It was an amazing cross-country day at the Mars Maryland 5-star

by Nancy Jaffer | Oct 21, 2023

The optimum time for completing designer Ian Stark’s cross-country course at the MARS Maryland 5-star event was designed to be difficult—if not impossible—to make.

But a thoroughbred from stellar racehorse lines showed up the warmbloods by finishing on the button in 11 minutes, 10 seconds. And in the process, Phelps enabled 23-year-old Mia Farley to become the first U.S. rider in a decade to make the time on their 5-star debut.

According to EquiRatings, that was Daniel Clasing in 2013, and the last U.S. rider to finish on the podium in their 5-star debut was Sinead Halpin Maynard, third at Kentucky in 2011. And Mia is now in a position to do the same, or perhaps better, if Phelps can leave the show jump poles in place on Sunday.

Going into the Sunday show jumping in third place, Mia is the highest-placed American in the standings, supplanting Boyd Martin, who was fifth after dressage on Contessa.

Boyd, the winner of the inaugural Maryland 5-star two years ago, became unbalanced on a steep landing at fence 3B after the first water and fell off Contessa’s right side. As his mare started galloping all the way to the main arena, he hit the ground hard. But in typical Boyd fashion, after a minute or two, he got up and is now heading for the Pau, France, 5-star, where he will ride Federman B this week.

Boyd Martin recuperated quickly from his hard fall off Contessa, but his son, Nox, shows disappointment at dad’s brief trip on course. (Photo © 2023 by Nancy Jaffer)

Mia is on 32.9 penalties, moving up seven places from tenth in dressage after beating the clock on the son of Tiz Now. She confided that show jumping isn’t the strong point of her mount, but perhaps he’ll rise to the occasion as he did on Saturday.

She called Phelps “a true fighter,” noting, “When I wasn’t fully there for him, he was like ‘It’s okay, I’ve got you,’ and it was a wonderful feeling for him to kind of step in and take over.”

World Number One Oliver Townend of Great Britain, kept his lead from dressage with the precocious Cooley Rosalent, adding 6 time penalties for finishing in 11 minutes, 25 seconds, giving him a total of 29.1 penalties. That means he doesn’t have the luxury of a rail in hand going into the final phase.

Oliver said of his mare, “she definitely could have gone a lot quicker,” but he didn’t want to stress an ingenue who is relatively new at the level, so he sat quiet going up the hills to save strength for tackling the big questions like the corners and water at the top. He was more focused on the fences than the speed.

Oliver Townend leads the Maryland 5-star with Cooley Rosalent. (Photo © 2023 by Lawrence J. Nagy)

“My horse is nine years old, so my thoughts were on the jumps and trying to give her as nice a trip as possible. She’s going to be a very long-term partner for me in my career, so it was about giving her the best experience possible,” he explained.

Great Britain’s William Fox-Pitt, who has won an amazing 14 5-stars, is second on 31.3 penalties with Grafennacht, moving up from third after dressage, adding 5.2 time penalties. The Oldenburg mare’s talent has kept William enthusiastic as he acknowledge his remarkable international riding career is nearing its end.

William Fox-Pitt and Grafennacht. (Photo © 2023 by Nancy Jaffer)

Ian said “various things” pleased him as the riders executed his course, which was far tougher than what he designed during the event’s first two years. He said, using a British expression, that riders had given him “stick” for a leisurely optimum time in 2021 and 2022. He added that no one gave him stick this year.

Caroline Powell of New Zealand artfully handling one of Ian Stark’s challenging fences. the sunken road, on Greenacres Special Cavalier. (Photo © 2023 by Nancy Jaffer)

He liked Oliver’s “phenomenal” horse (how could he not?) and thought Mia’s horse “went brilliantly.” He was really thrilled because her horse is a thoroughbred, since he’s a “racing man” and wanted to make a “rude gesture” to the warmbloods.

Cross-country course designer Ian Stark. (Photo © 2023 by Lawrence J. Nagy)

This is Ian’s penultimate course designing gig. He is retiring after next year’s 5-star to spend time skiing and with his grandchildren, and will work as a mentor to aspiring course designers.

Mia rides with Karen O’Connor and her husband, David, who owns Phelps. (The gelding’s registered name is Tiz Special, but David likes to rename horses after Olympians; Michael Phelps in this instance.)

The rumor was that he paid $1 for the horse, but no transaction actually took place.

“I said that horse was so immature and backwards, I had no idea if he was any good,” recalled the Maryland event’s competition director, Joanie Morris, who owned the gelding after getting him through Archie and Michelle St. George of St. George Sales in Lexington. Ky.

“He was beautifully bred but he came off the track and really struggled in my front field for awhile.”

When Joanie sent him to David, she said, “`Just pay me a little bit when you sell him.’ And now, many years later, he hasn’t sold him, he’s a 5-star horse and I don’t have any money.

