Classic Eventing Nation

Tim Price and Coup de Coeur Dudevin. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Newly-named FEI world #1 Tim Price has his pre-cross country routine down to a T — top athletes in the making, take note here: the key to success lies in a sack of McDonald’s, maybe a beer or two, and a nice, mellow listen to the good ol’ Jack Johnson playlist on Spotify. You heard it here first, everyone.

Whatever the merits of that routine, something certainly is ticking on all cylinders for the Kiwi rider fresh off the podium, and despite the relative ease of the time once more this year — more on that later — Tim finds himself now atop the board on the first-time 5* horse Coup de Coeur Dudevin (Top Gun Semilly – Tiebreak Combehory).

At just 10 years old, with only one 4*-L under his belt in his short partnership with Tim, “Joker” has come onto the job quickly and surely showed his growing prowess by adding no penalties to his dressage mark of 27.4 to move into second overnight. The door had been opened when dressage leader Woods Baughman had some rideability issues on course that led to jumping penalties, dropping him out of competitive contention.

It’s a big trip to come across the pond — no less for a horse’s debut at the 5* level. But Tim says he’s believed in his horse to this point and knew the time was ripe to ask him the next question. What he’s left with?

“Vindicated,” Tim says. After all, you don’t know if you’ve got a 5* horse under you until, well, you’re out and over that first fence. At the high water, the MARS Sustainability Bay at fence 23 and 24, Tim said he felt his horse show his fifth leg — the marker of a true 5* horse, he says.

“The water at the top, with the crab, was where he grew another leg and used his own initiative, and made a much better decision than me to get the job done,” Tim said. “That’s the mark of a top event horse in general, that they think for themselves — especially at that stage of the course, at nine minutes or something, that he’s still able to have the presence of mind to make a good decision and then stay upright, and stay on his feet, and then keep thinking forward and ahead of himself. So I’m really pleased — he’s vindicated all the reasons I thought it was a good decision to bring him.”

A rider that’s invested so much time, money, and energy to get a first-time horse overseas for its debut has a difficult balance: you want the trip to be worth your (and your owner’s) while, but you want the horse to have a positive first experience. For all three of the top riders today (Tim and Coup de Coeur Dudevin, Tamie Smith and Danito, and Oliver Townend and As Is), their results are a testament not only to the course and ground conditions but also to the discerning nature of each rider to know what to ask, and how hard.

“I mentioned yesterday I was a little bit nervous, like, ‘is it the right thing to bring a horse halfway across the world that lacks experience?’, you know, because it kind of puts it all on the line,” Tim explained. “It’s a lot of investment from the owner and from ourselves. But I’ve always believed in the horse, and today was the perfect occasion for him with good conditions, and a great course that I could just go and try and give him a good education whilst being competitive. So it’s just riding that balance the whole way, but he was exceptional and really jumped beautifully.”

A fun fact: when Coup de Coeur Dudevin first came into the Price program, he was Jonelle’s ride to begin. I had to ask how he’d managed to swipe the ride from her.

“Normally when I get a good one off Jonelle, it’s because I’ve got her pregnant, but I couldn’t do that this time — we’re finished!” Tim joked (what is it with Maryland and the inappropriate jokesters in the press conferences? Lookin’ at you, Boyd Martin. Gosh, guys, get a grip.) “This horse is a big engine — he’s powerful behind. Everything’s going to sound like an innuendo now, isn’t it? She just felt like it wasn’t the horse for her, basically, and that’s part of it all. She’s small built, so she can’t ride every horse — we’re a bit more lucky that we can ride a range of horses. It was a reluctant decision, because she always said that the horse would be a five-star horse; she always rated him. So she let him come over to me.”

Tamie Smith and Danito. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Tamie Smith and Danito‘s (Dancier – Wie Musik, by Wolkenstein II) owner, Ruth Bley, weren’t 100% sure of “Cheeto’s” ability to step up to this level. He also hasn’t had the most ideal lead-up to this event: in January, he had a freak accident in the crossties and wound up breaking his wither (which also took him down a notch in terms of height). Between this and Tamie’s ongoing prep for FEI World Championships, the 13-year-old Hanoverian gelding had a rather light year, running just three events in 2022 leading up to this weekend.

“He’s been low on the on the competition miles this year, so to have him go out and and do that and step up… I was quite nervous because at Rebecca, Ian talked me into coming here with him but you know what, these first time five-star horses you just never know,” Tamie said. “He’s not got a high percentage of blood, and I ride a lot of horses like that, but I don’t really enjoy it. It’s a lot of work from the rider when you’re riding a horse that doesn’t have a lot of puff at the end, but he sure did. I’m super, super happy with him.”

Oliver Townend and As Is. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Third-placed tonight on another first-timer is British Olympian Oliver Townend with the former Andrew Nicholson ride As Is (Meneusekal – Paraca, by Lacros). Despite a slightly hairy moment where the gray Spanish gelding banked fence 5, the Buckeye Nutrition Brush, Oliver said the horse grew and grew in confidence as he went around — in fact, Oliver would collect the fastest round of the day in 11 minutes, 12 seconds.

