Piber Köflach, Austria – Torrential rains on Friday afternoon made for slick spots and deep footing in the marathon obstacles on Saturday at the 2016 FEI World Driving Championships for Singles, proving difficult for the U.S. combinations. Sterling Graburn is the top American in the overall standings in 51st place, while Donna Crookston was the top U.S. finisher in the marathon phase in 51st place in the field of 74 combinations. The U.S. Driving Team of Crookston, Graburn, and Suzy Stafford are in 14th place with a score of 340.8.

Graburn (Paris, Ky.) and his and Laura Corsentino’s Mannkato set out determinedly but struggled to maintain a smooth rhythm. He and the 2001 Dutch Harness gelding finished the phase in 61st with 110.96 penalty points. In the overall standings, they are in 51st place with a score of 167.02.

“The course held up very well despite the rain. The organizer made the correct decision to eliminate one obstacle that could not be dried out or repaired,” Graburn explained. “It wasn’t our best marathon. It should have been a good course for my horse but we lost our rhythm in the first obstacle and just couldn’t get it back.”

Crookston (Saltsburg, Pa.) and her own Viktor were the pathfinders for the U.S. team and had a solid round, adding 104.18 penalty points to their score and finishing the marathon in 51st place. She and the 2008 Dutch Harness gelding sit in 55th place in the overall standings on a score of 173.79.

U.S. individual Leslie Berndl (Newcastle, Calif.) had a respectable performance with her own Uminco, collecting 128.24 penalty points to end up 69th in the phase. She and the 2001 KWPN gelding are in 64th place overall with a score of 185.10.

Stafford (Wilmington, Del.) and her own PVF Peace of Mind, a 2007 Morgan mare, were aggressive out on the marathon course, but a heartbreaking uncorrected error of course in obstacle three resulted in elimination.

Germany leads the team competition with a score of 269.0, while Poland is in second with a score of 274.4 and France is in third with a score of 278.1. Dieter Lauterbach (GER) and Dirigent 47 lead the field with a score of 136.10, while Weronika Kwiatek (POL) and Bartnik sit in second on a score of 136.30 and Bartlomiej Kwiatek (POL) is third with a score of 138.08.

The cones phase begins at 3 a.m. EST on Sunday.

Find out more information about the FEI World Driving Championships for Singles and watch the live stream on the FEI YouTube Channel.

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