“Probably, technically, I still own him,” she mused. Asked if she’d really sell the horse to David for $1, Joanie chuckled and said, “I think he needs to come to the negotiating table,” then quickly added, “It’s all in good humor.”

After watching Phelps handle the demanding course, Joanie declared, “He was awesome You never know the ones that are going to end up being stars. He wasn’t the one I expected.”

David, for his part, was reported to have tears in his eyes as he watched the performance.

Mia was discovered by David during a clinic he gave in California six years ago. When he learned she was considering giving up on riding, he invited her to come East and work with him and Karen. It was only supposed to be for three months, but something clicked and she stayed on.

Discussing Phelps on Friday, David remembered at the beginning, he was a three-year-old who “just lived outside for years.”

Since then, “It’s been a fun project. He just keeps getting better and better. Mia has done a fabulous job, she’s the only one who has ever competed him.”

David looked around at the showgrounds and seemed almost surprised at what Phelps is doing.

“So here we are. It’s not something I ever expected and never thought he would get this far. He tries his heart out; he’s a wonderful personality to be around,” David said.

Of Mia, he commented, “She’s a very good horsewoman. It’s been a great partnership with the two of them.”

Mia has been riding the 10-year-old since he was four, and sees it as a long-term relationship.

On land or water, Phelps kept up a good gallop for Mia Farley. (Photo © 2023 by Nancy Jaffer)

“I’d never ridden a thoroughbred before him. It was different,” said Mia, who came from a show jumping barn on the West Coast.

While warmbloods dominate the eventing scene these days, David confessed, “I love thoroughbreds. He’s a funny horse, but so smart. To watch him gallop across a field is a blast, because he’s very fast.”

As everyone found out on cross-country day.

Only 14 horses, a little more than half of the original field of 26, will jump on Sunday. Piggy March, who led on the first day of dressage and was fifth after cross-country, withdrew Brookfield Cavalier Cruise from the hold box during the horse inspection before show jumping.

Like Boyd, Phillip Dutton was eliminated for a fall after he came off Azure; three other horses were eliminated and one, Jennie Brannigan’s Twilightslastgleam, withdrew.  Arielle Aharoni, another first-time 5-star rider, didn’t have luck on her side. She pulled up Dutch Times two fences from the finish, and he was taken to New Bolton Center for diagnosis.

EquiRatings has Oliver as a 68 percent favorite to win. The last 9-year-old to win a 5-star was Oslo, ridden by William Fox-Pitt in 2011, (who also won Blenheim in the same year.) The only other 9-year-old to win a 5-star in the last 15 years was the legendary La Biosthetique Sam in 2009, under the guidance of Michael Jung of Germany.

In the 3-star Long, also presented by Brown Advisory, Caroline Pamukcu has stayed in front with HSH Conor on 25.4 penalties, ahead of Lauren Nicholson with 28.6 on Larcot Z.

Click here for the 5-star results

Click here for the 3-star results

Babington benefit show is now a special tradition

by Nancy Jaffer | Aug 30, 2023

It’s been five years since show jumper Kevin Babington suffered a catastrophic fall in a grand prix, but his friends haven’t forgotten the paralyzed Olympian.

On October 1, they will hold what has become an annual benefit horse show, a fixture that debuted a few weeks after his 2019 accident. Not only did Kevin’s life change the instant he hit the ground, but it also upended the lives of his wife, Dianna, and the couple’s teenage daughters, Gwyneth and Marielle.

“Kevin was the primary breadwinner,” explained Dianna, who immediately had to step up with her girls to fill the gap in their business, care for her husband and learn about a host of medical issues and how to handle them.

Dianna Babington at the 2020 benefit show at Duncraven. (Photo © 2020 by Nancy Jaffer)

In a different existence that suddenly was filled with doctors, hospitals and an immobilized husband, the mission is always the same.

“It’s been a nightmare. We’re trying to survive,” she said.

“I feel like this accident derailed everybody. It’s been tough. It’s very hard for us to make ends meet,” she observed, noting insurance does not cover everything needed, so the benefit show “kind of closed the gap for us.”

Kevin suffered a contusion to the spinal cord as a result of hyperextending his neck in the fall. The vertebrae hit the spinal cord, causing damage; it was a stretch and concussion injury from vertebra C3 to C5, which involves the diaphragm and mobility.

Friends recognized the immediate need for funds after Kevin’s accident, and went about setting up the show on short notice.

“It was sort of an emergency, we needed to do something for Kevin, he had just gotten hurt. Then we said, `We might have to do it again next year,’ and here we are. This is year five,” said Nancy Wallis, who course designs and co-manages the benefit with Jennifer Cassidy.

It is held at Duncraven in Titusville, N.J., a stable where Kevin once ran his business. When the Stout family took over Duncraven and refurbished it last year, they offered the venue free of charge for the show, as previous owner Tim Fedor had done.

Kevin is special, which explains why he hasn’t been forgotten, even though he’s no longer competing.