“He was lovely. He started off baby and grew in confidence as he went. He galloped very easily with his ears pricked; he’s a little bit of a terrier, you know, he’s a character. I enjoyed him a lot, and he’ll definitely have come on for the run as well. I couldn’t have been happier with how my horse grew in confidence, and I think if you’ve got hopefully a good jockey and hopefully a good course, that’s what you should see out of first-time five-star horses. Mine will definitely have come on for the run. He grew in confidence as he went and by the end of it, he felt like a proper five-star horse.”

As Is did come home showing some blood on his belly, just under the girth, but Oliver’s team confirmed that the blood was from either a brush that scraped him or possibly a girth rub, but that the gelding had been seen and cleared by vets and stewards following cross country.

Despite the chatter and the, um, bum-clenching that was happening ahead of this afternoon, Ian Stark’s sophomore design effort yielded mostly completions, save two pairs: Liz Halliday-Sharp and the Monster Partnership’s Cooley Quicksilver sadly retired up at the MARS Sustainability Bay after the tiring gelding ground to a halt atop the bank at fence 24. Our sole rookie pair, Zach Brandt, also retired Direct Advance at fence 9.

In total just three pairs that completed collected jumping penalties: Woods Baughman and C’est La Vie 135 ran into trouble at the C element of fence 24 (in hindsight, Woods said, he should’ve opted to go the long route there), Hayley Frielick and Dunedin Black Watch picked up 20 at 10A, and Astier Nicolas wound up off his line at the second of the corners at 21 and couldn’t quite make it up to collect 20 with Babylon de Gamma.

These issues aside, the track saw 91.6% completion rate with 12 pairs going clear inside the time and 79% of starters jumping clear.

Phillip Dutton and Z. Photo by Amy Dragoo.

The top five still shuffles, though, and looking to fourth place it will be Phillip Dutton and his Tokyo Olympic partner, Z (Asca Z – Bellabouche), owned by The Z Partnership, moving up from 11th after dressage.

“Well, he’s not the fastest horse so I set out quite fast,” Phillip explained, noting like many other riders that the space in between fences allowed him to make up some time. “I was a bit up on time, which was my plan — I was maybe too much up on time. But you know, when you go faster, obviously you’re taking the horse into account. But I trust him so much, and so it’s just a case of trying to point him where to go. He usually figures out how to do it.”

Buck Davidson and Carlevo. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Fifth and mildly annoyed about the two seconds of time he picked up are Buck Davidson with Katherine O’Brien’s Carlevo (Eurocommerce Caresino – Ramatuelle, by Levernois), who finished the closest to the time in his four 5* starts. “He was good,” Buck told me. “I thought I was in big trouble at the top water. And then I just had to give him a bit of a break and he actually galloped home well. He actually came down the drop and the two houses and then he picked up and he ran home and I’m so really happy.”

Buck admits he’d like to have those seconds of time back, but he opted to make a horse-friendly decision at the MARS Sustainability Bay, musing that had he tried to go straight it may have been too big of an ask at that point to get it done with no penalties. “He’s not a Formula One racecar,” he continued. He’s got his his strengths, but, you know, he’s getting faster, and he’s doing it easier.”

Jennie Brannigan and FE Lifestyle. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Jennie Brannigan had herself a day with one horse (FE Lifestyle) in fifth and the other just outside the top 10 in 11th (Twilightslastgleam).

“There were some really short distances out there,” Jennie said after her first ride with the Gardner homebred Thoroughbred Twilightslastgleam. “He tries harder than any other horse every day. We thought that he wouldn’t be a five-star horse, but this year he’s just come into form and I just admire him because he tries his guts out.”

As for the 12-year-old FE Lifestyle (Leo von Faelz – Berina A, by Brandenburger), Jennie says, “he’s a real gem. I’m a little not happy with myself toady, I know with [FE Lifestyle] I could come real slow into something and get out, and I think I did that to him a little bit too much. I made him look a little too hard out there, so I’m sorry to him for that but he was brilliant.”

The course itself drew mixed reviews from the riders. Truth be told, it’s the competitive riders who want to see the time be more difficult to get. But as Ian Stark remarked in the press conference, “I’d rather have ten inside the time than five horses on the floor.” It’s an easy sentiment to get behind, but some riders commented that they would have liked to see more separation of the cream from the crop when the dust settled today.

Harry Meade and Superstition. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Harry Meade, who collected one of the clear rounds inside the time with Mandy Gray’s and his own Superstition (Satisfaction FRH – Calendula), made it clear he wasn’t blaming any one party on his dissatisfaction but described his hopes that the time would be made tighter now that there is more knowledge banked about this terrain.

“I think there’s arguably a preconceived concern, which is unfounded after two years, that it’s very punishing terrain,” he elaborated. “That this is going to be super fatiguing, super tiring, no one’s going to make the time, there’s gonna be lots of tired horses. We don’t want to have tired horses but we do want to test horsemanship and horse ability and that needs tighter time.”

The time was the subject of discussion last year as well, but the general feel from the riders is that the event will grow from here.

