Price pulls through at Fair Hill

by Nancy Jaffer | Oct 16, 2022

There’s a reason Tim Price of New Zealand rose to the title of the world’s number one-ranked eventer this month. He’s not only a great technician, he’s also cool under immense pressure.

With the USA’s Tamie Smith and Great Britain’s Oliver Townend breathing down his neck as the show jumping finale drew to a close at the MARS Maryland 5-star at Fair Hill today, Tim stayed on the steady route that is his trademark. According to EquiRatings, he is the only current rider to win five 5-stars on five different horses.

The top three were riding 5-star first-timers, which meant the possibility of an upset was very real. Several riders mentioned that the ring feels small, which increases the buzz factor, which always has the potential to wreak havoc on inexperienced horses. (Great Britain’s Harry Meade, for example had his hands full with Superstition in the dressage when his mount lost it after the crowd started applauding during his final halt.)

But the horses in contention for the 5-star championship were unfazed, despite their inexperience in an atmosphere generated by packed stands and the enthusiasm of fans.

After his ride over the demanding course designed by Ken Krome, Oliver gave a fist pump worthy of victory as he stayed on his 29.9 penalty dressage score with a double-clear round from As Is. Only four other riders in the field of 21 could achieve the same.But it wouldn’t be enough to make him a winner.

A jubilant Oliver Townend was number one for a few minutes after jumping a double-clear on As Is. (Photo © 2022 by Lawrence J. Nagy)

Even so, at that point, Oliver presented a real threat to the top two. Tamie, a member of the U.S. silver medal team at the world championships, added 0.4 time penalties to her score on Danito, for a total of 29.8 penalties. That put her a mere 0.1 penalties ahead of Oliver, who was the runner-up last year at Fair Hill with a different horse.

Tamie Smith was the national champion at Fair Hill as the top-placed U.S. rider on Danito. (Photo © 2022 by Lawrence J. Nagy)

It was all or nothing for Tim, last to go as befitting the first-place standing, he achieved with a fault-free cross-country trip, after dressage leader Woods Baughman sank to nineteenth with a cross-country runout.

Tim was awake last night, not knowing whether his mount, Coup de Coeur Dudevin (Top Gun Semilly X LePrince de Bois), would be up to the task he faced after a taxing cross-country day.

“It’s been so tight at the top through the week,” explained Tim, reflecting on his thought process before the show jumping.

“So I knew there could be some faultless rounds at the top of the table. That was kind of what kept me from falling asleep.”

But Joker, as his Selle Francais mount is known, was up to the task despite his inexperience, accruing just 0.8 time penalties that made his final score 28.2 penalties, 1.6 ahead of Tamie.

Tim Price jumps into glory at Fair Hill. (Photo © 2022 by Lawrence J. Nagy)

“He dug deep for me,” said Tim, who came to Maryland merely hoping for a top five finish and didn’t count on collecting the $100,000 winner’s prize on a mount with so little mileage at the top of the game.

At the presentation ceremony, Tim had a bit of trouble hefting the weighty Fair Hill bronze trophy, but he got it done with an enormous smile as Joker’s breeder and owner, Jean-Louis Stauffer, stood by beaming with pride and dreaming of the Paris Olympics 2024.

Tim Price hoists the Fair Hill bronze as his horse’s owner, Jean-Louis Stauffer, raises a hand in salute. (Photo © 2022 by Lawrence J. Nagy)

“I’ve had some fun days at the office, but I think this beats them all,” said Tim. It’s the last event of the year for him.

“What a great way to put myself on the beach for a few months,” he said.

For Tamie, as the top U.S. finisher, the season was ending in a way she never thought it could. In January, Danito was spooked in the barn and fell, breaking his wither. Tamie also had her own accident, breaking an ankle and tearing ligaments. When Equine Herpes Virus broke out in her home state of California, she headed east to avoid being trapped and set out to pursue her seemingly impossible dream of making the world championships team with Mai Baum.

Now Danito, a Hanoverian by Dancier out of a Wolkenstein II mare, is no longer in Mai Baum’s shadow.

“I think he’s just jumped out of his skin. I think he wanted this moment,” said Tamie.

“I’m so happy for him.”

