FAIR HILL, Md.--Oliver Townend of Great Britain on Cooley Master Class leads in Dressage after the first half of the 5* riders competed at the Maryland 5* Event, but the dressage scores on the first day were incredibly close.
Oliver Townend on Cooley Master Class (Photo by Allen MacMillan)Only 18 points separated first from 22nd, with the final 23 riders in the 5* scheduled to compete Friday beginning at 1 p.m., and all 45 to compete cross country Saturday, also beginning at 1 p.m.
Townend, second to last to go, scored 21.1, with Hannah Sue Burnett on Harbour Pilot and Lynn Symansky on RF Cool Plaly tied for second on 28.0.
All three agreed the cross country would separate the competitors, with the terrain taking a toll on the horses.
The new Fair Hill complex is beautifully set up, with the dressage rings spread out across the turf course from the old Fair Hill grandstand, which has been refurbished.
On either side of the main dressage arenas are temporary stands, with additional dressage rings, where the two Young Horse sections competed, to the left, or east, of the main arena.
The cross country course begins just right, or west, of the dressage arenas and goes out four miles over rolling hills south and east of the main grandstand.
“WHEN YOU look at the fences individually, it’s a bit like the other 5 Star courses,” Townend said. “The fences are fair; the fences are big; the fences are obviously what we expect from a 5 Star. But then you add the terrain, you add the 5 Star, you add the pressure, and it’s going to be a very, very tough day on Saturday.”
"There's trouble throughout the whole course," said Townend. "We all thought Burghley has the toughest terrain, but for me this is more intense."
“We’ve regrouped since Kentucky this spring,” said Townend, 2021 Olympic Team Gold medalist. “We don’t really run him that often, as he’s an old pro. He’s a big character and the horse that we love to have at these occasions. He seems to love the trip over to America for some reason; he seems to thrive in America. We’ve just quietly prepared him for this all summer."
Coley Master Class, under Townend, won the Kentucky 4* (now a 5*) in 2918.
"Burghley suits him, so we got my horse ready for this," said Townend. "He's older, and he's lazy by nature, but he's been squealing all week. We couldn't be happier with him. He's as fit as we can get him."
“I’m really proud of him,” Symansky said. “Riding into that arena, you just can’t wait for Sunday, and you can’t wait to come back over and over. The arena has a more intimate feel, and it’s a little more like Burghley where the crowd is up there with you.”
Burnett said that she had felt some added pressure going into the arena because her mount, Harbour Pilot, was very relaxed in the warm-up and seemed ready to put in a good test.
“My horse has been around for a long time and been to a lot of places,” she said of the 18-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding. “Coming here, he was like, ‘Oh, you’ve brought me somewhere worthy of me!’ He was so relaxed, impressed, and excited.”
KURT MARTIN leads in the CCI3*-L on D.A. Lifetime on a a score of 23.5.
“Clarence was brilliant this morning,” Martin said. “We were a little bit unsure coming into this event because we’ve never competed here on this side. We didn’t know how the horses would act with a larger atmosphere, but she was brilliant at the start when we got here. She was no different when we went into the arena, which was also quite unique for her. She’s hot and usually a lot of horse, but today she was right underneath me the whole test. I couldn’t be happier.”
Kate Brown on Carnaby is second on a score of 24.8, and Caroline Martin on HSH Vamonos are third with a score of 25.5.
The Dutta Corp. USEA Young Event Horse East Coast Championships was in Arena C in the morning with dressage and conformation for the 4- and 5-year-old divisions.
After the jumping and galloping test in the Sawmill Field, Caroline Martin on HSH Best Kept Secret won the Championship for 4-year-olds with a score of 90.20.
Martin also leads in the 5-year-old on HSH Crypto with a dressage and conformation score of 25.84 going into Friday’s jumping and galloping test.