“I mean, this was wonderful and galloping,” Harry continued. “A lot of it was like a steeplechase track the whole way up, the gallop up to the main arena, the whole way back from the main arena. And then it was only really the last third way it was more like a normal cross country course. It’s absolutely not a criticism of the track, of the fences, of the design. It’s a beautiful course, beautifully presented, brilliantly designed by one of the top experts in the world. Just too gettable in terms of the time.

“So I think going forward for the event, they can take confidence of the fact that these first two years have been a bit of an asterisk next to the results — that it’s been an unchallenging time, way too much — and hopefully, that allays any concerns that they may have in how they set up the course next year.”

For his part, Ian was pleased. “I think what’s made my day, actually, is the fact that the top three are riding first-time five-star horses,” he noted in the press conference. “The horses are incredibly lucky to have three of the best riders in the world, but they were magnificent in how they coped with the young horses and helped and encouraged them – and, as Tim says, the young horse helped him, too. That, for me, sort of highlights why I do this. It was thrilling to watch.”

Woods Baughman remains admirably positive despite the disappointment of running into control issues again. “We got further around before we had trouble, a least!” he told us. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

“To be honest, I was pretty tight on the walking, and the technical delegates walked it separately – and the three of us were within 20 meters of one another,” Ian said when asked if he would have done differently with this feedback. “So how do you walk it differently? Do you cheat; do you lie? Do you make it tighter than it is? No, is the answer. Various people said to me last year – and it might be the same this year – that it would be a better competition if the time was unobtainable. But for me, if it’s an unobtainable time, there’s no limit to how much we push the horses to go faster. If you can’t make it, it’s too demoralizing long-term for the horses. Can I make it tighter? I’m not sure I can.”

All horses safely back in the barns makes Ian a happy designer, he says. “The reason, this time, is that I’m incredibly lucky here – the terrain is phenomenal, and the ground is phenomenal. I’ve probably very much gone for my philosophy in cross-country riding, which is ride from A to B – not going around in endless demented circles in a field. So I’ve made use of the gallop stretches, and maybe I can look at slowing them down a little bit by putting in slightly more technical questions. That might be something I think about. I loved today, and I’m kind of known as being a bit of a tough bastard sometimes, but this lot moved me to tears at the end of cross-country day. I was pretty emotional, because I thought it was a great day, and I loved watching it.”

The riders in the press conference had positive things to say, all echoing their appreciation for Ian’s efforts.

Tim summed it up perhaps the best: “We’ll come back here. This is a great competition — it feels like it’s a pioneering five-star, but it’s for very good reason that we want to come here and we’ll continue to come here and continue to encourage other people to come here. It’s got it. It’s already got it, but it’s got the makings of something spectacular for the future as well. So it’ll be fun to say that we went to the first few when we can see it in the future, just how amazing it’s going to be as well.”

We’ll now look ahead to show jumping tomorrow but first the 3* and 5* horses will trot up for the Ground Jury once more, with the 3* jogging at 8:30 a.m. EST and the 5* jogging at 9:15 a.m. EST. Show jumping will get underway with the 3* at 10:15 a.m. followed by the conclusion of the 5* at 2 p.m. EST. As usual you can view the live stream on USEF Network in North America and Horse & Country outside of North America.

Thanks so much, as always, for following along with us. Go Eventing!

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A look at the layout of this year’s Maryland CCI5* track.

THE ESSENTIALS

Length: 6555m

Optimum time: 11:30

Fences: 29

Speed: 570mpm

“Last year, with hindsight,” I must have been insane,” laughs MARS Maryland 5 Star course designer Ian Stark, who has delivered us a new-look, considerably tougher track for this year’s renewal. “It was my first five-star, and a greenfield site that had never been used. I didn’t know how the terrain would affect the horses, so I probably backed off more than I’d have liked. Some horses finished full of running and others were really, really tired, so I hope riders learned about the terrain and have their horses fit enough.”

One of the major changes that Ian has made is relocating the start and finish, which are now located in the centre of the course.

“That was the most important thing for me this year, and I think it gives the course a better flow,” he says. “It avoids them finishing up the hill from the bottom of the middle field almost right up to the main arena, which was a fair climb at the end of the course, and some of the horses finished really toiling at the end. So for me, this gives it a better flow, and also allows me to maintain the five-star standard all the way through. I felt from the bottom of the hill last year in that middle field, I had to back off — so it was a three-and-a-half to four-star on the way home. There were still technical difficulties, but I felt I couldn’t give five-star dimensions and big spreads, because horses would be getting weary.”

There’s plenty to see on the course — not least, a menagerie of inexplicable dinosaurs and one robust longhorn in situ on the track. But if you’re hoping this might be a nod to some sort of diplodocus discovery at Fair Hill, we’re sorry to report that their presence is just the result of Ian being, well, a bit weird.

“I kept driving past the dinosaurs at the garden centre down the road when we were going to Mario’s for lunch, and I said to [course builders] Tyson and Barney, ‘I want them on the course!’,” says Ian. “So they went in and chatted the guy up, and he delivered them for me, which was incredibly kind of him – they’ve got nothing to do with the course, but I love them, and they give people something to look at!”

Anyway, Ian, we like your style. And so, friends, we recommend giving yourself a bit of easy listening while you walk the course with us.

Fence 1.