The 5-star was the last of 12 events at that level for 19-year-old Harbour Pilot, who finished tenth with longtime rider Hannah Sue Hollberg in the saddle. The Irish sporthorse, a son of the great Cruising, dropped two rails, but Hannah Sue didn’t care. As far as she was concerned, her veteran performed like the star he always has been.

Hannah Sue Hollberg takes her last 5-star ride on Harbour Pilot. Photo © 2022 by Lawrence J. Nagy)

“I just love him, and he was awesome as usual,” said an emotional Hannah Sue, noting how much she will miss riding him in events, though he will stay close to her as the pasturemate of her 3-star horse, Capitol HIM.

The day had its rocky moments, starting with the 5-star horse inspection. Harbour Pilot was sent to the holding box, but unfazed, Hannah Sue just decided she had to present him better, and he passed the ground jury.

She was determined he would not go back to the barn.

“This is not how this is going to end,” she insisted, and so it wasn’t.

Then Capitol HIM, who was leading the 3-star standings after cross-country, had three rails and a 0.8 time penalty to wind up eighteenth.

“That horse has more wins in his future,” she said, noting the mishap “doesn’t even register.”

Hannah Sue wasn’t the only rider shedding some tears. Elisa Wallace, the 3-star division winner on Renkum Corsair, cried as she recalled the loss of her beloved horse, Riot Gear, who broke his neck in a pasture accident last year.

But she brightened as she talked about Corsair, who had experience as a 1.45 meter jumper when he was seven. It stood him in good stead today, turning in a double clear that moved him up from second place to first.

Elisa Wallace, the 3-star Long winner on Renkum Corsair. (Photo © 2022 by Lawrence J. Nagy)

“I feel there is a lot more to come from him,” she said.

Elisa is a mustang trainer in addition to her eventing, and gave a presentation at Fair Hill with the formerly wild horses she has trained. Her father, Rick, noted that the freestyle that won her the Extreme Mustang Makeover when she rode Fledge bareback and bridleless in 2012 was done to the tune, “One Moment in Time.” That is what was playing this afternoon when she entered the ring for the 3-star show jumping. Coincidence?

click here for 3-star results  Click here for 5-star results

Top eventer is number one at Fair Hill

by Nancy Jaffer | Oct 15, 2022

The world’s number one-ranked eventer, Tim Price, shuffled the deck today at the MARS Maryland 5-star at Fair Hill, and the Joker came out on top.

Joker is the barn name of Coup de Coeur Dudevin, a special horse who was up to the challenges of his first 5-star over a demanding course designed by former British team rider Ian Stark.

After Friday’s dressage, Joker was second to C’est la Vie 135, ridden by Woods Baughman. There were only 0.2 penalties between them, but the gap widened when Woods had a run-out this afternoon at a brush fence, the third element at the Mars Sustainability Bay complex. The combination was the 24^th of 29 obstacles. That and 0.8 penalties for exceeding the 11 minute, 30-second time allowed for a course of nearly four miles, put Woods out of contention in 19^th place.

It was especially hard luck for Woods after 40 penalties at the Kentucky 5-star and problems at England’s Burghley in September that prompted him to drop out and re-route to Fair Hill

Meanwhile, Tim had an issue of his own with Joker at the giant crab that was the first element at the bay.

Tim Price and the Joker, Coup de Coeur Dudevin. (Photo © 2022 by Nancy Jaffer)

“I was a little bit nervous. Is it the right thing to bring a horse half-way across the world that lacks experience?” Tim mused.

“It kind of puts it all on the line, a lot of investment from the owner and from ourselves,” he said.

“But I always believed in the horse and today was the perfect occasion for him, with good conditions, a great course that I could just go and try and give him a good education while being competitive. He was exceptional, really jumped beautifully.”

Nowhere was that more evident than at the crab drop, where Joker “grew another leg and used his own initiative and made a much better decision than me to get the job done,” Tim pointed out. (See our feature photo at the top of the page to understand what Tim was talking about.)

Nine minutes in, Joker “was still able to have the presence of mind to make a good decision and stay upright on his feet and keep thinking forward and ahead of himself,” observed Tim.

“It’s vindicated all the reasons I thought this (coming to Fair Hill) was a good decision.”

