He’s the number one-ranked eventer in the world, so where did you expect he’d be on the first day of the first Maryland 5-star at Fair Hill?
That’s right, Great Britain’s Oliver Townend is in the lead, performing a slick and well-modulated dressage test with the vastly experienced Cooley Master Class, a two-time winner of the Land Rover Kentucky 5-star.
Oliver Townend was understandably thrilled with Cooley Master Class’s dressage test. (Photo © 2021 by Nancy Jaffer)
“He seems to thrive in America,” mused Oliver about the 16-year-old Irishbred, noting, “he’s never felt as happy.”
The bay gelding competed at Kentucky again last spring, but was spun at the final horse inspection due to a “very frustrating cut” that Oliver compared to a paper cut.
“He was sound to ride but obviously not sound to present. So that was that. We just regrouped. We don’t really run him that often.”
Oliver said he “quietly prepared him” for the 5-star, and was never competitive with him at a one-day event. “There’s nothing for him to really win at home,” explained Oliver. Burghley, Britain’s September 5-star, was cancelled this year, joining the spring 5-star, Badminton, as a no-go.
Oliver’s 21.1 penalties blew away the rest of the field that rode this afternoon. He’s well ahead of U.S. riders Hannah Sue Burnett (Harbour Pilot, another horse with lots of mileage) and Lynn Symansky (RF Cool Play in his first 5-star), tied on 28 penalties.
There are more riders to come tomorrow, including another Brit, Queen Elizabeth’s granddaughter Zara Tindall on Class Affair, and world number two Tim Price of New Zealand on Xavier Faer.
But all will be challenged by the course laid out by Scottish Olympic medalist Ian Stark, whom Oliver called, “A very big hero of mine.”
“It’s going to be a very, very tough day on Saturday,” predicted Oliver, who cited the terrain for which Fair Hill is named as a key factor adding to the difficulty of the route.
Cooley Master Class produced a smooth test reflective of his experience. (Photo © 2021 by Nancy Jaffer)
He cited one fence, rails going up a hill, as something that probably hasn’t been used for the last 35 to 40 years. The whole test will be complicated by temperatures predicted to go into the 80s.
According to Lynn, “the course is amazing and absolutely terrifying.”
The Fair Hill Natural Resources Management Area, the former William DuPont estate, has hosted a featured eventing competition since 1989. The Fair Hill Special Events Zone, a short hack from the original, more rustic eventing site, is brand new and will be the scene of many more activities, including racing.
The look of the new venue is spectacularly modern, with lots of glass and chrome and big grandstands, but the vibe is intimate according to Hannah Sue.
Horses can “really feel the atmosphere,” she said, “but not in an electric way.”
Her mount, she revealed, seemed to confide, “You brought me somewhere worthy of me.”
