There goes the podium…maybe.
British riders are standing first, second and third in the MARS Maryland 5-star at Fair Hill after the second day of dressage. And just for good measure, a New Zealander is fourth.
You can’t say it was unexpected, they all have sparkling resumes. But before I go any further here, I have to issue a reminder that this is not, as we always say, a dressage competition. We have cross-country coming up Saturday over a very tough Ian Stark course (look at yesterday’s story at the bottom of the page to see what he had to say). And of course, the show jumping Sunday could change everything.
But as Oliver Townend, the number one-ranked eventer in the world, remarked, Britain is so strong in eventing now that it could field three teams in next year’s Olympics. He turned in a stunning dressage performance to top the leaderboard with the eye-catching grey, Cooley Rosalent, by a show jumping sire out of a thoroughbred mare.
“She’s nine years old, so it could have gone drastically wrong through no fault of her own, just through inexperience,” said Oliver with a grin after his ride.
Oliver Townend looks on top of the world after topping the leaderboard. (Photo © 2023 by Lawrence J. Nagy)
The mare was a little nervous as she went into the arena.
“But it actually helped in the end, because it lifted her ears and I could ride her forward and she relaxed throughout the test,” Oliver commented.
The sensitive Rosie, who wears a nose net, has a lovely outline and produced sparkling half-passes among other well-presented movements. She was marked at 23.1 penalties, the equivalent in non-eventing dressage of 76.92 percent. Oliver even got a 9 from one judge for his first halt.
Oliver Townend and Cooley Rosalent. (Photo © 2023 by Lawrence J. Nagy)
I watched his warm-up, as he and his newest star rehearsed the movements over and over. Oliver didn’t think it was enough, feeling he was 10 minutes behind where he needed to be, but it was sufficient to please the judges. He has placed second and third respectively at the last two Maryland 5-stars, so he would dearly like to win this one.
The overnight leader, Piggy March, dropped to second on her score of 24.2 penalties with Brookfield Cavalier Cruise.
As expected, William Fox-Pitt knew just what was needed from Grafennacht, producing a test good for 26.1 penalties. William is so tall, he has to shorten his stirrups when he rides the mare. She’s 17 hands, but svelte, without a big barrel that could take up some of his long legs.
“She was quite frisky today,” William announced. “I couldn’t quite get her on the bit, but she was still showing off well and I was very pleased with her.”
William Fox-Pitt and Graffenacht.(Photo © 2023 by Lawrence J. Nagy)
She is the only 5-star horse that the legendary rider has at the moment. The mare is good cross-country, but her show jumping development “is in progress,” according to William. He said she’s a little bit “core weak. Even though she can stretch and jump and gallop, she’s not really round enough to be a sure thing in the jumping.
“If I’ve got three (rails) in hand on Sunday, I’ll be happy,” he declared.
At age 54, William is looking at retirement, and having Grafennacht is what keeps him going for now.
Monica Spencer, who rode Thursday, dropped from second to fourth with Artist (28.4), a thoroughbred who is still very much in the hunt.
Just behind her in fifth place is the highest-placed American, Boyd Martin, winner of the first Maryland 5-star with On Cue. He’s back with another mare, Contessa, not quite the dressage star her predecessor was, but still putting in a credible test with a few blips for a score of 28.6.
Boyd Martin and Contessa. (Photo © 2023 by Lawrence J. Nagy)
A couple of small things weren’t perfect, a flying change came too early, a reinback went more toward the middle of the ring than the side. But overall the training with his wife, Silva, and former German star Bettina Hoy seems to have paid off.
He changed his warm-up routine, explaining about Contessa, “The more I ride, the worse she gets.”
So he did his warm-up about two hours before his test, then had a massage and a stretch.
“I hopped on 15 minutes before the test. It’s a bit risky, because they get excited, they can really get hot. But she stayed really calm and relaxed and did a great test.”
He pointed out she has a massive canter stride, which is great for cross-country but hard to collect for dressage.
“I’ve just been cross-country schooling her over and over again. So tomorrow (Saturday) will be a real test. I’m quietly confident and quietly terrified,” he revealed.
The 5-star is running with a 3-star Long in the event, presented by Brown Advisory. There are just 26 in the 5-star (as someone mentioned, there are only so many 5-star horses in the world) but 46 in the 3-star. The USA’s Carolyn Pamukcu leads the way on HSH Conor with 25.4 penalties, while Lauren Nicholson is second in that division on Larcot Z (28.2) and the next 12 riders in the standings also are American.
Click here for the 3-star results
Click here for the 5-star results