Right behind Tim’s score of  27.4 penalties is Tamie Smith, a member of the U.S. silver medal team at last month’s world championships, where Tim won team and individual bronze medals. Tamie is 2 penalties back of Tim. She was aboard Danito, another first-time 5-star horse.

Tamie Smith and Danito. (Photo © 2022 by Lawrence J. Nagy)

And Britain’s Oliver Townend, number three in the world, completed the top three with As Is, also a first-time 5-star horse. Like the others in the triumvirate, he remains on his dressage score, which is 29.9 penalties. There is little room between the contenders, which will make this afternoon’s show jumping finale a real test of nerve and skill.

Oliver Townend and As Is. (Photo © 2022 by Lawrence J. Nagy)

Asked about his feelings on how things went along his course, Ian said, “What’s made my day is the fact that these two (Tim and Tamie) along with Oliver Townend are riding first-time 5-star horses and the horses are incredibly lucky to have three of the best riders in the world.

“They were magnificent how they coped with the young horses and helped them and encouraged them. It was thrilling to watch.”

He added, “And I’m kind of expecting to get a bit of abuse with so many inside the time, for me it was perfect footing, some great riding; some bold and fast and brave riding. I would much rather see 10 get inside the time (actually it was 14) rather than five on the floor.”

The course looked beautiful on a sparkling day, perfect eventing weather. One of the more unusual aspects of the route was the presence of dinosaurs. Every day, Ian would pass a garden center down the street from Fair Hill that featured models of dinosaurs, so he asked to have some delivered for course decoratoin. Voila, Stegosaurus and Diplodocus.

A stegosaurus made for an unusual course decoration. (Photo © 2022 by Lawrence J. Nagy)

In the 3-star, which ran with the 5-star, Hannah Sue (Burnett) Hollberg kept her lead from dressage on Capitol HIM, not that it was easy.

“He’s got one or two speeds rather than being a really quick, nippy horse. To ride quick, I had to be very accurate and wasn’t completely, but he made up for it. He was great,” said Hannah Sue.

Hannah Sue Hollberg leads the 3-star with Capitol HIM (.Photo © 2022 by Nancy Jaffer)

She stands on her dressage score of 26 penalties, 0.4 ahead of Elisa Wallace and Renkum Corsair, whilc Fernhill Zorro is close on 26.6 with Cassie Sanger up.

Hannah Sue was also aboard her old reliable Harbour Pilot, in his twelfth and last 5-star start as he heads for a different life at age 19. He stands eighth, finishing five minutes over the optimum time.

What lies ahead for him? He’s Capitol HIM’s best buddy, so they’ll be together for the immediate future, and Hannah Sue hopes she can find someone to ride (and handle) him at a lower level.

World number one eventer Tim Price close to the top at Fair Hill

by Nancy Jaffer | Oct 14, 2022

A mere fraction separates first and second place in the MARS Maryland 5-star at Fair Hill three-day event, with Woods Baughman on the Hanoverian C’est la Vie 153 staying just 0.2 penalties ahead of world number one Tim Price on a Selle Francais, Coupe de Couer Dudevin, as two days of dressage wrapped up this afternoon.

Woods performed in a driving rainstorm on Thursday, while the sun smiled on Tim as he turned in a smooth ride for a score of 27.4 penalties.

His mount (Top Gun Semilly X Les Prince des Bois) was bred by Jean-Louis Staffer, a French-speaking Swiss. He has placed the horse with several riders, including Robin Godel of Switzerland and more recently, Chris Burton of Australia, until that rider gave up eventing.Then Coupe de Coeur Dudevin wound up in Tim’s barn.

Tim Price and Coupe de Coeur Dudevin. (Photo © 2022 by Lawrence J. Nagy)

Tim’s wife, Jonelle, the world number two (it’s the first time a spousal combo has been one-two on the FEI rankings) was the first to work with the gelding, but the horse was a bit too powerful for the petite rider.

So Tim took over the horse, who became his back-up for the FEI World Championships in August, where he took individual and team bronze on Falco.

Joker, as the horse is known, is “short on experience, but what he has done, he has done extremely well,” Tim commented.