The course begins on a patch of flat ground over a wide, welcoming table, but from the word go, riders will need to be on the ball: the galloping lane from 1 to 2 and thereafter runs parallel to the warm-up arena, which will be a tough test for horses who are prone to napping and want to stick with their pals.

“The start is on the top of the hill, so it’s a bit flat,” says Ian. “The first fence is off a bend, and I deliberately put it there because if anyone gets too sneaky and tries to cut around that corner, they could easily have 20 penalties by running out of the first fence. I’m kind of hoping that they’re on the case but they’re not getting too excited at the start.”

Fence 2.

There’s not a huge amount of space between fence 1 and 2, which makes it feel like a related distance — and it’s a downhill approach to the second fence, which is a relatively narrow trakehner. That’s a classic rider frightener fence, so it’ll encourage an attacking ride from the get-go — no bad thing when there’s plenty of major questions to come.

“To me it’s just an inviting, kick-on fence,” says the man who proved he has some of the biggest cajones in the sport when navigating the tearaway Murphy Himself around the world’s biggest courses. “I had planned to have it in the warm-up area, but when I walked down from the start, it was in the way, so it became fence two! So there was nothing really great in the imagination, and some of the riders were a bit concerned that there’s a ditch at fence two.”

This is the first sign on course that Ian has really stepped up the intensity — but it’s also a useful way to ensure that competitors are taking the job seriously in the first minute.

Fence 3.

From fence two, they move on to a classic five-star run-and-jump fence, which has a friendly rolled profile and a brush on top, and will encourage an attacking rhythm and a confidence-building bit of airtime.

“This is going to give them a real big feel – it’s a lovely fence that’ll get them way up in the air and running away on the landing,” says Ian. “They’ll be fairly travelling down the hill and around the corner to the first water.”

Fence 4A, with 4B visible on the other side.

The first chance to get their feet wet comes up quickly, and involves two skinny birds that are reminiscent of Luhmühlen’s famous Danger Tit, which was situated in the water at the 2019 European Championships and caused plenty of problems. These birds, though, are both on dry land, as Luhmühlen’s has been since 2019, and so shouldn’t be as influential — but they’re accuracy questions that do demand respect.

“It’s a friendly-ish first water but the birds are not to be ignored,” says Ian. “You need to take your time and jump them straight on and accurately. If you try for an angle you could easily leave a leg and get tipped out the side door. They’re not difficult, but they do need to concentrate.”

This first water also means that horses can land on the dry and then carry on into the water, rather than being expected to jump straight in — so done well, they’ll boost horses’ confidence and let riders fine-tune all those canter gears they’ll need further on in the track.

Fence 5.

When you get to the fence 5, a wide, brush-topped table, you get your first taste of the ‘no thanks’ — this thing is seriously big. Of course, if you have a touch of insanity running through your veins, you might feel a bit differently.

“What I would give to have a horse here to just gallop up to this on – it’ll give a great feel,” muses Ian, a man who’s made a fine art out of having admirable insanity in the bloodstream.

If someone has an unlikely mishap here, though, there’ll be no harm done: “It’s perfect ground — it’s like walking on a carpet! It’s amazing. Even if you fall off, it’s quite cushioned,” says Ian, startlingly unreassuringly. “But it’ll be great to just wing up to that and get a real good feel before you head to the arena.”

Team EN, thinking about the ‘real good feel’ this fence will give.

Fence 6.

New to the Maryland track this year is a tour through the main arena, which gives a continental feel to proceedings and allows spectators to pause from shopping to fill the grandstands – so expect a wall of sound and some serious atmosphere as they enter through the left-hand side gate.

Ian was keen to include this loop, but as he explains, not everyone was initially on board with his vision: “It’s the first time in the arena and it took a bit of persuading to get them to let me change the course around, and then a little bit more persuading to get them to let me go in one gate and out the other,” he laughs. “They said, ‘can you not get them in and out though the same gate?’, but I’m a pretty bloody-minded Scotsman, so I had to stand my ground! But they’re always very generous and incredibly nice to me here.”

The first of the three elements in the arena is a rolltop at six, which will give horses the chance to get up in the air without a mentally taxing question as they adjust to the fishbowl effect of being surrounded by enthusiastic fans.

Fence 7ab.

Pretty quickly, though, they’ll need to land and adjust, because as they turn to fence 7a — an enormous brush box — they’ll be gazing right into the hospitality stand, and they certainly won’t have time to peruse the open bar through the windows.

“When you approach the big brush box you’re looking straight into the grandstand, and some horses won’t notice the people, but others will be backed off,” he says. “A few of the riders have said that they’re thinking of sticking to the left of this fence and jumping a bit left to right over the first, which will get them to the second in three strides. What I’ve said to them is that the bogey here is this: you may plan the three strides, but if a horse is backed off and lands a bit steep, it may not be there. They’re going to have to be able to react to however the horses jump the first element, but I don’t anticipate problems.”

After that, it’s “a good winging out” of the corner of the arena and back down the galloping lanes in the direction they’ve just come from, and Ian hopes that they’ll take the opportunity to really travel — because the next combination they’ll meet will ask them to be really positive in their canter.

