This article was originally published at www.useventing.com.

After a very competitive weekend, Michael Pollard takes the spotlight and wins the Adequan USEA Gold Cup division at the Richland Park CIC***. Mensa G, a 16-year-old Thoroughbred gelding owned by Andrea Leatherman, Nelson Leatherman, and Jeannine Gingras, had a foot-perfect cross-country round with only 2 time faults to end the weekend on a 51.6.

“Mensa was perfect today,” said Pollard of Dalton, Ga. “I didn’t have to go that fast to make the time either. Mensa is at the point where he’s mature enough that it doesn’t take a lot of time to bring him back to set up for jumps; I can just keep coming down to them and take them out of stride. It’s a great feeling.”

Sharon White had a beautiful ride on Ian Stark’s course as well aboard Mary Ann Ghadban’s mare, Under Suspection. “The course was fabulous, and [Under Suspection] is a machine,” said White. The pair came in with only 4.8 time faults to finish out the weekend in second place.

“She’d prefer if I had nothing to do with it,” joked White, of Summit Point, West Virginia. “I just point her in the right direction, and she takes me along for the ride. She is truly a special horse, and she really loves her job. I cannot thank Mary Ann enough for the opportunities she has given me with this exceptional horse.”

Overnight leader Emily Beshear had a great run, picking up 12 time faults for a very respectable third place finish on a 56.7. Mackenna Shea finished up the weekend on a 57.3 to lock in fourth place, while Sharon White grabbed another spot in the top five with a 59.5 aboard Dale Clabaugh’s Wundermaske.