Boyd Martin and On Cue. Photo by Jenni Autry.
Boyd Martin and Christine Turner’s On Cue clinched the mare’s second CCI2* win of the season today with a super clear show jumping round at Fair Hill International. On Cue completed on her dressage score of 23.7 to take the Dutta Corp/USEF National CCI2* Championship.
“She’s very elegant,” Boyd said. “She’s got a great gallop and a brilliant jump. I’m looking forward to having her here next year in the CCI3*. … We’re very grateful that Tim Dutta backs this event. I’m sure the cost of putting on an event like this far exceeds the amount they get from entry fees. I think this event produces horses for American teams.”
Boyd also won the Dutta Corp/USEF National CCI3* Reserve Championship today with The Long Island T Syndicate’s Long Island T, and he quickly scooted out of the press conference to catch a plane to France. We wish him the best of luck as he competes Steady Eddie at Les Etoiles de Pau CCI4* this week!
Emily Beshear and Olney Uncle Sam. Photo by Jenni Autry.
Emily Beshear and Jennifer Ward’s Olney Uncle Sam also jumped a clear round over Marc Donovan’s show jumping course to win the Dutta Corp/USEF National CCI2* Reserve Championship on their dressage score of 26.8.
“Sam tends to be careful in the show jumping,” Emily said. “Every now and then he can get a little too casual and relaxed, but it helped me today that the wind was blowing. It kept him a bit more aware of the jumps. He was bred not far from here, so his breeder (Ami Howard) was here watching. It felt like it was meant to be for him to be successful today.”
Will Faudree and Jennifer Mosing’s Michel 233 delivered a lovely clear round to finish in third place on their dressage score of 28.3. “Mikey” won the Bundeschampionate in Germany as a 5-year-old. After a green performance at Fair Hill last year, Will took a step back this season to focus on getting the horse stronger.
“I had the Fair Hill CCI2* as the end goal for this year to give him time to get stronger and mature,” Will said. “I couldn’t have been happier with him all weekend. He is tough in the show jumping, so I knew I had to go in and be very accurate and get him to the right spots and keep the canter active without getting long. I was thrilled when he jumped clean.”
Will was beaming ear-to-ear after show jumping and added: “It’s fun to be in a press conference at Fair Hill on Sunday. I haven’t been here since 2005, so it’s kind of nice to be back!” (We were delighted to have Will back!)
Will Faudree and Michel 233. Photo by Jenni Autry.
Allie Knowles and Katherine O’Brien’s Morswood added just 0.4 time penalties to their dressage score throughout the competition and rose from 23rd to finish fourth on 31.0.
Mia Farley received The John H. Fritz Trophy as the highest placed young rider in the CCI2* division with her own BGS Firecracker, who added 2.0 cross country time penalties to her dressage score to finish fifth on 31.9.
The Mid-Atlantic Horse Rescue Trophy was awarded to The Sea of Clouds Partnership’s Sea of Clouds, ridden by Phillip Dutton, as the highest placed American Thoroughbred. “Socs,” who last raced in 2014, also won the USEF Young Horse National Championship as the highest placed 6- or 7-year-old horse in the CCI2*. The OTTB gelding finished sixth on his dressage score of 32.2.
Matt Brown and Alexa Gartenberg’s Big Berry also delivered a clear show jumping round to finish seventh on 33.3.
Tim Bourke and Carla Abramcheck’s Quality Time won EN’s Biggest Mover Award in the CCI2*, climbing up from 35th after dressage to finish eighth on their dressage score of 33.4.
Sydney Conley Elliott and Carol Stephens’s QC Diamantaire jumped a lovely clear show jumping round to finish ninth on 35.6.
Jan Byyny and her own Volcan de Caverie — who actually has springs instead of legs — delivered an impressive clear show jumping round to finish 10th on a final score of 35.9.
Click here to view final scores from the CCI2*. Go Eventing.
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