Fence 8ab.

Fence 8ab features a pair of bum-clenchingly big tables on an offset left-handed line, which is set on a long two-stride distance. The point here? To balance at speed, and have power, pace, and positivity on side — classic cross-country riding, in a nutshell.

“There’s two big strides there, so if anyone gets a bit showjumping minded, they’ll struggle for the two, so they need to be travelling – then they’re quite inviting,” says Ian.

Fence 9.

If they’ve ticked the boxes Ian wants them to at those tables, they’ll hit the ground running and be able to catch a couple of seconds on the clock as they travel down to fence 9, which is the first time we’re seeing MIMclips safety devices on the course. This time, they’re the classic red ones, which aren’t as easily activated as the yellow variety we’ll spot later on, and although there’s a pretty straight shot down from 8b to 9, there’s a little bit of a set-up turn to get straight to this, which will help riders get their horses back on their hocks to make a neat job of it.

“They have to jump in carefully, because of the clips, but I don’t foresee any problems here,” says Ian.

Fence 10a, with the direct b element just visible and the direct c, a narrow brush box, beyond it.

Taking the time to jump that oxer with care, and reassess how well they can get their horses sitting on their hind ends, will serve them well when they reach 10abc, which Ian tells us is the first major question on the course. It’s also a spot that offers a few options for those who don’t think they’ll make a tidy job of the direct route, which features a skinny box on top of a step mound, a downhill five-stride run to the middle of three brushes over a ditch, and then a three-stride line to a skinny brush box.

Fence 10bc — the direct route is the left-handed of the two brushes featured here, with the direct c visible behind.

“There’s a long route, and I’ve put a whole load of trees and pumpkins out to stop people mixing them up but they could still do whatever they want there,” says Ian, who has individually lettered each element, which means a mix-and-match approach wouldn’t result in a technical elimination.

Fence 11abc.

Once they’ve successfully negotiated that serious elevation change and accuracy question, it’s time for water number two — and this time, they nearly do have to jump into the drink. Or, at the very least, it’ll look that way to the horses, who’ll take a leap of faith over the first boat.

“The first boat is supposed to be on dry – it’s being worked on,” says Ian, who scaled back the dimensions of this fence after realising that maximising the size made it an almost unjumpably tough question.

“It’s a big jump in, with a big spread and a big drop. That was last year’s three-star fence in the water, and I tried putting a five-star fence there, but suddenly the course went from a five-star to a ten-star. Even I didn’t have a big enough pair of you-know-whats to do that! I’m expecting a big jump in over the A element, four strides to the boat in the middle, and then three to the lighthouse out at C. There’s an alternative B element if they scramble on the way in, but I don’t really anticipate them using it.”

Fence 12.

Would it be a five-star without a ditch and brush you could park a sedan in? We think not — and Ian agrees. We’re pretty sure the riders will be delighted to know that the brush side of fence 12, though, is significantly lower than it was just a few days ago.

“The other day it was 25cm higher than it is now, and it was a bit like trying to have a conversation with William Fox-Pitt — I was just looking straight up at it!” laughs Ian.

This’ll be an ‘easy’ run-and-jump fence, but for Ian, it was nearly the site of his own grisly demise.

“I’m completely superstitious,” he explains. “The first CCI4*-L I designed was at Bramham, and I found a four-leaf clover [while I was designing it]. Everywhere you go, except California, obviously, you can find clover in the grass, so I have to find a four-leaf clover. I was hunting for one while the boys were cutting the brush down, and after I found it, I got there and I said to them, ‘it’s too small — you’ll need to make it bigger!’ I think they thought about hitting me with their chainsaws!”

Though this is a ‘gimme’ fence, if such a thing exists in top-level eventing, the approach adds an interesting element here.

“The straight line has a rollercoaster approach ,which could muck up your distance — but if you come on an angle it’s a flatter approach. It’ll be interesting to see which riders have been paying attention there.”

A live view of Ian in the riders’ tent, watching to see which line they pick.

Fence 13.

There’s not an awful lot of time to think before they get to fence 13, and honestly, that’s probably for the best. This ramped rolltop, which has a downhill landing and a real ‘into space’ feel, is visually one of the most imposing single fences we’ve ever laid eyes on — but remarkably, Ian says, “it looks enormous, but it doesn’t even measure maximum height for a 5*!”

Fence 13.

Let’s take another look at this chunky thang, with EN’s Sally for scale. For context, she’s 5’5, and we’re all clenching our bums.

Fence 13.

And once more, for good measure, from the landing side. Thank you, but no.

Ian Stark, rn.

There’s an opportunity to catch up on the clock a bit after that absolute monster at 13, with a beautiful gallop stretch that’ll see them hit their six-minute mark — just over the halfway point — midway along it. What a nice opportunity to catch a glimpse of the fall foliage, maybe.

Fence 14.

After that galloping stretch, Ian has placed a capacious open oxer with MIMclips off a turn, which is a useful opportunity to get the horses back before the coffin complex, and should be used wisely.

“It’s just there to set them up for the coffin – I expect them to jump that and then get the coffin canter, which I’m always gone on about; that short, bouncy canter.”

Fence 15ABC.