Fair Hill is Joker’s  first 5-star, and he has his work cut out for him Saturday on Ian Stark’s cross-country layout, which involves an 11-minute, 30-second optimum time. The course is linear, like a snake that is bending back on itself, rather than a route that leans toward the horizontal.

“There’s a lot of to-ing and fro-ing,” is the way Tim put it.

“It’s big, it’s serious; he doesn’t muck about,  does he, Scotty,” he said, using course designer Ian Stark’s nickname (Ian is Scottish).

The course last year was Ian’s first 5-star effort and  he honed in on the fact that “it needed a bit of a change-up,” observed Tim, noting Ian has his own distinctive brand of cross-country design.

He thinks the condition of the ground could be a factor, mentioning that after the Thursday rain, it’s not as firm as it was last  year.

Joker’s breeder/owner, a jolly, bright-eyed man, has big plans for his horse. He wants to see him in the 2024 Paris Olympics, he told me cheerfully. The problem is, he conceded, that Tim may have other horses in line for that honor.

But it’s obvious Tim is impressed by the horse, whose only transgression in his dressage test was kicking out in a flying change.

I wondered if there was extra pressure on Tim because of moving up to world number one. He was, as always, very gracious in his answer.

“It’s quite a new feeling,” he said.

“There’s a lot of pressure in what we do anyway. So this is a new pressure, but I’ve got a compartment for that. I try to enjoy what I do, I try to focus on that.”

The placings switched around quite a bit today, with France’s Nicolas Astier dropping to fourth on Babylon de Gamma (29.1) as Alexandra Knowles had a lovely test on Morswood (28.8) to slot into third.

Allie Knowles and Morswood. (Photo © 2022 by Lawrence J. Nagy)

Allie said of her Irish sporthorse, “He’s been getting stronger over the last 12 months.”

While dressage isn’t one of his favorite things, “he gave it his all,” she observed.

Last year’s Fair Hill runner-up and former world number one, Oliver Townend of Great Britain, is tenth with the Spanish-bred As Is, a horse he inherited from New Zealand’s Andrew Nicholson.

Don’t be surprised if this one moves way up the ranks after cross-country. Oliver has taken a variety of horses to fame, and As Is could be the next candidate for that distinction.

Oliver Townend and As Is. Photo © 2022 by Lawrence J. Nagy

Hannah Sue Hollberg is eighth in the 5-star with her longtime partner, Harbour Pilot, who at 19 is appearing in his last competition.

In the 3-Star Long, which is running with the 5-star, Hannah Sue leads aboard the Holsteiner Capitol Him, with an impressive score of 26 penalties. Standing second with Renukum Corsair (26.4) is Elisa Wallace, who put on an exhibition with her mustangs during the lunch break.

Click here for the 3-star results  Click here for the 4-star results

A bright start for Fair Hill year two on a damp day

by Nancy Jaffer | Oct 13, 2022

It’s a new ballgame at the MARS Maryland 5 Star at Fair Hill.

In the second year of the USA’s second 5-star three-day event, cross-country course designer Ian Stark is upping the ante on his terrain-rich route, while riders are finding the kinks have been worked out since the 2021 inaugural edition in the aftermath of the pandemic.

Astier Nicolas of France said the organizers of the event, presented by Brown Advisory, have “done a really good job this year. They’ve made quite a few improvements…the course is difficult but fair, and we’re really happy with the way it all looks so far.”

Tamie Smith, who was a spectator in 2021, agreed, saying “it’s a step up from last year, saluting “the crew that has been involved with putting in the time and effort on this property. It is 150 percent better. The presentation, everything. It is not even the same event it was last year.”

Woods Baughman, who rerouted to Fair Hill after retiring at the Burghley, England, 5-star in September, took the lead on the first day of dressage in the pouring rain with a score of 27.2 penalties as rain bucketed down on him and C’est la Vie 135.

Woods Baughman on C’est la Vie 153 under rainy skies. (Photo © 2022 by Lawrence J. Nagy)

The rain was so heavy that he had trouble looking up, but on the plus side, his horse was eager to do the lateral work in an effort to escape the sideways rain.

Woods, who trains in dressage with German superstar Bettina Hoy, said his horse is “a bit quirky,” and the key to success is keeping him relaxed.

