Photo credit: Jim Barnes
Erin Sylvester and Paddy the Caddy ended their long history of competing at Fair Hill in style winning The Dutta Corp./USEF CCI4*-L Eventing National Championship. Joining her in the victory circle was Woods Baughman aboard C'est La Vie 135 as The Dutta Corp./USEF CCI3*-L Eventing National Champions.
Sylvester (Cochranville, PA) and Paddy the Caddy, Frank McEntee's 12-year-old Irish Thoroughbred gelding, rode to the win in the CCI4*-L with a final score of 34.30. In addition to the national championship title, the combination took home the Fair Hill Trophy as the overall winner, the Guy V. Henry Memorial Trophy and the United States Equestrian Team (USET) Foundation Gladstone Trophy, awarded to the highest-placed U.S athlete in the CCI4* and the Beale Wright Morris Memorial Trophy as the highest-placed lady rider.
The USEF also provided a The Dutta Corp. flight to Sylvester. "I'd love to get Paddy to Burghley at some point in time," she said.
“He felt a little bit tired, but he has endless heart to do the best he can when he's in the ring," said Sylvester. "It's been my goal to get this event done and done well for a while now. We've hit a few bumps in the road during the season, so it was great to put that all behind us and have a good weekend."
With the CCI5* on the horizon, Sylvester said, "It's special to have the finish that we've had this year, but I'm honestly going to be really, really sad. I was thinking about that the whole weekend," said Sylvester. "This was the first two-star that I did a long time ago. I love this event-it's a local event for us. It pulls the whole community together. I'm excited to see what the future holds on the other side of the road."
Mia Farley (San Juan, CA) rode away as the Reserve Champion in the CCI4*-L aboard BGS Firecracker, her nine-year-old Irish Sport Horse mare. The young rider scaled the leaderboard after each phase to end on a 38.3 and bring home the Markham Trophy, presented to the highest placed U.S. young rider in the CCI4*-L.
“Overall I had so much fun all week. I feel incredibly lucky to be here," said Farley. "Coming from California, it's always been a goal of mine to come to Fair Hill and experience the track and I never would've thought that I'd finish as well as I did. I'm lucky to have my horse."
Farley also rode in the CCI3*-L and was the recipient of The John H. Fritz Trophy as the National Champion in the USEF Young Rider Eventing National Championship with Fernhill Fine Diamond, Charlotte Zovighian's 11-year-old Irish Sport Horse mare, with a score of 36.80. This USEF National Championship is awarded in the CCI3*-L to the highest-placed U.S. competitor who is between 16 and 21 years of age during the current competition year. Reserve Champion in the Young Rider Division was awarded to Abigail Niles (Sherborn, MA.) and Carrick Finest Lad, her 11-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding. They finished on a score of 38.80.
Rounding out the top three in the national four star championship, Jenny Caras (Cartersville, GA) piloted her and the Fernhill Fortitude Syndicate's Fernhill Fortitude, a 15 year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding, to an exciting third-place finish. The pair sky-rocketed up the leaderboard after a dramatic cross-country phase and a double clear show-jumping round to end on her dressage score of 40.0.
Winner of The Dutta Corp./USEF CCI3*-L Eventing National Championship, Woods Baughman (Lexington, KY) and C'est La Vie 135, the 17.2-hand Hanoverian gelding owned by Kim and Jay Baughman, were the recipients of the USEF Combined Training Trophy. They ended on their dressage score of 27.6 and took home the Heartwood Perpetual Trophy, awarded to the overall winner of the CCI3*-L division.
"I was so happy when we finally made it over the last rail," said Baughman. "I can breathe for the first time since yesterday. He was a little tired this morning but then I took him out and rode him first thing and he immediately snapped back to and gave me everything he had. When I got on him this afternoon, he was just right there with me and ready to put it down."
Finishing her weekend as Reserve Champion in the CCI3*-L Eventing National Championship and third in the CCI3*-L Eventing Three-Day on her dressage score of 29.8, was Caitlin Silliman (Swarthmore, PA) and the eight-year-old Trakehner Ally KGO owned by the McCue Family and Q-Brook Stables. The mare by Hirtentanz *E* competed in the YEH Championships at Fair Hill a few years ago.
