Elkton, Md. – The final 25 combinations completed their dressage tests on Friday morning at the 2021 USEF CCI3*-L Eventing National Championship, and the top three from Thursday held their ground on the leaderboard with Kurt Martin and D.A. Lifetime keeping the lead. In the Maryland 5 Star, Great Britain’s Oliver Townend and Cooley Master Class kept the top spot, but Friday brought a shakeup to the rest of the top three.
USEF CCI3*-L Eventing National Championship
Daniel Clasing (Lovettsville, Va.) and Olney Uncle Sam, a 2007 Trakehner gelding owned by Jennifer Larkin, had a bold and forward test to earn the day’s best score, a 26.0, which put them into fourth place overall in the quest for a national champion title. Hannah Sue Burnett (Kennett Square, Pa.) rode Christa Schmidt’s 2012 Irish Sport Horse gelding Carsontown to a 27.7, putting them in fifth position overall ahead of Saturday’s cross-country test. Yesterday’s leader, Kurt Martin with D.A. Lifetime, held on to the top spot with a score of 23.5.
With just six points separating the top ten, the next phase promises to be influential. Cross-country course designer Ian Stark used Fair Hill’s naturally hilly terrain to create a true test of fitness for the CCI3*-L competitors.
“The three-star is equally challenging at the level as the five-star,” said Burnett. “It’s difficult. It’s technical. My horse is a big, scopey jumper, and a good galloper, so I’m going to try to not waste his energy at all and get good strides and try to stay on the time.”
Burnett is one of several riders who have horses in both the CCI3*-L and the CCI5*-L. She currently sits in fourth place in the Maryland 5 Star with Jacqueline Mars’s 2003 Irish Sport Horse gelding, Harbour Pilot.
“Carsontown is a bit younger and more green, so I’m still kind of figuring out what makes him tick to produce the best test,” said Burnett. “Today I feel like I did a good job of finding that middle ground, making sure he’s not too tired or too awake, letting the atmosphere help me which definitely worked in my favor. I know Harbour Pilot so well. I know exactly how he’s going to respond most of the time. As for tomorrow, I’m really glad to have Carsonstown to take on the three-star course and go out there and be daring and feel it out a little bit and get the nervousness out, hopefully, and be on task for the five-star.”
Overnight leader Kurt Martin is looking forward to a challenging test of endurance on Saturday with D.A. Lifetime.
“The course is totally different than what we’re used to at Fair Hill,” said Martin. “It has beautiful fences, and you can get out there and hopefully pick up a good rhythm and not chase your horse too much because you do have to climb a hill up to the Sawmill Field. My thought is, don’t burn your horse up. It looks, overall, definitely doable and it’s galloping for sure, so that’ll be nice.”
Maryland 5 Star at Fair Hill International CCI5*-L
Thursday’s leaders, Great Britain’s Oliver Townend and Cooley Master Class, held the lead through end of the dressage phase on Friday. New Zealand’s Tim Price with Xavier Faer posted the best score of the day, landing in second place with a 24.3.
Reigning USEF CCI5*-L Eventing National Champions Boyd Martin (Cochranville, Pa.) and On Cue, the 2006 Selle Français mare he co-owns with Christine, Thomas, and Tommie Turner, currently sit in third place overall after their test on Friday and are currently the leading American combination.
“I was thrilled with On Cue,” said Martin. “She’s just a fantastic horse, and I love her. She’s flamboyant, she’s a mover, she’s really smart, she tries hard. I was just really pleased with the way she performed out there.”
“Cue” was a direct reserve horse for the Tokyo Olympics this summer, and Martin says that bringing her up to prime condition ahead of the Olympics gives him confidence in her now.
“I don’t think I could get her any fitter,” Martin said. “That’s a comforting thought once you walk around this course. It’s such a long way around; big jumps, it’s technical, hills, everything to really see which is the champion horse tomorrow. I really believe in On Cue. She digs deep and tries hard for you. I feel like I haven’t pushed her to her limit in the lead up to this. I think you’ve got to be a real horseman out there and pace your animal.”
Townend agreed with Martin’s assessment of the course as a true test of fitness.
“It’s a very good course and tough terrain,” said Townend. “[Cooley Master Class] is as fit as he can possibly be. But at the five-star level, you need things to go right, and it doesn’t take much to go wrong. We know he’s a very experienced horse and hopefully I do my job well and hopefully he does his job well.”
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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