“He stood up pretty violently” at the ring familiarization yesterday, Woods commented, citing an incident that spoke to his mount’s nature.

“He’s obviously a fantastic horse. It just took a little bit of a while to figure out what we needed to do to keep him happy.”

That involves “as much free time as possible…to just be him. He doesn’t like to be pushed around too much.”

Nicolas stands second with Babylon de Gamma (29.1 penlties) and Liz Halliday-Sharp is third on Cooley Quicksilver (29.3).

Tamie was the early leader with 29 penalties aboard Danito in his first 5-star, but review by the judges added 0.4 to her total, putting her fourth.

The standings are sure to change on Friday, however, with British heavy hitters Oliver Townend (As Is) and Harry Meade (Superstition) yet to come, along with world number one Tim Price of New Zealand (Coupe de Coeur Dudevin.)

In the 3-star that is running here as well, world number five Will Coleman of the USA leads the way on Cold Red Rum earned a mark of 27.1.

“I’ve had this horse for just over a year, and I don’t think I competed him for the first three or four months I had him,” Will said of the 9-year-old Westphalian gelding.

“I felt like I had to really give him that time to settle emotionally and to physically develop. He was a bit of a weak and nervous horse for his age, but we’ve given him a lot of time.”

Ian, a former member of the British eventing team, designed his first 5-star cross-country at Fair Hill last year. It was quite an ask, because Fair Hill lives up to the hill part of its name, and a course that is too difficult can be made much more so by the terrain. As a result, he backed off the tough stuff a little bit in 2021.

Cross-country course designer Ian Stark. (Photo © 2022 by Lawrence J. Nagy)

So now Ian knows the territory, which means he can refine his questions and make them more sophisticated in some cases. But his goal remains the same: hoping horses “can finish full of running” and the better for the experience.

“I want to get the horses home,” Ian said.

He always looks for a four-leaf clover on course, and he found one, wandering around in his “Walmart wellies.” So let’s hope it brings the luck everyone needs.

The multi-faceted Talent Search was won by a practiced catch rider

by Nancy Jaffer | Oct 9, 2022

From the start there were challenges–then the tests became increasingly difficult this weekend at the Platinum Performance/USEF Show Jumping Talent Search Finals East.

And that’s how it should be. After all, with competition running over three days, the Talent Search is the most arduous of the equitation championships, geared to finding riders who could compete internationally for their country.

So it shouldn’t have been a shock that athletes were expected to ride solo through nine different movements on the flat, complete a gymnastics competition offering a challenge in its very first line and then face a jumping course incorporating elements of the World Championships and the American Gold Cup.

The Talent Search East ended today (the West Coast version was last week) with a come-from-behind winner, Augusta Iwasaki, who was tied for 16^th place after Friday’s very demanding flat phase, leaped up to third after the gymnastics and insured a spot in the Final Four with her stunning round this morning on her jumper, Freedom.

Augusta Iwasaki on Freedom getting her trophy in the Platinum Performance/USEF Talent Search East from judges Michael Morrissey and Alex Jayne, with trainer Ken Smith on hand next to DiAnn Langer, USEF youth coach. (Photo © 2022 by Nancy Jaffer)

The Californian, who is on the riding team at Southern Methodist University, did not take a wrong stride on her own horse or those of her three rivals to earn the title at the U.S. Equestrian Team Foundation in Gladstone, N.J.

“I knew if we got to the Final Four she had a shot at winning,” said her trainer, Ken Smith.

“She’s super-experienced at riding a lot of different horses and has a natural feel and empathy for a horse to just get on it and create a nice round.  She’s very good at not giving up.”

Gussie, whose parents, Liz Reilley and Chris Iwasaki, are also trainers, showed what she’s made of by achieving her victory.

“She reassured me she can handle pressure situations,” said Ken, after I asked if he had learned anything more about her this weekend.

“She’s probably the most liked young rider on the showgrounds. She’s friendly, very admired by her peers, super work ethic. She’s going to go far in life.”

Freedom had never been used for equitation.

“He took me from the lows (low jumpers) to my first grand prix. He’s one of my favorite horses of all time. This is my first time here,” she said, explaining how much she liked competing on the historic foundation grounds.

