Ian Stark is as intense as the cross-country course he has designed for the first Maryland 5-Star event at Fair Hill. It will be tested tomorrow afternoon by a top international field of competitors who have talked about little else at the venue except the route he laid out on the undulating acreage of the Fair Hill Natural Resources Center.
“If you see someone walking about with a green face, it’s me,” he predicted.
In his riding days, Ian noted, his pre-cross-country sick stomach would vanish as soon as he got on a horse. But as a designer, he knows “it doesn’t go away until the last horse is home safely.”
The Scotsman, who liked to show up in a kilt for the horse inspection when he was competing at the top level, was an Olympic multi-medalist for Great Britain. At age 67, he now is as admired for his course designing as he was for his riding, but Fair Hill is his first 5-star. (He also has done the more lenient course for the 3-star, which is being held in the morning.)
His concern for the horses and riders is such that he lies awake rethinking what he has created before anyone jumps it. He recounted that one sleepless night in Britain, he felt the need to amend a fence for safety’s sake, calling the course builder to come out at 4 a.m. and fix it.
The Fair Hill fences are inventive, especially the Maryland Crab water complex at number 15 that features a drop of nearly two meters into the drink for horses after they jump over a carving of the iconic local crustacean. Then there’s the roller coaster, though in an effort not to scare the horses, he dispensed with the idea of having mannequins hanging upside down in the carriages. Most amusing are the keyhole owls, a double of 65-degree corners made of brush.
Ian Stark in his kilt for the horse inspection at Rolex Kentucky 2007. (Photo © 2007 by Nancy Jaffer)
Ian admits to a penchant for timber racing as a spectator, not a rider (Fair Hill has a history of it), which was the inspiration for the uphill rails at 13 AB. World number one eventer Oliver Townend of Great Britain, who continued to lead the 5-star field at the end of today’s dressage, said that type of fence hadn’t been seen on a cross-country course in 35 or 40 years.
The prospect of what everyone is calling a “meaty” cross-country course is what lured Tim Price of New Zealand and his wife, Jonnelle, to Maryland from their base in England. Tim, second on Xavier Faer, and Jonelle,16th with Classic Moet, were looking for the type of 5-star test that suited their horses.
‘With no Burghley (cancelled for the second year in a row), and France’s, Pau 5-star dismissed as “flat and fast” Tim said about Ian’s route, “We believe this is a true cross-country test.”
Of the new event, he said, “It feels like it’s going have its own brand of 5-star. It’ s not like another 5-star, which is just brilliant.”
Tim collected 24.3 penalties, unable to catch Oliver (21.1 penalties) due to a flying change issue.He explained his horse can get “discombobulated,” but at least he is improving on the flying change front.He used to get one of four changes in the test; now Tim is happy he gets three of four..
Tim Price and Xavier Faer. (Photo © 2021 by Lawrence J. Nagy)
Interestingly, Tim and Oliver finished 1-2 at the Land Rover Kentucky 5-star in April, though Oliver was on Ballaghmor Class, rather than Cooley Master Class, his Fair Hill mount.
We’re looking at a Kentucky rematch, especially since the USA’s Boyd Martin, fourth at the spring 5-star with On Cue, was third with her today, having polished his test to the level of 25 penalties.
Calling the dressage “a work in progress,” Boyd said of On Cue, “I was really happy with her. She’s everything you dream of in a horse. She’s flamboyant, she’s extravagant, a real lady.”
Boyd Martin and On Cue. (Photo © 2021 by Lawrence J. Nagy)
Living in Pennsylvania just 20 minutes from Fair Hill, he is understandably enthusiastic about having a new event in his backyard.
Asked about the character of the facility in the Fair Hill Event Zone, he said, “It’s a bit different. Everything feels pretty close, where in Kentucky, you feel like everyone’s above you.
“It’s a great ring, beautiful footing, fantastic set-up with the spectators.”
Of the cross-country course, which he called, “horrendously difficult,” he contended, “It’s big time. I think even the best horse and best rider could slip up somewhere. It’s really going to determine the competition. No need to get too wound up about the dressage scores today,” Boyd pointed out with a grin.
Zara Tindall attracted a lot of attention on Class Affair, and not just because her white-legged chestnut is an eye-catcher. Zara is the daughter of Mark Phillips (who was ringside) and his ex-wife, Princess Anne of Great Britain. But her credentials are far more than that; she is a former World and European eventing champion.
Zara Tindall and Class Affair. (Photo © 2021 by Nancy Jaffer)
“Is she Queen Elizabeth’s granddaughter?” one eager white-haired gentlemen asked when he spied her warming up for her dressage test.
Zara is incredibly gracious. Even when she was in a hurry to watch fellow Brit Harry Meade compete, she agreed to posing for a photo with a persistent young man who had requested a picture.
Zara Tindall and Class Affair. (Photo © 2021 by Lawrence J. Nagy)
Known for her cross-country acumen, Zara is 15th on 30.4 penalties, but could move up after Saturday afternoon. Class Affair is not an easy ride. Zara spotted him as a 7-year-old, and five years later, she still has work to do.
“His trot work is good and then he just gets ahead of himself. He’s getting there and he’s had a year of doing absolutely nothing.” She said he could have done with,a big test.
Oliver was on hand to give her tips, and emphasized “being positive in your test,” she noted.
“He’s very good at that, and that’s how you get the top marks.”
She said the horse “is getting better and better each year,” despite the lack of work.
“He’s got loads of talent but his brain kind of overtakes it all. But he’s great fun and a great jumper. He’s just very talented. He can do it all. You just have to manage him. He’s a really good jumper and he loves to gallop. He’s brave and all those things you need in an event horse.”
She’d like to get to Burghley and Badminton next year and see how it goes.
“He’s a great 5-star horse. Whether or not his brain is good enough for championships, I don’t know,” she replied when I asked whether she is aiming for the 2023 World Championships or the 2024 Paris Olympics.
About the cross-country at Fair Hill, she said her biggest concern is “my fitness. I think he’ll be okay.” Noting “there’s a lot do do” on the route, she added, “Hopefully I’m fit enough and I won’t need oxygen when I get off.”
For 5-star dressage results, click here