“She was great. You never really know when you are bringing them up the level to their first really tough one," said Silliman. "She was good yesterday and the weather was great, so we had that in our favor. The rain was tough today because it makes the tack a bit slippery, but it did cool out so that keeps them fresh."
Silliman spent the week tied throughout the competition with fellow competitor Holly Payne Caravella (Oldwick, NJ) and CharmKing, the eight year-old Holsteiner gelding owned by the CharmKing LLC, till the last jump. Silliman finished closest to the optimum time, 8:46, on Derek di Graza's cross-country course. Silliman completed the course in 8:45 to break the tie.
Reserve Champion of CCI3*-L, riding for Canada, Olympic veteran Colleen Loach (Dunham, QC) and Peter Barry's Vermont, the seven-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding, stood in podium position all week to end on their dressage score of 28.6. Loach was the recipient of The Palmaccio Trophy which is presented to the leading foreign rider in the CCI3*-L division.
Young Horse Championships
Winning the USEF Young Horse Eventing National Championship and taking home the Jonathan R. Burton Trophy, Maya Black (Clinton, WA) and Miks Master C, Laurie Cameron's seven-year-old Swedish Warmblood stallion, competed in the CCI3*-L, ending the competition with a top ten finishing on a final score of 36.0. Reserve Champion went to Alyssa Peterson (Waldorf, MD) and R-Perfect Storm, Margaret Peterson's seven-year-old Oldenburg mare, with a top 20 finish on a score of 40.0. The USEF Young Horse Eventing National Championship is awarded to the owner of the highest-placed U.S. six- or seven-year-old in the CCI3*-L division.
The Mid-Atlantic Horse Rescue Trophy was awarded to Fibber and Molly, the eight-year-old Thoroughbred mare, owned and ridden by Chris Talley (Jefferson, VA), as the highest-placed American Thoroughbred. The combination finished on a score of 49.2.
Young Event Horse Champions
With 70 percent of the scores coming from the second day of the USEA Young Event Horse (YEH) East Coast Championships, the 4- and 5-year-olds were judged over a set of show jumps (15 percent) then moved directly into the cross-country portion (30 percent) before finally showing off their gallop and earning an overall score for their jumping (15 percent) and general impression (10 percent).
Alyssa Phillips’ FE Celestino earned a perfect 30 on his cross-country efforts – the only horse to do so across both classes. The 5-year-old Mecklenburg gelding was ridden by Jennie Brannigan to win the East Coast Champion title on an 88.78.
Just a hair’s breadth behind FE Celestino was Not Ours who finished on an 88.74 to earn the Reserve Champion title as well as the Born in America Award, The American Thoroughbred Award, and The Jockey Club Thoroughbred Incentive Program Award. The Thoroughbred mare, owned by Nicole Scherrer and ridden by Erin Sylvester, raced seven times and earned $12,000 before she developed a wind problem and was sent to auction at New Holland.
“[Scherrer] found her in the kill pen at New Holland as a 2-year-old,” explained Sylvester. “She has done a lot of the training herself. [Not Ours] is a very kind and trainable horse. I have taken over riding her mostly for the last year. She is really quality. I am excited to see what she does after this.”
With the highest general impression score of all the 5-year-olds – a 9.40 – Betterthanexpected earned himself third place and a total score of 88.4.
The Safe Harbor Award, presented to the young horse who consistently exhibits the most graceful and rider-friendly performance throughout the competition, was awarded to Va Voom, Matthew Bryner’s Holsteiner.
Excel Star Time To Shine shot up to the top of the 4-year-old class with his enormous general impression score – a 9.6 out of a possible 10. The Irish Sport Horse gelding earned a total of 91.3 to finish with the highest score of the day.
The overnight leader, Double Diamond C, slipped just one place to finish as reserve champion. Laurie Cameron’s homebred Hanoverian gelding finished on an 88.22. Hannah Moor, Jane Dudinsky’s homebred Holsteiner mare, took third on an 87.43 with Doug Payne riding.