United States Eventing Association

Ballaghmor Class Turns Townend's Luck Around at MARS Maryland 5 Star

Elkton, Md.—Oct. 20—Oliver Townend had no rails in hand heading into today’s show jumping at the MARS Maryland 5 Star, and while his veteran partner, the 17-year-old Irish Sport Horse Ballaghmor Class (Courage II x Kilderry Place), had already won three five-stars over his career, he’d also had a rail or two down on the final day, so a win wasn’t guaranteed.

When third-placed Tim Price and Falco jumped a double-clear, and second-placed David Doel and Galileo Nieuwmoed dropped a rail, it didn’t give Townend any breathing room, but “Thomas” kept all the rails up to take home his fourth five-star win and Townend’s ninth. This win tied Townend with Lucinda Green and Andrew Nicholson for the most five-star wins of any rider.

“It's unbelievable, and I’m relieved more than anything,” he said. “A lot of pressure comes with riding Ballaghmor Class I think, because I expect to do well on him, and when you're against these guys, you know, it takes some winning. It's a five-star for a reason, and five-stars are very, very tough to win.”

Townend has finished third twice and second once at Maryland. He admitted he came into the event conscious that two of those times, he was leading heading into show jumping.

“I thought if it went wrong this time, I'm going to have to get a show jumping coach or something like that!” he said with a laugh. “I'm relieved, and I will stick to the system. I’m very happy for his owners, Karen Schuter who's a massive part of my life, and I wouldn't still be an event rider without her, and Angela [Hislop] and Val Ryan. We've been on a massive journey with the horse and couldn’t be prouder.”

Price was one of three double-clear rounds over Michel Vaillancourt’s course today. Eight horses jumped. That performance moved them from third after cross-country into second.

Falco, a 15-year-old Hanoverian gelding (Cardenio 2 x Witta) owned by Price and Sue Benson, has only contested one five-star at Pau, which he won in 2021, and since then has served as Price’s championship mount.

“This is the part that is always really, really good fun on him, because he is just an out-and-out jumper in his own way,” he said. “I'm not saying he's a top show jumper if he was to be a pure show jumper, but the way that he just gets in the air is a lot of fun. It brings an element of pressure, because he jumps a lot of clear rounds, but it means that he's expected to jump a good clear round. That’s something I have to overcome, but when I'm on him and he comes to a fence, he gives you the most confidence that you could imagine, and you just squeeze him up with your leg, and today was no different.”

One rail in the show jumping dropped David Doel and the 13-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding Galileo Nieuwmoed (Carambole x Sjaloma), who Doel co-owns with Mary Fox and Gillian Jonas, down to third.

“I've got a phenomenal horse,” Doel remarked. “I just felt that actually, I let him down today. I didn't quite do him the justice. The distance going down to the triple was a little bit quiet; just made him work a little bit too hard. He is a pretty phenomenal horse, and normally a very, very good jumping horse. Definitely sort of my mistake and kicking myself today a bit. But we came for a top-5 and to be in the top three is a fantastic result.”

Buck Davidson was the top U.S. rider today aboard his own 13-year-old Thoroughbred gelding Sorocaima (Rock Hard Ten x Sankobasi). They finished fourth on a score of 47.6. Davidson spoke highly of his partner of four years who raced 60 times before transitioning to his new career as an event horse.

“A friend of mine called me and said they had a horse that they wanted me to have,” Davidson reflected. “To be honest, I tried everything I could to not buy it, but I didn't really have an excuse not to. He just goes to work every day, and he tries his heart out. I’m a little disappointed today, because this was the best show jumping he’s had. He fights like crazy, and he's only been doing the sport for four years, and this is his sixth five-star. He’s been 11th, then eighth, sixth, and now fourth. So hopefully we can knock these boys off the table.”

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