Montgomery’s dominant win on Loughan Glen, along with three fast and clear cross-country rounds from the other team members gave the U.S. a clear victory in the Nations Cup taking the win on a score of 138.3. Canada finished second on 177.6, with Great Britain in third place on 254.3.
In addition to watching some of the world’s top riders in action, spectators had the opportunity to get up close and personal with the full range of luxury Land Rover vehicles displayed onsite with the ever-popular tailgating on cross-country day.
Members of the public were also privileged to be the first to see the impressive $1 Million newly constructed arena especially for this prestigious event where the dressage and show jumping took place, as well as the opening ceremony and closing presentations.
To learn more about the 2016 Land Rover Great Meadow International, please visit: www.greatmeadowinternational.com
Source: Press release Land Rover
