There couldn’t have been a better advertisement for the new Maryland 5 star event than having the charismatic Boyd Martin win it today by the narrowest of margins—just 0.1 penalties while his fans roared in unbridled delight. If the arena had a roof, they would have raised it as the country’s first autumn 5-star wrapped up a spectacular debut.
Boyd’s ride, On Cue, rubbed some rails around the show jumping course in the final phase of the competition at the Fair Hill Special Event Zone, with the crowd gasping at each potential mishap.
“We bumped and thumped few poles and never heard one come down. I couldn’t believe I got a clear round. I think Lady Luck was on our side,” Boyd conceded, saying “On Cue gutsed it out.”
Boyd Martin and On Cue clearing the final show jumping fence as fans get ready to cheer. (Photo © 2021 by Lawrence J. Nagy)
He had gone into the ring in third place, with New Zealand’s Tim Price standing second and world number one Oliver Townend in the lead. Those riders had finished 1-2 at the Land Rover Kentucky 5-star in April, when Boyd was fourth on the Turner family’s Anglo-European mare by Cabri D’Elle.
Boyd called his rivals “super duper jumpers,” saying he was just hoping to finish in the top five.
But Lady Luck apparently went out for a drink after his round.
Tim had a rail at the second fence, a vertical, with Xavier Faer, adding four faults to his dressage score of 24.3 penalties.
“Having the second rail is not a great beginning to your round,” Tim pointed out, “but he’s a trier. If I get him to the fence the right way with the right energy, we can get away with it most of the time.”
As Boyd rode around the warm-up ring while the others ahead of him on the leaderboard jumped, he was surprised to hear the announcer say Tim had a rail.
“I thought to myself, `You never know, Oli might screw up as well,” he recalled with a smile.
Oliver remained faultless only a little longer than Tim, as his two-time Kentucky winner Cooley Master Class toppled a pole at fence number four. He finished on 25.1 penalties, putting four faults onto his dressage mark of 21.1 to finish second
It was that seemingly insignificant tenth of a point that made the difference between Boyd earning the $100,000 first prize and the $45,000 awarded for being runner-up.
Money aside, Boyd was honored to win in the company of “two riders that are so idolized and looked up to. Today was On Cue’s day and it’s great to win it,” he said about the mare he described as having “so much heart and desire.”
Oliver Townend, Boyd Martin and Tim Price on the podium with Boyd’s boys, Nox and Leo. (Photo © 2021 by Nancy Jaffer)
In addition to leaving the jumps up, it was also necessary to be within the 82-second time allowed by course designer Ken Krome on his extremely influential route. Boyd came close there as well, finishing in 81.84, to become the first American since 2008 to win at the highest level of the sport. (That was a 4-star when Phillip Dutton did it at Kentucky on Connaught; the designation has since been upgraded to 5-star.)
And by the way, Boyd won the Adelaide 4-star (now upgraded to a 5-star like Kentucky) when he lived in Australia before emigrating to America, so it wasn’t his first victory at the top level of the sport. While riding in that competition, he palled around with Tim Price, who Boyd said was living in his trailer with a mattress on the floor at the time.
Saying he was happy for Boyd, Oliver commented, “Some days are meant to be your days, and some days aren’t meant to be your days. And to be again stacked both with Boyd and Tim to me is a privilege, because they’re riders that I actually have a huge amount of respect for.
“We’re working boys, we’re very normal lads and for all three of us to be in the position we’re in is a huge privilege.”
He maintained that if “normal people” work hard, “you can make it to the pinnacle of this sport. That’s the message I want to get out to any kid who’s thinking `I can’t do it because I’m not from a wealthy background.’ I think we’re all selling the sport ‘and (showing) it’s actually possible.”
Boyd deserves his popularity; he’s not only a talented rider and a hard worker, he’s engaging, a lot of fun and his rugged good looks make for compelling photos. And he’s even got cute kids to complete the picture. The crowd loved it when his little boys, Nox and Leo, joined him on the podium, though Leo kept losing his grip on the bottle of expensive champagne that would later be shaken up to soak everyone on the podium.
Having Boyd take the championship at the first competition in the Fair Hill Special Event Zone put a stamp of approval on the new venue from eventing insiders and fans.
Boyd Martin’s fans join in celebrating as he passes in his victory gallop. (Photo © 2021 by Nancy Jaffer)
There were some kinks involving logistics and ticketing among other first-time issues at Fair Hill, but the competition rose above them.. As cross-country course designer Ian Stark put it, the event is “still teething,” but called it “impressive” nonetheless. You could say Boyd wasn’t the only U.S. 5-star winner; the event deserves that distinction as well.
Jeff Newman, the CEO and president of the event, noted it was tricky planning a new fixture in the middle of a pandemic.The four-day attendance total of 20,886, about half of which came on cross-country day, was gratifying but hard to foresee..
Next year, “We’ll have a much better idea on how to staff accordingly and (add) equipment accordingly. I think we’ll be better prepared in terms of anticipating numbers,” Jeff said, stating the goal is “to be better prepared for customer needs. It was very tough to predict what was necessary this year. We were pleasantly surprised by the crowds and now have a foundation to be able to anticipate that better.
“We had great crowd support, great athlete support and great sponsor support. What we hope next year is that we can just build on that.”
A better use for Veuve Clicquot champagne is toasting rather than spraying on fellow competitors. Oliver Townend, Boyd Martin and Tim Price clink glasses with Maryland 5 Star event CEO and president Jeff Newman. (Photo © 2021 by Lawrence J. Nagy)
Twelve of the original 45 5-star starters did not finish the event, but the top 10 really demonstrated their ability. Making the biggest jump from the lower end of the pack was Doug Payne, tied for 33d on Quantum Leap after dressage, then moving up to a tie for 11th following a cross-country round that was clear except for 1.8 time penalties. He capped it all with a clear show jumping performance to wind up ninth..
“I can’t say enough really about Quantum. He tries his heart out,” Doug reported.
“For his second 5 star as a 10-year-old, I couldn’t have asked for anything more. They always say the first 5 star is nice to do; the second you know you have a real horse, and for sure, we’ve got a real one.”
Asked for his opinion about the event, Doug said, “It’s something I think the U.S. has needed for a very long time. I can’t imagine it doesn’t help us increase .our depth and be stronger and stronger, because we’re not breaking the bank every fall to find a 5-star to go to (across the Atlantic). It’s pretty special and I’m lucky to have the opportunity.”
RINGSIDE SEAT–It was good to hear the announcer give credit to Trish Gilbert, who started the first Fair Hill event that became the Fair Hill International in 1989, paving the way for this spectacular 2021 event on the other side of the acreage at the Fair Hill Natural Resources Management Area…
This was a day for Martins. Kurt Martin (no relation to Boyd) won the 3-star national championship with Debbie Adams’ D.A. Lifetime. It’s quite a nice story; look for it on this website later this week…
Marilyn Payne, Doug’s mother, is an international judge who has officiated at the Olympics and other major events around the world. She was enthusiastic about the Maryland 5 Star, saying it was needed and fills a gap.
“This is a fantastic venue. It’s got great terrain,” she said, noting Ian Stark did a “fabulous” job laying out the cross-country route.
“It was really a true 5-star track.. We had a lot of fabulous horses and riders, so sometimes it makes it look easy, but not for the others. To develop our horses, we needed another track.”
Comparing this event to Kentucky, she said, “This is much closer to a Burghley or a Badminton.”.
For full 5-star results, click here