That coffin canter, unsurprisingly, is the key element to jumping a coffin, which they get at 15abc. The direct route here makes savvy use of sharp terrain, with a MIMclipped rail on a slight downhill to the ditch at b, which is followed by a sharp uphill to a small log at c, which replaces last year’s brush.

“If they don’t set them up, they’ll be flying through there and probably dislodge the MIM at the coffin rail,” says Ian. “But the fact that they’re going downhill will mean that the horses are propping, so I’m expecting them to be really good there.”

If they do get a funny jump over the ditch, they can reroute around the mound to another log on the flatter ground, which will cost them valuable seconds on the clock.

The feeling of riding the coffin, encapsulated.

Fence 16AB.

There’s another short run to the next combination, a pair of colossal tables on a positive three strides to a left-handed brush corner four strides away at 16abc. Here, there’s an alternative option for the brush corner on the right hand side, but it’s only intended to be used after a run-out, as the line isn’t as clear if they try to tackle this directly from the second of the tables.

“There is a right option but for me, it’s only there for if they have a runout at the direct corner. I think they’d struggle to jump and turn right, because it’s sort of uphill and speed would take over, so they probably wouldn’t get there if you did it as a line. Tyson, who built these fences for me, has been having sleepless nights over the tables, because he thinks they’re huge – but I think it’s great! I love big fences like that down a hill, and what I really want to do is stand on the landing side of the second table just to get a photograph of the expression on the riders’ faces, because normally they’ll go with their mouths wide open and their eyes popping!”

Ian Stark, once again.

Fence 17.

After that, there’s a proper galloping stretch to get that rhythm going again and give those gutsy horses a big pat, before a single fence at 17 that somehow looks — dare we say it? — quite small.

“It’s maximum height and spread for the level, but it looks like a training fence, and the reason for it is it’s so wide,” says Ian. “Next year I’m planning to take a chainsaw to it and make it two fences, and then it’ll look taller and be a double.”

Fence 18ab.

The uninfluential gates of last year make a return, this time without a floral groundline.

“They’re very upright timber chase fences, but the ground is rising up to these fences, and I don’t think they need the groundline, so I’ve removed the plant pots and got approval from the ground jury and the technical delegate,” says Ian, before adding, reflectively: “Maybe I’ve been a bit mean!”

Fence 19.

Fence 19 is another single fence, which is a galloping jump that’ll still require plenty of respect, because this sucker is big.

Fence 20.

Then, it’s a left-handed turn to another water, though this time, they won’t need to actually enter the pond at all. The direct route here is two imposing ditch corners at 20 and 21, though there’s a pair of owl holes on a longer line if riders want to mix and match.

“The corners are pretty huge, and we’ve got seven truckloads of water going in there. What I wanted was all the dirt under the corner to be covered by water – I don’t think I’m very popular with the boys, having to find all that water,” says Ian. “Then there’s the option of the owl holes, and Doug Payne said to me, ‘thank God we don’t have to jump them’ – he’s so tall he thinks he’ll decapitate himself on them!”

Fence 21.

This leads onto one of the flattest bits of the course: “the flat bit of ground here lets the horses recover before the big water,” says Ian.

Fence 22. 

On their way to that big water, they’ve got another single fence to jump, which will just add a bit of confidence and fun to the equation before another mentally challenging task.

Fence 23AB, with 24ABC visible on the left-hand side.

And what a task it is! The main water complex has been turned around this year, and the famous crab jump in has been moved out from the bank, which will require a wider jump in — and this time, they land on a dry ramp before cantering into the water, swinging a left, jumping a bank up to a log on a bounce distance at 24AB and then finding a seriously accurate line to a steeply angled brush at 24C. What makes the crab at 23AB so imposing is that you can’t see it until the last couple of strides: the approach up to this water is a steep, short hill, and two strides out, its terrifying face appears with the noise and distraction of the VIP tent behind it on the other side of the water.

“The approach means they can’t see what they’re jumping until they run up that ramp, and then they have two strides to assess it,” says Ian. “It’s a big drop and then they’re looking into the MARS sponsors tent, so there’s a lot to see. It’s at nine and a half minutes, so it’s late for a big water – but I hope that having a lot to look at will sharpen them up again. I put a ramp in the water because it was way over a maximum drop, and it doesn’t worry me that they’ll land on the dry.”

Fence 24ab.

The line from the hanging log at 24B to 24C is a tight three, and it’s a wide-open door for horses to run out to the right if the riders aren’t on it — but the long route through this water is so long that those who are in close contention will need to take the risk if they want to stay at the business end of the leaderboard. And with just over 12 penalties separating the entire leaderboard? That’s an opportunity for just about everyone.

“They’re not going to win prizes if they go the long way, but hopefully at this stage on the course if horses are getting a little fatigued, then their riders can think and go the long way and help get their horses home.”

Fence 25.

Ian’s given them a downhill run from the water, which helps tired horses bowl along without taxing them too much. There’s some set-up to be done for fence 25, which is a pseudo-Vicarage Vee, but he’s made the approach totally obvious: a line of trees puts horses right where they need to be, which is on the small, straight bit of revetting on the ditch lip.