“It’s so prestigious,” added the California native, who was third, 19 points behind Alexander, before the Final Four, but finished that segment on 377, 13 points ahead of runner-up Luke Jensen.

Alex Jayne, who judged the Talent Search with jumper rider Michael Morrissey, has long watched Gussie handling “thousands and thousands” of catch rides.

“She has ridden everything under the sun,” he said, adding he told Michael “I think Gussie might have an advantage over these other riders.”

He characterized her as “a very gifted rider. So if somebody had a pony that was a little bit of a rogue, they put Gussie on it. If somebody’s junior hunter wasn’t going great, they put Gussie on it. Any time the gate opens, I could see Gussie going to the ring. You can’t beat ring time. This rider is living proof.”

Augusta Iwasaki gets ready to take off on her victory gallop aboard Freedom. (Photo © 2022 by Nancy Jaffer)

The flat phase was an eye-opener for some of the 53 entries, who may have compared it to a dressage test. But Alex characterized it simply as “jumper movements strung together. and we were trying to see how well they were preparing the horse to do the gymnastics.”

The nine movements riders had to demonstrate included a turn on the haunches, holding the bend for the counter-canter and leg yields. An additional mark was given for presentation. Alex explained that by having each rider perform solo, rather than in a group, there was nowhere to hide mistakes.

“As judges and (course) designers, we tried to make every day prepare you for the next day. So the flat phase prepared you for the gymnastics phase and the gymnastics phase prepared you for what we called the grand prix day,” said Michael, who worked with Alex and Anthony D’Ambrosio on the courses.

The first line of the gymnastics required riders to canter the initial fence, a green, purple and white oxer, then trot the second and go on to canter the vertical double, 3A and 3B. Not everyone got that far. The judges were surprised at the refusals and problems some riders had at the trot fence. I called it lack of impulsion, Alex characterized the situation a little differently.

“Show jumping is all compression,” he said, citing the problem on that line as “a lack of compression. The leg wasn’t on the horse.”

He said he and Michael were surprised at how many riders had trouble there. Michael said in some instances, the riders weren’t getting the trot early enough before the second fence.

Alexander Alston won that phase and took the gymnastics as well, and then continued to lead after the jumping. But the Ohioan, who will attend Savannah College of Art and Design next year, had problems on Gussie’s horse in the Final Four, getting tight to two fences which would eventually drop him to fourth place. His score for that segment was 337; all the riders came in with a blank slate, the scores with which they qualified were only used to determine who got into the Final Four.

Alex Alston on Ferry van de Hoogeweg against the backdrop of the USET Foundation stable. (Photo © 2022 by Nancy Jaffer}

When I wondered how he felt about leading for so long, and then losing the title, he conceded. “it was tough,” but added, “trust the process.”

As for what he learned from this weekend, he said, “I could be a little stronger riding different types of horses, I think.”

Luke, a Texan trained by Missy Clark and John Brennan with Maggie Gampfer, the trio that also coaches Alexander, won the third phase and was standing second overall by one point aboard Jamaica going into the Final Four. But he dropped rails at fence four, an oxer, on Freedom, and then toppled 7A, an oxer after the triple bar, on Alexander’s Ferry van den Hoogeweg. He wound up as reserve champion anyway, with a score of 364.

Luke Jensen on Jamaica. (Photo © 2022 by Nancy Jaffer)

“This is always a super special week showing here. I think the time to show off your ability to change your ride in the Final Four is a skill to demonstrate,” he said.

“The other three riders did an amazing job with that, too. It’s always a great experience to test that ability…to ride different horses.”

Judge Alex noted while the male riders had mistakes, both were stylists.

Another SMU student, Taylor Madden, coached by her parents, Jen and Frank Madden, was second after the flat phase and fifth after the gymnastics, but moved up to fourth following the show jumping round and finished third after the Final Four on a score of 358.

Her mount, Mac One, was named Best Horse of the finals. Riding him in the Talent Search was special to her because he had been her horse as a junior and is now leased out, so she appreciated being able to compete on him one more time.

Judge Alex said the weekend showed, “We had a very strong group.” He noted, “the future is very bright for the USA with these young riders coming up.”

Results: Rider, horse, horse owner, trainer, hometown.