Matt Brown and Happenstance (Shannon Brinkman Photo)
Matt Brown (Petaluma, Calif.) and Mary McKee’s Happenstance proved unbeatable on the first day of the dressage to cruise into the early lead in the CCI2* and the USEF National Two Star Championship. The eight-year-old Holsteiner gelding was awarded a score of 40.1 from the Ground Jury of Jane Tolley and Mark Weissbecker and leads the field by nearly three points.
“I was just really happy with him. When you travel such a long distance you never know how it’s going to go, but the trip has been great so far. For him to put in such a nice test is icing on the cake,” said Brown, a Jacqueline B. Mars Domestic Competition and Training Grant recipient, who left his California base three-and-a-half weeks ago with Happenstance as well as his CCI3* ride Blossom Creek Foundation’s Super Socks BCF.
Laying second after Thursday is Lauren Kieffer (The Plains, Va.) and Jacqueline Mars’ eight-year-old Irish Sport Horse/Thoroughbred cross gelding Landmark’s Monte-Carlo on a score of 43.0. Boyd Martin (Cochranville, Pa.) and Denise Lahey’s seven-year-old Thoroughbred cross SBF Cortez standing third on 43.8.
After the first eight riders performed their CCI3* dressage test in front of the Ground Jury of Susan Baxter, Christina Klinspor, and Loris Henry, Buck Davidson and Sherrie Martin’s The Apprentice have seized the early lead on a score of 44.0. The 10-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding is one of two chances for the Land Rover U.S. Eventing Team veteran to claim The Dutta Corp/USEF National Three-Star Eventing Championship as he will also ride Petite Flower that is co-owned by Martin and her daughter Caroline on Friday afternoon.
To learn more about the 2014 The Dutta Corp Fair Hill International visit; http://fairhillinternational.com/fh-fair-hill-international-home-page/