Oliver Townend maintains lead at the Maryland 5 Star at Fair Hill

• Oliver Townend Maintains Lead Going into Cross-Country at the Maryland 5 Star at Fair Hill
• Tim Price and Boyd Martin Round Out Friday’s CCI5*-L Top 3

World No. 1 ranked rider Oliver Townend’s (GBR) score of 21.1 remained untouchable during Friday’s final dressage phase at the Maryland 5 Star at Fair Hill. He and Cooley Master Class, Angela Hislop’s 16-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding, maintain a three-point lead over the other competitors and set a new international personal best going into Saturday’s cross-country phase.

The Maryland 5 Star at Fair Hill, one of only two 5 Star level events in the United States and just the seventh worldwide, runs October 14-17 at the newly constructed Fair Hill Special Event Zone in Elkton, Maryland (Cecil County). The event’s prestigious 5 Star (CCI5*-L) designation is the pinnacle of the Olympic sport of Eventing, often described as an equestrian triathlon.

In addition to the 5 Star competition (CCI5*-L), the event also features a 3 Star competition (CCI3*-L), which is serving as the USEF CCI3*-L Eventing National Championship, and The Dutta Corp. USEA Young Event Horse East Coast Championships Presented by Dubarry of Ireland. The four days of Eventing competition feature Dressage (Thu-Fri), Cross-Country (Sat) showcasing the new Ian Stark designed courses, and Show Jumping (Sun).

Two-time New Zealand Olympian Tim Price earned a score of 24.3 on Friday afternoon, jumping to second place on the leaderboard with Xavier Faer, a 15-year-old British Sport Horse gelding owned by Price, Trisha Rickards, and Nigella Hall. Three-time U.S. Olympian Boyd Martin rode On Cue, a 15-year-old Anglo-European mare owned by Martin and Christine, Thomas, and Tommie Turner, to third place with a score of 25.0.

Other British riders who currently sit within the top 20 include Harry Meade and Superstition, in 10th position on a score of 29,1 and Zara Tindall, riding Class Affair in 15th, on 30,4.

The Top 3 riders of the USEF CCI3*-L Eventing National Championship remained the same after the final half of their dressage phase wrapped up Friday morning. Kurt Martin (USA) maintains his lead aboard D.A. Lifetime, a 9-year-old mare owned by Debbie Adams, with a score of 23.5. Fellow American Kate Brown remains in second with a score of 24.8 aboard Carnaby, her 8-year-old Oldenburg gelding. Caroline Martin (USA) is currently third after earning 25.5 with HSH Vamonos, her and Sherrie Martin’s 8-year-old Zangersheide gelding.

Hannah Sue Burnett (USA), now tied for fourth after the CCI5*-L dressage phase, also moved into fifth place in the CCI3*-L aboard Christa Schmidt’s Carsonstown, a 9-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding. She feels both levels of competition hinge on Saturday’s cross-country phase, featuring the new Ian Stark designed courses.

The Dutta Corp. USEA Young Event Horse East Coast Championships Presented by Dubarry of Ireland concluded Friday with the 5-year-old division’s jumping and galloping test in the Sawmill Field. Chris Talley (USA) took home top honors with Corwin Sport Horse LLC’s Gina, earning a score of 95.20.

For full results, visit results.hippodata.de.

Suzanne Ashton

Suzanne Ashton, Founder of Everything Horse (Est, 2012), has a BA Hons in Marketing Management and a Diploma in Equine Science. Suzanne has ridden and owned horses all her life and has twelve years of experience in marketing, writing, design, SEO, and website creation.