October 1, 2015–The Kentucky Classic CDE will host a small but mighty field for the USEF Four-in-Hand Driving National Championship, October 1-4. The renowned drivers will vie for top honors as they compete in the dressage, marathon, and cones phases at the Kentucky Horse Park.
Chester Weber (Ocala, Fla.) has his eye on his 12th USEF Four-in-Hand Driving National Championship title. After earning the Individual Silver medal at last year’s Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games (WEG), he has maintained his winning form in 2015. He began the season with CAI2* wins at the Kingdom of the Sun CDE and Live Oak International. He headed to Europe for the spring and summer and finished in the top five in every outing. His time abroad was highlighted by winning the Royal Windsor Horse Show CAI3*.
James Fairclough (Newton, N.J.), a veteran of the Four-in-Hand division, hopes to reclaim the championship title in 2015 after winning it four times previously. He last competed at the championship in 2013, when it was held at the Kentucky Classic CDE, and earned the Reserve National Champion title. Fairclough is in excellent form this year, having won the Bromont International CAI2* and the Glen Willow CDE.
Misdee Wrigley Miller (Lakewood Ranch, Fla.) has been driving Four-in-Hand for less than two years, but in that short time she was the Reserve National Champion and helped the U.S. Team to a fourth-place finish at the WEG in 2014. She began this year with a first-place finish at the Sunshine State CDE. Wrigley Miller then collected second-place finishes in the CAI2* divisions at the Kingdom of the Sun CDE, Live Oak International, and Bromont International.
Like Wrigley Miller, Allison Stroud (West Grove, Pa.) has been driving Four-in-Hand horses for two years and has found much success in that time, including helping the U.S. Team to its fourth-place finish at the 2014 WEG. Before switching to the Four-in-Hand division, she competed in the pony team division for several years and has nine USEF Pony Team National Championship titles. Stroud looks to add a Four-in-Hand title to her resume this year, and she has had a solid season finishing third in the Live Oak International CAI2* and second in the Glen Willow CDE.
Following Thursday morning’s jogs, competition gets underway Thursday with the dressage phase for the championship division starting at 4:22 p.m. in the Rolex Stadium. The marathon phase will take place Saturday with the competition coming to a close on Sunday with the cones phase.