From dressage through cross-country and nearly around the entire show jumping course, Will Coleman was the leader in the inaugural $200,000 U.S. Open with his trusty Off the Record.
Then the only American combination to have won eventing at Aachen toppled a rail in the B element of the triple combination that was the next-to-last obstacle on the route designed by Chris Barnard at Virginia’s Morven Park International Equestrian Center. That left the title for the first running of the event to Boyd Martin with Miks Master C, by a mere 0.4 penalties.
Boyd Martin and Miks Master C. (Photo by Devyn Trethewey/U.S. Equestrian)
Boyd, who was the leader in the series of qualifiers that led up to this weekend’s final, was fault-free over the colored poles on the Swedish warmblood, after having moved up from third to second following cross-country, where his original two flag penalties were deleted by the ground jury.
Ocala Horse Property’s Miks Master C formerly was ridden by Liz Halliday, whose mounts went to other professionals after she suffered a traumatic brain injury in a cross-country fall last year. Prior to the prize-giving, Boyd said, “I’d like to give a big shout-out to Liz, who did all the work on this magnificent horse. I hope you’re watching, Liz. This is for you.”
Boyd mentioned, “I’d like to thank the owners of Miks Master C; they’ve experienced the highs and lows of the sport.” The horse was one of the alternates for the 2024 Olympic team, bu was injured and did not compete in the Games. So it was a big morale boost that the winner was recognized with the MARS American-Bred Talent Trophy as the top U.S.-bred horse.
As I pointed out in my Friday posting on this website, there is an abundance of events this autumn. Or maybe an over-abundance? The U.S. Open of Eventing Final ran the week before the Maryland 5-star and two weeks before the Pau, France, 5-star. Next month, there’s the 4-Star Long at TerraNova near Sarasota, Fla.
But understandably, since he collected the majority of the U.S. Open’s prize money, Boyd is a big fan of the U..S. Open’s creation.
“It made no sense for me or this country to send all of our horses over to Europe to compete at 4-Star Long when we’ve got the greatest 4-Star Long in the world, ” he explained, citing great conditions at Morven Park as well as “unbelievable” prize money and a very, very competitive field” and a challenging course. He maintained the event “has taken our sport to a whole new level,” noting “This is a wonderful time to be a professional event rider in the United States of America.”
Will Coleman and Off the Record at the fence where a downed rail dropped them to second place.
U.S. Open winner Boyd Martin, right, and runner-up Will Coleman,, left.
There were only two people on the podium at the event, because Will finished not just in second place, but also third with his up-and-coming mare, Very Dignified, owned by the Very Dignified Group.
Miks Master C and the Off the Record Syndicate’s Off the Record were the only horses in the 20s in terms of penalties at the end of the event (28.7 and 29.1 respectively) but Very Dignified finished on 35.4 penalties and Boyd was right behind in fourth on Shanroe Cooley (35.9), another former Liz Halliday mount.
Boyd noted that getting a new horse, “like the two I’m riding and Will’s second horse, you’re basically relying a lot on its past training with its last rider.
“It’s easier in a way,” he continued, “because you don’t have baggage about the horse and you just get on with it. You don’t have a preconception of its flaws, weaknesses or bad habits. You try and simplify it as much as you can and ride it in probably a different system or a different style. Sometimes they really come around and jell, and sometimes it’s an absolute disaster.
“Lucky for me, the horses from Liz (a group that also includes Cooley Nutcracker)…I’ve sort of clicked with them. They’re still not quite my horses. There are some slight differences in our training or our system or our way of riding, but they’re all champions.”
Referring to Will’s mishap at the triple, Boyd said of his victory, “”It’s a bit of an awkward way to win,” expressing sympathy for the runner-up and his “legend horse.”
Will responded in his usual gracious manner: “Boyd is an incredibly worthy and deserving winner. Boyd absolutely won the weekend.”
Click here for full results.
