USEF National Three-Star Eventing Championship
A total of 34 horses were presented and accepted without incident at the First Horse Inspection Wednesday and 30 of those are in the running for the USEF National Three-Star Eventing Championship.
![Will Faudree and DHI Colour Candy (Shannon Brinkman)](/images/articles/3707/fh12brinkman10_17-6622.jpg)
Will Faudree and DHI Colour Candy (Shannon Brinkman)
Faudree spent this summer training and competing in England thanks to a Land Rover Competition and Training Grant.
Two members of the Gold medal winning U.S. Team at last year's Pan American Games will vie for the National Title. Hannah Sue Burnett (The Plains, VA) will ride her Pan American Games Individual Silver medal winning partner Jacqueline Mar's Harbour Pilot. Burnett is no stranger to success at Fair Hill having claimed the CCI2* National Title in 2009 and the CCI3* Championship in 2010 with St. Barths. The 26-year-old will look to add to her already extensive resume this weekend. She is also contesting the USEF National Two-Star Eventing Championship with Neaopolitan Holding Co. LLC's Danio.
"Danio is just here to get the experience. He's done a full year of Intermediate but this is his first CCI2*. William (Harbour Pilot) has been prepping all year for this, it's his first CCI3* but we're ready to pull the trigger on him," said Burnett. "We're hoping for a good showing this week."
Buck Davidson competed alongside Burnett on the U.S. Team in Mexico, earning Team Gold and Individual Bronze. The Ocala, FL resident will ride Carl and Cassandra Segal's Park Trader and Leigh Mesher's Mar de Amor in the USEF National Three-Star Eventing Championship. He will also ride Debbie Adams' D.A. Adirmo and Sharon Will's No More Rocks in the CCI2*.
USEF National Two-Star Eventing Championship
A field of 55 line up to compete for a Two-Star National Title and a total of 62 horse-and-rider combinations will head down centerline in CCI2*. Four horses were held at this afternoon's Horse Inspection; Jessica Bortner-Harris and Beth Perkins, both from the U.S., chose to withdraw Win the War and Fernhill Cove respectively in the hold. Canadian Callie Evan's ride Glendening Avis and American Natalia Gurmankin's Tequesteris were not accepted upon re-inspection.
Three members of the U.S. Eventing Team from the London Olympic Games will look to claim top honors in the CCI2*. Will Coleman (Charlottesville, VA) has had numerous top finishes at Fair Hill and looks to score another strong placing in 2012 with Jim Fitzgerald's Zipp. Phillip Dutton (West Grove, PA) will utilize the skill that has propelled him to five Olympic Games (three as an Australian and two as a member of U.S. Teams) with Tom Tierney and Ann Jones' Fernhill Fugitive. Dutton will also ride Team Rebecca LLC's Fernhill Eagle in the CCI3*.
![Boyd Martin and Master Frisky (Shannon Brinkman)](/images/articles/3708/fh12brinkman10_17-5651.jpg)
Boyd Martin and Master Frisky (Shannon Brinkman)
Jennie Brannigan and Clark Montgomery have recently returned from overseas, where alongside Dutton, they competed at the Military Boekelo CCIO3* as members of the Land Rover U.S. Eventing Team. Brannigan (West Grove, PA) will demonstrate the experience earned over the last week as she rides Nina Gardner's Indie in the USEF National Two-Star Eventing Championship. Brannigan also has a chance to claim the CCI3* crown with Gardner's No Objection.
Montgomery (Kennett Square, PA) claimed Champion and Reserve Champion honors in the CCI2*in 2010 with his two Boekelo rides on Holly Becker and Kathryn Kraft's Loughan Glen and Jessica Montgomery's Universe. In 2012 he will ride Joan Nichol's Garrison Flash in his quest to re-capture two-star bragging rights.
"It's always nice to compete at home," said Montgomery of returning to compete in the U.S. after competing in Holland last week. "After having been at a big competition overseas, you're always a little more confident coming home and competing."
Competition officially gets underway Thursday with CCI2* dressage; Darrah Alexander will ride South Park as the first combination at 9:15am ET on Thursday.
For more information about the Dansko Fair Hill International CCI visit; http://www.fairhillinternational.com/.
Follow the Land Rover U.S. Eventing Team here.