Elkton, Md. – The first day of dressage took place on a rainy Thursday at the MARS Maryland 5 Star at Fair Hill presented by Brown Advisory. The CCI3*-L division started the day off, and Will Coleman and Cold Red Rum took the lead in the USEF CCI3*-L Eventing National Championship. The CCI5*-L division took to the dressage arena in the afternoon with Woods Baughman and C’est La Vie 135 sitting atop the leaderboard after day one of competition.
USEF CCI3*-L Eventing National Championship
(Shannon Brinkman Photo)
Coleman (Gordonsville, Va.) and Cold Red Rum went late in Thursday’s order for the CCI3*-L division, and they made quite an impression on the ground jury of Peter Gray (CAN) and Valerie Pride (USA). Coleman, one of the U.S. team silver medalists at last month’s FEI Eventing World Championship, displayed a solid partnership with Cold Red Rum Syndicate’s 2013 Westphalian gelding. The pair had a smooth test in the rainy conditions and were rewarded with a score of 27.1 to lead the division.
“The horse is coming along. We have given him a lot of time, which is sort of my M.O. with all of them. I try not to be in a rush,” said Coleman. “I think now you are starting to see some of the quality that we saw when we tried him, even though there was a period of time there where we were kind of waiting and waiting for him to start to blossom. He’s got a long way to go, but I’m happy with where he is now. He’s still got a couple big days here, but this whole event is going to be just an incredible experience for a horse that you’re bringing along to do top sport with him.”
Close behind the leaders were Amanda Beale (Malvern, Pa.) and Carlson 119. Longtime partners Beale and Get Ready Syndicate LLC’s 2010 German Sport Horse gelding had a lovely test to score 27.7 for second place in the standings.
Rounding out the top three in the CCI3*-L were Lauren Nicholson (The Plains, Va.) and I’ll Have Another. Nicholson, one of Coleman’s teammates at the FEI Eventing World Championship, gave Brandye Randermann’s 2013 Warmblood gelding a great ride to put the pair on a score of 28.0.
CCI5*-L
(Shannon Brinkman Photo)
Baughman (Lexington, Ky.) and C’est La Vie 135 were the final combination to head down centerline on Thursday and saving the best for last rang true with their test. Despite riding in some of the worst rain of the day, Baughman and the 2008 Hanoverian gelding, who Woods co-owns with his parents Kim Baughman and James Baughman Jr., delivered an excellent test in front of the ground jury of Christian Landolt (SUI), Gretchen Butts (USA), and Judy Hancock (GBR). Their flowing performance earned a score of 27.2 to clinch the early lead in the CCI5*-L.
“I kept having to remind myself to look up because I couldn’t see across the ring with all the rain in my eyes. So every now and then, I was like, ‘Alright, I've actually got to look to see the markers, then look down again,’” said Baughman. “It did make the lateral work kind of easy because he wanted to go sideways anyway to get away from the rain. So then, he was pretty supple because he was always kind of bending away from the rain and moving into where I needed him.”
Astier Nicolas (FRA) and Babylon de Gamma sit in second place after day one of competition. Nicolas and the 2011 Selle Français gelding owned by Etienne Grivot, Marielle Grivot Bize, Benedicte Nicolas de Monval, and Nicolas are off to a strong start with a score of 29.1.
Liz Halliday-Sharp (Lexington, Ky.) and Cooley Quicksilver were the first pair to compete in the CCI5*-L division and maintained one of the top spots throughout the day. Halliday-Sharp and The Monster Partnership’s 2011 Irish Sport Horse gelding end the first day of competition in third place on a score of 29.3.
Competition continues Friday with the second day of dressage at the MARS Maryland 5 Star at Fair Hill presented by Brown Advisory. The CCI3*-L begins at 8:32 a.m. ET, followed by the CCI5*-L at 2:05 p.m. ET.
Competition Information
For more information, visit www.maryland5star.us.
Live Stream Information
The CCI3*-L and CCI5*-L will both be streamed live on USEF Network from October 12-16 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 Maryland22.
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