The second year of five-star competition returned to Cecil County today to commence the 2022 MARS Maryland 5 Star at Fair Hill presented by Brown Advisory, with 12 of 24 entries contesting dressage on day one. Woods Baughman (USA) and C'est la Vie 135 (Contendro I x Anette) topped the leaderboard in the final ride of the afternoon, heading into Saturday's cross-country test on 27.2 penalties.
Despite riding through a torrential downpour, Baughman credited the rain for the 14-year-old Hanoverian gelding's suppleness throughout the test. "I kept having to remind myself to look up because I couldn't see across the ring with all of the rain in my eyes," he said. "It [the rain] did make the lateral work easier because he wanted to go sideways anyway to get away from the rain, so he was pretty supple because he was always trying to turn away from it."
The pair stepped up to the five-star level this year, and though Baughman admits the pressure got to him in Kentucky and Burghley, this week, he is trying to keep a cool head. "Kentucky was the first time I've ever really been nervous," he said. "I felt it a lot, and the result showed. Then I went to Burghley, and we felt better, but still, there was pressure because it was my first time flying over to compete. We've been laughing this weekend because I feel normal like I would at a regular horse trial; he's [C'est la Vie 135 ] definitely thankful for that because we haven't been in any fights, and he's relaxed."
With Baughman feeling relaxed on home turf, he is taking the time and focusing on his mount. "He is a bit quirky, so it's about keeping him relaxed. Yesterday in the arena familiarization, he stood up, so it's really about keeping him calm and focused on what I need him to do, and then he can be pretty good. He can also be strong and stiff, but if we give him enough time, he gets more relaxed."
France's Astier Nicolas is sitting in second place aboard his 11-year-old Selle Français gelding Babylon de Gamma (Mylord Carthago *HN x Sunshine Des KA), with 29.1. Elisabeth Halliday-Sharp (USA) and The Monster Partnership's 11-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding Cooley Quicksilver (Womanizer x Kylemore Crystal) close out the top three on 29.3 penalties.
The second five-star dressage session will kick off tomorrow, Friday, October 14, at 2:05 p.m.
Helpful Links
Don't forget to follow the USEA's event coverage on social media!
Facebook | Instagram | Twitter
In Derek di Grazia’s CCI4*-S cross-country course this morning at the Defender Kentucky Three-Day Event, there were two obvious challenges: the time and the Mighty Moguls question early on in the course at fence 4.
If you are wanting to get a good parking spot at the Kentucky Horse Park this morning, you better be on your way as early as possible! Cross-country day at the Defender Kentucky Three-Day Event is easily the busiest day the Kentucky Horse Park sees each year, so it's time to grab your coffee and go ensure you get the viewing spot you want for both the CCI4*-S and CCI5*-L divisions today.
Riders in both the Cosequin Lexington CCI4*-S and the Defender Kentucky CCI5*-L are sharing similar sentiments about this year's cross-country courses: course designer Derek di Grazia didn't play around this year. Here is what some of the riders across both divisions had to say about the tracks they will aim to conquer on Saturday.
Off The Record decided not to let Michael Jung be the only record-breaking entry at the Defender Kentucky Three-Day Event this week and delivered a career-best score in the Cosequin Lexington CCI4*-S on Friday morning. He and Will Coleman delivered a test that received a score of 21.8, not only marking a personal best for the horse but also securing their position at the top of the leaderboard going into cross-country tomorrow.