Woods Baughman’s Lead Holds Going into Cross Country

Hannah Sue Hollberg Takes Over the Top in USEF CCI3*-L Eventing National Championship

Elkton, Cecil County, Maryland – October 14, 2022 – Competitors in the final dressage tests of the MARS Maryland 5 Star at Fair Hill presented by Brown Advisory gave it their all on Friday, but none could quite catch Woods Baughman’s (USA) Thursday score of 27.2 aboard his, Kim Baughman and James Baughman, Jr.’s 14-year-old Hanoverian gelding C’est La Vie 135.

The MARS Maryland 5 Star at Fair Hill presented by Brown Advisory, one of only two 5 Star level equestrian events of its kind in the United States and just the seventh worldwide, returns to the Fair Hill Special Event Zone in Cecil County, MD, October 13-16. The event’s prestigious 5 Star (CCI5*-L) designation is the pinnacle of the Olympic sport of Eventing, often described as an equestrian triathlon.

In addition to the 5 Star competition (CCI5*-L), the event also features a 3 Star competition (CCI3*-L), which serves as the USEF CCI3*-L Eventing National Championship, and The Dutta Corp. USEA Young Event Horse East Coast Championships presented by Dubarry of Ireland. The four days of eventing competition feature Dressage (Thu-Fri), Cross-Country (Sat) showcasing Ian Stark-designed courses, and Show Jumping (Sun).

Save for Baughman’s spot at the top, many placings shifted across the leaderboard on Friday, including the top three. Although this is his mount’s first 5 Star event, World #1 Tim Price (NZL) presented Jean-Louis Stauffer’s 10-year-old Selle Français stallion Coup De Coeur Dudevin almost flawlessly. The pair took over second place with a score of 27.4.

“I believe in my horse’s ability, and it’s great fun to come over here,” Price said. “This is a fantastic event. I’m really excited for Ian Stark’s course this year and the way he’s changed it up. It’s big; it’s serious; it’s got some decent questions that we’ve never quite seen. Ian has his own brand of cross-country design, and that’s very exciting. You know that all of us 5 Star riders and our horses are going to give it a good go.”

Allie Knowles (USA) now rounds out the top three, having earned a third-place score of 28.8 with Katherine O’Brien’s Morswood, a 14-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding she has been partnered with for four years.

“He’s got a lot of personality,” Knowles said. “He’s an excellent cross-country horse who just enjoys every minute of it. That was a great fit for me when Katherine O’Brien bought him, since I wouldn’t be the most aggressive cross-country rider. I love dressage and working on showjumping. To have a horse like him complements my riding very well, so the last few years have just been a steady progression of building our confidence and strength. This is our second year at the 5 Star level. I have complete faith in him, and I think he has complete faith in me. It makes every event fun and something to look forward to.”

The USEF CCI3*-L Eventing National Championship dressage phase also concluded in the morning with several changes on the leaderboard. Hannah Sue Hollberg (USA) has taken over the top spot with a score of 26.0 aboard Christa Schmidt’s Capitol HIM.

“He’s a really special horse,” Hollberg said of the 15-year-old Holsteiner gelding. “He came from Germany for Christa Schmidt to ride herself. She worked with him for a little while, but he can be a bit hot and horse shy when other horses canter at him. I was lucky enough to take over the ride a few years ago.

“He’s a big teddy bear,” she added. “He’s the sweetest horse in the world. He has such a cool confidence, and he loves his job. He’ll do anything for me. The harder and stronger I ride him, the better he does, and I think that definitely showed today.”

Fellow Americans Elisa Wallace and Cassie Sanger have moved into second and third, respectively. Wallace rode Renkum Corsair, the Corsair Syndicate’s 12-year-old Anglo-European gelding, to a score of 26.4. Sanger piloted Nina Sanger’s 14-year-old Anglo-European gelding Fernhill Zoro to a score of 26.6.

All eyes are on Saturday’s cross-country phase, which will feature jumps going through the Main Arena and familiar sights such as the Fair Hill International Drop and crab-themed MARS Sustainability Bay.

“The most important thing for me this year was moving the start and finish,” said course designer Ian Stark. “Last year, I still wasn’t quite sure how everyone would handle the terrain. Some horses finished with a good gallop, and some horses were pretty tired. For me, this year’s whole flow is better. It’s allowed me to keep a good 5 Star track all the way through. It’s still technically difficult, of course, but my goal is always to get our athletes home.”

The Dutta Corp. USEA Young Event Horse (YEH) East Coast Championships presented by Dubarry of Ireland concluded with awards for the 5-year-old division in the Main Arena following the 5 Star dressage. Three-time U.S. Olympian Boyd Martin piloted Patricia Luttgen’s Trakehner Sky Moon to top honors. Michael Pendleton of Waynesboro, VA, rode Kara Angulo’s Holsteiner Adorrado into second place, with Gabby Dickerson of Free Union, VA, and Mackenzie Lea’s Hanoverian Top Carrera finishing third.

Results