“This was a corner last year, and I’ve taken the back rail off because I feel like this is four fences from home, and the corner was too big a question this late on course,” says Ian, who has fitted the fence with sensitive yellow MIMclips. “I’ve used trees to put the horses on the line – they’ve got to stay straight, but I’ve taken a lot of the guesswork out. It’s up to them to get the right striding, but the line is there. I do think we’ll get the odd run-out, but if we do, there’s a long route over a trakehner for them.”

Fence 26ab.

The final combination on the course is the striking rollercoaster combination at 26ABCD, and this year, the first element has been pushed closer to the big drop at the B element. Then there’s a pair of houses at 26d and 27 on a pretty stiff angle, which gives riders a choice in terms of their line.

“I’m hoping that they’ll jump off on the right side as they’re approaching the drop and turn to the first one ,and then turn in the air to the second one,” says Ian. “If they try and go on a straighter line [between the houses] I think it’s quite a big ask, but people have to decide what their horses are capable of and what they see in their own eye and from their own point of view.”

The view from 26c to 26d. 

Here’s another look at that line from the drop, which Ian hopes to see riders jump on the right hand side so they can get a direct shot to the first of the houses.

Fence 27.

And, for good measure, a look at the houses from the landing side, again using a #SallyForScale. They’re not the biggest fences on course by a long stretch, but this is still enough of a question — but once again, there’s a slower, less intense route for those who just want to nurse their horses home.

Fence 28.

There’s a big old table to jump at the penultimate question, but this single fence is on a downhill, which Ian hopes will give horses some engine back as they coast down.

“It’s not maximum spread and it’s got a lovely 45 degree front on it, and it’s downhill a bit on the approach so that if they are getting a bit tired, they can get a bit of energy back on the downhill,” says Ian. “Then the riders can ride the fence before they come back into the middle field.”

Fence 29.

Once they’ve made it back into the middle field, they’ll see every rider’s favourite fence: the final one.

“It’s a very bright, cheerful last fence, because I want the horses to see it and pay attention,” says Ian. “Finishing in the middle field means they then go on to the quiet back corner for the vet box, and then they can just walk back through the trees to the stables.”

Honestly, that’s the only bit we’d be happy to volunteer ourselves for.

As it turns out, Ian was the T-rex all along.

CCI5* cross-country kicks off from 2 p.m. Eastern time (7 p.m. BST/11.00 a.m. Pacific). You can check out what the competitors themselves think of the course here — and keep it locked on EN for all the news, views, and updates you need. Go Eventing!

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The second water question at 11. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Ian Stark’s second design here at the Maryland 5 Star has certainly upped the ante from its inaugural running in 2021. It was to be expected, for a designer doing his first 5* track on land that was previously untested for this level, that the first year may have left some ideas on the table. Indeed, while the 2021 iteration of the Maryland track was certainly up to snuff, there was nonetheless chatter about the time being rather catchable and a few other rumblings that might have included the word “soft” tossed about in the mix.

“Soft” is a funny term to use when referring to a 5* track, if you ask me. I hear it tossed around from time to time while listening to riders in the mixed zone, but the bottom line remains: it’s still a 5*, after all.

But if Ian heard riders calling his first design “soft”, he certainly took that feedback to heart as this year’s track is decidedly not so. At a stiff 11 minute, 30 second optimum time (30 seconds longer than 2021) it stands to be a stout fitness test, despite the fact the course this year starts and finishes in very different locations from last with attention to horse fitness called to mind.

You can check out Tilly’s full analysis of the course coming later this morning, and you can also take a fence-by-fence walk with Ian Stark himself over on the CrossCountryApp tour here in the meantime.

We chatted up the riders over the last two days as they finished their dressage tests to collect their reactions to the track, and here’s what some of them had to say:

Tim Price

“Having not ridden this one, it’s hard to truly compare them, but I like the layout a lot better this time with where he’s got the start and the finish and how that impacts the the energy requirement around the course. It’s big. I think it’s maybe a bit bigger in places, and also last year, the time was quite easy. And I don’t think that’s the case this year, it’s wheeled a lot tighter. So that’s going to put more emphasis on the likes of ourselves — when I say ourselves, the guys that have traveled over — that you want to make the most of your trip, so you want to be quick and that puts a different element of everything on the course. Everything becomes bigger, the hills become steeper, and the technicality coming home on a tired horse becomes more extreme. So it’s a tough course this year I think.”

Allie Knowles

“It’s enough to do out there. It’s it has some nice changes from last year. It’s a different feeling track than, say, Kentucky but [Morswood] did it well last year and I’m going to go with that — that he’s going to do it well again this year. There’s not one thing in particular that he is not good at. I just need to be paying attention the whole time and minding him, and I know he’ll mind me, and we’ll give it our best.”

Astier Nicolas

“I appreciate everything I’ve seen here last year. The place is fantastic, very good ground. I really like the courses of Ian and I think he did a great job this year. Learning a bit more from the terrain, getting to know it more than last year. And I’m really happy with what he’s built this year.”

