Winter 2022/2023 Issue

EAST COAST EQUESTRIAN Winter 2022/2023 Page 21 By Marty Bauman, MD 5 Star Olympic veterans and first- time 5 Star horses from three countries were the ones to beat for the show jumping finale of the 2022 MARS Maryland 5 Star at Fair Hill presented by Brown Ad- visory. In the end, World #1 Tim Price (NZL) jumped clear aboard Jean-Louis Stauffer’s 10-year-old Selle Français stallion Coup De Coeur Dudevin to take top hon- ors, with a score of 28.2. Tim Price, ranked first in the world, made the trip from New Zealand to Cecil County, MD worthwhile with his win in the second annual MARS Maryland 5 Star. Shown on the four mile long cross country course, Price finished ahead of US silver medalist Tamie Smith and last year’s reserve champion Oliver Townend of Great Britain. Photo credit: Shannon Brinkman Photography World #1 Tim Price of New Zealand Captures Second Maryland 5 Star Like Price, second-place finisher Tamie Smith (USA) added only time faults to her score aboard Ruth Bley’s 13-year-old Hanove- rian gelding Danito, but her final score of 29.8 kept them just 0.1 ahead of World #3 Oliver Townend (GBR). Townend finished in third place with his dressage score of 29.9, riding John Peace’s 11-year- old Spanish gelding As Is. Course designer Ken Krome (USA) pre- sented them with a difficult 16-ef- fort, 1.30m track which produced only five double-clear rounds on Sunday, October 16. The top trio finished the competition in the order they were ranked after cross country. Price and Coup De Coeur Dude [1] vin moved into the lead following Saturday’s cross-country phase. The two-time Olympic veteran was faultless around the horse’s first 5 Star track to maintain their dressage score of 27.4. Tamie Smith, U.S. Team Silver medalist at this summer’s FEI Eventing World Champion- ships, moved into second place with a double-clear cross-country round, maintaining their dressage score of 29.4. Oliver Townend was close behind on his dressage score of 29.9. The event, one of only two 5 Star level equestrian events held in the United States and just the seventh worldwide, returned to the Fair Hill Special Event Zone in Cecil County, MD, October 13-16. Also featured were the 3 Star competition (CCI3*-L), which served as the USEF CCI3*-L Eventing National Championship, and The Dutta Corp. USEAYoung Event Horse East Coast Championships. Not far behind the top three were Americans Phillip Dutton and Jennie Brannigan, who also had double-clear show jumping rounds. Dutton piloted his Tokyo Olympic partner Z into fourth place with their dressage score of 30.5; Brannigan moved into fifth place on her dressage score of 31.5 aboard Nina and Tim Gardner’s FE Lifestyle. “I’m very proud of Coup De Coeur Dudevin,” Price said. “In fact, I think all three of these top horses are incredible. I came in hoping that I would have a top-five finish, but I ex- pected there would be a couple of things that showed his lack of experience. Luckily, we were able to do that while keeping a nice, low score. “For my round, there was a lot of pressure,” he added. “But you just stay focused on the job. To build up the rhythm before the start was the most important part of it. He’s got a really long stride, which was more evident today than in some of the other show jumping rounds I’ve had, but he really turned himself inside-out for me. He really im- pressed me, and I’m very excited about him.” “It has not been the fairytale year that you might think,” said Smith. “California in my area was infected with EHV this win- ter. I got out of there right before that and went east, but then I promptly broke my ankle and tore all the ligaments in it. I could just see my dreams kind of fading away. I didn’t think I’d be in contention for the World Champi- onships, but I also wouldn’t take no for an answer. “These guys are legends in the sport, and it’s an honor to be up here with them,” she added. “My horse had broken his wither on top of everything else, so to have the fall season that I’ve had from Pratoni on has been really special.” “I’m obviously delighted with As Is,” Townend said. “He belongs to my new job at Caunton with the Peace family. It’s the first time I’ve had a job since I was 21, so delivering these results to the (Continued on page 26)