Chester Weber (Picsofyou.com)
Weber (Ocala, Fla.) and his and Jane Clark’s team looked in fine form throughout Gabor Fintha’s marathon course, adding 118.70 penalty points to their score. He and his horses were the fastest combination in six of the seven obstacles on course. Weber will head into the final day of competition with a commanding lead on an overall score of 163.95.
“I couldn’t be happier with Jane Clark’s and my team – they were a pleasure to drive. The course designer asked a lot of questions in the first obstacle, which is not something we often see, even on the international stage. I felt like once I got through A-B in [obstacle] one, I knew everything was working,” Weber said.
Allison Stroud (West Grove, Pa.) had a solid day, enjoying the impressive atmosphere and tackling the course confidently. Stroud and her Willow Star LLC-owned team collected 146.86 penalty points in the marathon phase to lie in second place with an overall score of 200.25.
First time National Championship contender Craig Grange (Delmar, Iowa) boldly took on the challenging marathon phase in his first outing at the FEI level. He and his horses answered the questions of the course, tallying 155.33 penalty points. Heading into the cones phase, Grange now sits in third place on a score of 222.05.
Misdee Wrigley Miller (Lakewood Ranch, Fla.), who placed second in the dressage phase, elected to retire during section A due to a minor finger injury which she sustained earlier this season.
The FEI Four-in-Hand and Single Horse divisions this weekend serve as selection trials for drivers aiming for the 2016 FEI World Driving Championships. Maintaining her lead in the Single Horse division was Suzy Stafford, driving 2015 USEF International Horse of the Year, PVF Peace of Mind. The pair now sits on a score of 137.80.
Complete Marathon Results
The championship will come to its conclusion on Sunday with the cones phase. Watch live on USEFNetwork.com beginning at 9:15 a.m. ET.
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