Liz Halliday-Sharp

“It’s a very different track. Kind of old school in places, which isn’t a bad thing. It will obviously be the most terrain [Cooley Quicksilver] has ever experienced, which will be a challenge for him. But he’s also extremely fit. I think he’s fitter than we’ve ever had him. And I think this is the next progression for him. You know, when a horse has done three five-stars, they got that depth of fitness in them. So I think this is a great challenge for him and will only make him a better, stronger, fitter horse for the future. So I don’t see anything there he can’t do. Obviously, it’s a real five-star and it’s very challenging at the end. I think he’s asking a lot of tired horses. So that’s going to be, really staying on the ball all the way to the end I think is going to be really important. Just keep them with you.”

Tamie Smith

“It looks like you’d better be able to see a distance from a long way away. Lots of straight lines and galloping. Not a lot to super back them off, and then you have a combination, so I think — I was a little going, ‘gosh, if I was on Mai Baum it would be fantastic, I could come in really fast’ but horses that fences don’t back them off, the riders are going to have quite a bit of work to do.”

Doug Payne

“It’s I think it’s beefed up from last year. I think the layout I like better because it’s not like you’re going out and back on the last two segments. Time is going to be challenging for sure. I think that it’s almost back-loaded — to me, the hardest part is the crab water, the drop — and that’s all like in the last minute and a half, two minutes. We have the luxury of going around at the end a bit and I think [Ian] sets courses that are super fair, it’s right to there to be done. But there’s so many unpredictable aspects that I don’t know that you can really be stuck in one exact plan. It’s gonna be stick to your line and good balance and, you know, let the footwork sort of sort stuff out.”

Hannah Sue Hollberg

“I like it a lot. I like it more than last year. Last year, it kind of had more of a jarring kind of feel when you walk it. This year is more flowing. The beginning you can really go fast and make up some time. But Ian’s done a good job of kind of throwing little tricks in there to make sure people are on their toes, I think, and the terrain obviously is a factor. But I really think it looks great. Once you get to the first water then it kind of comes at you a bit more and I think a lot of the harder questions are kind of from there. And I mean, actually, from there, it kind of just builds more and more and more to the very end. So the beginning kind of lures you in, I think, and you’ll be going so fast that then you have to really be careful not to be completely out of control and make sure your horse has enough energy left to answer the question.”

Buck Davidson

“It’s, there’s plenty to do. You know, honestly, number four, those birds look very vertical early, you know, and so I’ll have to look after him there. There’s some big things followed by some things that are maybe, to me, not quite up to the five-star level, which in some ways makes it difficult for the horses to back up. But horses for courses, and it’s all to be done. It’s by no stretch easy, it’s just a little different. You know, the fence in the arena, you could jump a Preliminary horse over, and then you go to that [water] in the back and go, oh my God, you need a six-star horse. So, you know, it’s just a little bit different that way.”

Oliver Townend

“It’s a five-star designed by, in my opinion, one of the best designers in the world, [Ian Stark] and Derek Di Grazia. [Ian’s] got a tremendous amount of feel because he’s ridden around so many himself, but he’s been trying to make them big and it’s definitely big. It’s definitely challenging, but it’s horse friendly.”

Phillip Dutton

“It’s strong, certainly strong. Apart from the walking out to the start and then walking back from the finish, I like where it starts and finishes from a horse point of view. And that first section, I think it’s quite fast. There’s not a lot to slow you up. So, I could see people getting up on the time there. And then it’s seeing how much horse they’ve got left at the end.”

Will Coleman

“I think it’s a lot. It’s a long way around. I think he’s sort of stepped the jumping bits up a little bit from last year. There’s more jumping to be done, and what he’s put out there is sort of big and testing, basically until the finish. Which you know, at 11:30 you’re answering questions pretty much all the way up to 10:45, basically. It’s going to be a lot. The going should be good, which I think will be really helpful. But I’m intrigued to see where we are. My horse has got a couple five-stars under his belt. The distance is always a question with him. He’s so big and he’s not not a ton of blood. I think we’ve got him pretty fit and we’ll see how we do.

“I think this will suit certain horses more than like a Pratoni course would. But I think if you want to kind of be a top rider, I think you have to be able to ride all the courses. And I think this is a good representation of five-star for our sport. I’m excited to see if I can go out there and do it. It’s not technical, like twisty and tricky, but it’s technical in that he’s really put a lot of challenging things in front of difficult terrain. He’s asking you, can you keep your horse in front of the leg and balance to really big jumps?”

Jessica Phoenix

“It’s incredibly long. It’s incredibly hilly. It’s a lot of big bold jumps. Lots of technical questions to be asked, and [Wabbit] is definitely the horse I want to be sitting on going into the start box tomorrow. Kentucky is also a beautiful track; this one has more hills used in a different kind of way. Kentucky has longer gradual hills. This one is more like a quick sprint up and then you’re down a hill and a quick sprint up and then down the hill. And the footing here is just unbelievable what they’ve been able to accomplish in such a short time. Honestly, when we walked the first day before the rain came, I was thinking ‘wow, we could actually use a little bit more’ because it was still a little bit hard in places and yesterday as I was walking in the torrential rains, I thought maybe this could be too much rain. It’s never perfect, but I’m sure it’ll be great.”

MARS Maryland 5 Star:
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