Elkton, Md. – The threat of severe storms and heavy rain loomed over cross-country day at the USEF CCI3*-L Eventing National Championship and Maryland 5 Star, but sunny skies held almost all the way through every trip. Riders in both divisions had the opportunity to test the tough courses in favorable conditions, and the leaders from the dressage phase held on to their top spots heading into the final day of competition.
USEF CCI3*-L Eventing National Championship
Kurt Martin (Marshall, Va.) and Debbie Adams’s 2012 Holsteiner mare D.A. Lifetime came into cross-country day in first place by less than a point. The pair masterfully navigated Ian Stark’s three-star course to a double-clear finish, adding nothing to their 23.5 penalty score and maintaining the lead.
“‘Clarence’ was really excited to be out, and she’s a very enthusiastic lady,” said Kurt. “She came out of the box well and she just wants to go and go and go. She’s not scared of anything. She’s not backed down by a crowd or by a fence or even me. She’s just a very genuine lady and she gave me a good run.”
The CCI3*-L course had plenty to look at and a lot for the riders to navigate, including an impressive crab jump into the water at the MARS Sustainability Bay, and a big drop on a hillside near the end of the course.
“The course rode pretty much to plan,” said Kurt. “My concerns were the bank in the back, that it was a step up at the top of the hill and my horse rubbed it pretty hard. You have to know your horse. At this level we’re still getting to know these horses, we’re all still forming our partnerships and understanding where they are. Honestly, it did ride to plan and the crab into the water rode better than most riders would have thought. I think a lot of horses came home well and that’s the most important thing. We want the horses to be happy and healthy.”
Daniel Clasing (Lovettsville, Va.) started the day in fourth place with Olney Uncle Sam, a 2007 Maryland-bred Trakehner gelding owned by Jennifer Larkin. With a double-clear effort, they moved up to second place on a 26.0. Clasing has had the ride on Olney Uncle Sam since the end of last year.
“We’ve been getting to know each other,” said Clasing. “We’ve had good events. We’ve had some that didn’t work out so great, but I think we’re developing a partnership and he’s been getting more consistent as the season goes on.”
Clasing felt that the Ian Stark-designed course was a fair test for horses at the three-star level.
“I felt like there was a lot to do at the beginning coming down the hill,” said Clasing. “Then once you got down to the sawmill, you have just a couple of jumps and a long pull so really that was just testing the horses’ fitness and how fast each rider thought they could go up the hill, but at that point I thought it got a lot easier. You had to work hard to balance your horses at the beginning, going down to the bottom. [Ian Stark] was pretty kind to the three-star horses, I thought because the top of the hill for us was still within a horse trial distance for us, and then he was very nice to let the last two and a half minutes go downhill to the finish.”
Rounding out the top three after cross-country, Caroline Martin (Miami Beach, Fla.) and HSH Vamonos, a 2015 Zangersheide gelding owned by Sherrie Martin, had no jumping faults but came in just over the time. The two time penalties added to their score gave them a 27.5, good enough to remain in third place.
“Vamonos is a cool horse,” said Caroline. “I just got the ride on him in January or February. My business partner Kelly Hutcherson sourced the horse and Emily Kim produced him up to the one-star and two-star level. He’s kind of a quirky guy. He’s a fantastic horse, we’ve just got to get him a bit more settled.
“I think the biggest thing about this horse is that it’s a good test to see if your horse is ready to move up to the advanced/four-star level,” continued Caroline. “I think we’re all in the same boat. We’re on younger, greener horses, so it’s good for the training to see how well they can cope with the fitness. The questions are up to standard, so it’s a good test, and hopefully next season all of our guys move up and we’ll go from there.”
Maryland 5 Star CCI5*-L
Great Britain’s Oliver Townend and Angela Hislop’s 2005 Irish Sport Horse gelding Cooley Master Class continued their record of successful American outings. They completed the daunting new five-star course clear and within the time, keeping their score of 21.1 and the top spot on the leaderboard.
“[The course] rode well, all in all. The top-class horses coped with it extremely well,” said Townend. “Some of the real good gallopers made it look like a walk in the park. The time was not hard to get with those good horses. At the same time, there were still some nice challenges set by Ian, some good technical questions. My horse gave his all and came home very well.”
The open, galloping horse suited ‘Coolio’ well.
“My horse is very careful,” said Townend. “He needs a bit of encouragement, but at the same time the distances all worked out as I planned. There was no surprise element. There was no needing to pull for a long route. Everything read and rode exactly as it walked. I like it when that happens.”
Tim Price of New Zealand was also among the 11 double-clear finishers in today’s cross-country with Xavier Faer, the 2006 gelding he owns with Trisha Rickards and Nigella Hall. In doing so, he became the first rider to complete the cross-country at all seven of the CCI5*-L events in the world. He reflected on how the Maryland 5 Star fits into this elite group of events.
“I think what’s important about any five-star in the world is they are their own brand of five-star, and this feels like it’s got that identity for itself,” Price said. “I’m sure we’ll see a lot of development and evolution over the coming years, which will be exciting to come back to and witness and hopefully come through well. I think it’s just great to have another one on the calendar for us to target. I think there’ll be a certain type of horse that suits it here in Maryland, and hopefully we’ll have one of those for each of the years to come.”
Holding on to the third-place spot, Boyd Martin (Cochranville, Pa.) and On Cue, the 2006 Selle Français mare he co-owns with Christine, Thomas, and Tommie Turner, had a characteristically bold go around the course to finish double-clear with a two-day score of 25.0.
“On Cue gave me a wonderful round today,” he said. “I really knew that my horse was fit and she’s a great galloper, so I sort of knew in my heart that if I could keep her on her feet and get her through the jumps, she should make the time. She had plenty of gas left. It was a lovely ride up to the last fence, it felt like you’re on a racecourse. On Cue gave me everything she had today and felt fresh and ready to go for tomorrow.”
The host venue at Fair Hill is in Boyd’s backyard, and he looks forward to the continuation of the new five-star.
“I love this venue,” he said. “It’s got that aura of a championship with the race track and the beautiful ring for the dressage and show jumping. I think this cross-country course was fantastic. It had everything: the technical questions, it was a real test of endurance. The top-class horses made the trip look good, and the greener horses struggled a little bit. Obviously, you want to bring a real good athlete to [the Maryland 5 Star] and I think this event’s going to evolve to become the world’s greatest five-star.”
The CCI3*-L and CCI5*-L will both be streamed live on USEF Network from October 13-17 and available on-demand to USEF members after the conclusion of the event on Sunday. Get a free fan membership by joining now and using the promo code maryland21.
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