“You know people in your lifetime and you think they’re great and it goes on,” said Nancy.

“But once this happened to Kevin, we found out how many people he had touched.”

She described his kindness, noting, “He would always help, walk the course with you, or say, `Watch this turn from fence 6 to 7, it’s a little tight.’ He was so generous with his information and knowledge. He wasn’t trying to make anything off it, it was just genuine help.”

And now people are returning the favor.

Everything for the benefit is donated; the labor of the organizers, officials and volunteers, as well as raffle items, so the show has no costs that would cut down on the money raised.

“The only check we write is to the medic,” noted Nancy.

Kevin has never lost hope that some new development will give him a better quality of life and he keeps working at physical therapy. He’s game to participate in clinical trials and appreciates it when friends let him know about possible new treatments. Olympic gold medalist Rodrigo Pessoa, for instance, recently called one new study in Lucerne, Switzerland, to his attention.

“There’s a lot in the works. I put my name in for all those things, to see if I can get into one of the studies,” said Kevin.

“I definitely have some hope.”

But following what Marielle, now 17, and Gwyneth, 20, achieve in the sport, “that’s the thing that keeps me going.”

Kevin watches the riders in his ring in Loxahatchee, Fla., from his wheelchair on the back porch of his home. Understandably, he’s proud of the efforts of his wife and daughters, calling the girls “really good teachers” in what has become “a family business.”

He does a lot of mentoring, and Dianna noted he “still has a great eye. There’s a place for him in the industry.”

When Kevin is needed for consultations, he goes down to the barn to lend expertise, and is active on Facetime for those seeking his opinion. In the past, the native of Ireland has helped with selection of the Irish team for the Olympics. Kevin, who tied for fourth in the 2004 Olympics, continues to watch the Nations Cups via the internet to stay current.

Kevin jumping at Hickstead.

When the horse shows are going on in Wellington, a few minutes from Loxahatchee, he can often be found at ringside, helping his girls and offering advice to anyone who needs it, along with a friendly chat.

As Nancy noted, “he never mentions himself. It’s always, `What are you doing, what horse shows have you been to, where are you going next?’ He’s a forward thinker, for sure.”

Paralyzed from mid-chest down, he has had some subtle improvements in terms of what he can feel here and there on his body, but none are “life-changing improvements,” as his wife put it.

While his right arm has gotten stronger and he can bring it up almost up to his nose, his fingers are not strong enough to hold a fork, which would enable him to feed himself.

Kevin at the 2004 Olympics, where he tied for fourth. (Photo © 2004 by Nancy Jaffer)

Still, she said, “there have been some blessings.”

He can laugh, even in the midst of chronic pain; he can clear his throat a little bit and his voice is stronger than it used to be.

“I never hear him complain,” Diana mentioned, “He hasn’t given up.”

The couple knows that medical science is always making strides.

“I’m hopeful something will break at some point. I hope it’s during his lifetime,” Dianna said.

Meanwhile, Kevin is grateful for the benefit show, and those who are putting it on.

“For the local people to come out and still support is just incredible, and even for the new owners of Duncraven to step up and offer their place is just wonderful. I miss that area.”

“The horse community is amazing,” he added.

Dianna mentioned $30,000 was raised by last year’s show. That’s a remarkable amount, considering the show was practically rained out and only ran some classes in the indoor ring as the monsoon came down outside it. Extending a raffle through the next weekend helped bring in more contributions.

Kevin has always had enthusiastic fans.

This year, fundraising strategies include bareback “Ride a buck” classes.

“Kevin was a big bareback rider,” Nancy pointed out.

Kids who participate will put $5 under their knee. The last one to keep the bill in place will be the winner and enjoy a 50/50 split, with Kevin’s trust keeping half the money and the winner keeping half (unless they want to donate it). The adults will ride with $10 bills under their knees.

The third jumper class of each division is a 50/50 stakes class. Entry fees go in the pot, with half to the winner.

Volunteers are needed who can help set up for the show, as well as working the day it runs. They should contact Nancy at (908) 256-3386. Donation of raffle items also is being sought. Julie Koveloski is in charge of that at (609) 439-8983 or email jroslowski@yahoo.com.  Items raffled in the past have included gift cards, mini-jumps (for kids), air vests and photo sessions, but there are always gift baskets and a variety of offerings.

People who can’t make it to the show but want to donate may give to the Kevin Babington Trust, which goes directly to him for a variety of crushing expenses that never stop cropping up. Checks may be sent to Kevin at 13254 Casey Road, Loxahatchee, Fla. 33470.

Those looking for a tax deduction with their contribution can donate to the Kevin Babington Foundation, a 501(c)3 which provides support not only to Kevin, but also to other show jumpers who have suffered spinal injuries. It helps pay for aides, which enables Dianna and the girls to keep working. Its mission for those seeking help also includes outfitting vehicles for transportation and remodeling to make homes suitable for the disabled, but does not contribute toward daily expenses.