The Boys of Summer Lead Bromont: Boyd Martin, Phillip Dutton Claim 4* + 3* Lead, Noah Stanlaske Best of U25

Phillip Dutton and Azure. Photo by Abby Powell.

It’s the Boyd Martin and Phillip Dutton show following a wonderful day of cross country at the MARS Bromont CCI after an exceptional showcase of riding and sport. Between the two Olympians, they lead all FEI divisions here save, of course, the Under-25 CCI2*-L.

After the conclusion of competition on Saturday, Phillip Dutton leads the CCI4*-L on the 11-year-old Irish mare Azure (Omar – Cavalier Roselier, by Cavalier Royale), contesting her second CCI4*-L this weekend and today adding just one second of time over the optimum of 10 minutes to bump up into the lead. This quick turn of foot was rewarded with a whopping 14-place leap up in the standings, and a two-phase score of 36.8 gives Phillip a rail and some time in hand for tomorrow’s show jumping.

“We’re sort of getting into a partnership,” Phillip said of Azure, who is owned by Anne, Caroline, and Michael Moran. “Obviously the dressage, we’ve got a long way to go there, so we’re going to go back to the drawing board because I definitely was making progress in the spring but I’m a little bit disappointed with what we did here in the dressage. So we’ve got a bit of work to do there. But she knows me pretty well now on the cross country and I trust her as so I’m able to shave off time on the approach to the jumps as well. So we’re forming a partnership, a good partnership, and hopefully it’s gonna grow from here.”

Phillip Dutton and Azure. Photo by Abby Powell.

Despite a couple of greener moments on course, Phillip was able to use his experience to navigate Derek di Grazia’s up-to-standard test and the undulating, tiring terrain. “The terrain is kind of undulating, so there’s never any just flat area,” he explained. “You’re constantly a little bit up and down all the time, which you know, takes probably fifteen percent off your speed when you’re really trying to go fast. Certainly on that old steeplechase track you could really put the foot down there, but on a lot of the other parts the horse was still managing the gallop rather than just going for it.”

After today’s big effort, tomorrow is still a question mark for Azure. She does have a handful of rails since moving up to this level, so Phillip will once again call on his experience getting a horse that’s made a sincere effort the day before around Marc Donovan’s show jumping track come Sunday. The rail he has in hand may come in to play, but a strong showing here will cement Azure as one of Phillip’s stars on the rise.

Arielle Aharoni and Dutch Times. Photo by Abby Powell.

Also making major moves up in the standings after a brilliant cross country trip today are Arielle Aharoni with Christina Aharoni’s Dutch Times (Goodtimes – Alino Queen, by Michellino). This pair moved up six places, from eighth into second, adding 8.4 time penalties to their dressage score for a two-phase mark of 41.3. Arielle and “Dutch” finished tenth here in the same division last year, and they’re no strangers to this venue as this is their third trip here as a pair.

Arielle has taken her time gaining mileage and experience with her 15-year-old partner. In fact, this weekend would be their seventh 4*-L competition together. That patience has paid off — in 2022, Arielle and Dutch began to accumulate more consistent results in FEI competition. She now finds herself well-placed to finish on the podium — or better — this weekend. Arielle credits the amount of trust and comfort she and Dutch have built in each other with their ability to compete on the clock today — something they haven’t historically been able to do.

“He came out of the box hot, like he was ready to rumble and I just let him go,” she elaborated. “And I’m not one to usually even come close to time. Usually we’re like, you know, 30 seconds over a minute over. But this year, I was like, ‘I’m so comfortable with this horse. I know he’s confident with all the combinations he’s ever seen. I’m going to try to be a little faster this year.’ And you know what? I’ve been a little bit faster this year, and it’s working out for me!”

Arielle Aharoni and Dutch Times. Photo by Abby Powell.

With all of this experience under her and her horse’s belt, Arielle is now firmly eyeing a 5* move-up in the near future. This goal informed her plan as she walked around Derek’s track, which carries a bit of a reputation as being a five-star preparer or a “mini Kentucky”. Speaking to the angled rails to a big, looming corner at fence 9AB, which was given an option after rider rep Hannah Sue Hollberg and other competitors brought their concerns about the question up to the Ground Jury and designer. Seven pairs would end up opting for the direct route here, including Arielle.

“Actually, it rode perfectly fine, but I think I sat there for thirty minutes looking at it,” she said of the combination. “I was like, ‘do I take the option? Or do I just go for it?’ But my goal is Kentucky five-star, so if I want to do that, I should be able to take all the straight routes and you know, not think about worrying.”

Looking to tomorrow, Arielle is feeling cautiously confident about her chances to hold or improve her position. “I have full confidence in his show jumping, I just have to pray that I do all the riding right because he is going to be fabulous.”

Hannah Sue Hollberg and Capitol HIM. Photo by Abby Powell.

An elated Hannah Sue Hollberg caught up with me after her ride aboard Christa Schmidt’s Capitol H I M (Con Air – O-Heraldika, by Heraldik xx), which was good enough to move her up nine places into third place overnight on a score of 42.4. This 16-year-old Holsteiner gelding was originally purchased for Christa to ride, but due to his sharpness and also a tendency to be horse shy, Hannah Sue took the reins and with Christa’s support began campaigning him up the levels. He began his international eventing career in 2019 with Hannah Sue and first made the step up to the 4* level in 2021.

Today, Hannah Sue says she learned that she can go quick across the country with “Chito”. In fact, it was actually discovered by Hannah Sue’s vet last year that the gelding had Cushing’s disease — despite being asymptomatic, she followed a hunch and was proven to be correct. As a result of the treatment, Hannah Sue says she can feel a world of a difference in how Chito feels and performs now.

“It’s given him back his athleticism,” she reflected. “Now he can gallop like he used to be able to and he dragged me all the way around today. Every time I asked him to speed up he did. I had a really good feeling about [today], and he’s such a good cross country horse and you know, he’s all heart. If I can just steer him and do the right thing, he tries so hard no matter what.”

Hannah Sue has worked hard on her own technique in order to better set Chito up for success to go quick. Admitting she sometimes struggles with her hands and holding back too much, she was proud of her ability to get a little out of her comfort zone today to put the pedal down. “I was trying to be as fast as I could. So the beginning of the course was a little bit more uncomfortable than I like! But it was a good feeling — that’s kind of how you have to be, you know, to be fast and it worked out really well. I just had to let go of control a bit and be more trusting and he was just so awesome.”

Hannah Sue Hollberg and Capitol HIM. Photo by Abby Powell.

“I wanted to challenge myself a little,” she said when asked why she’d chosen Bromont as the Long format to aim for with Chito. “This is like the hardest four-star Long I’ve ever walked. So I definitely came to the right place.” Hannah Sue did put in for the U.S. team heading to Chile this fall for the Pan American Games, but should she not be selected to the team she says she feels Chito is ready to aim for the Maryland 5 Star in October, which would be a second try at the 5* level for this pair (they went to Kentucky in 2022 but parted ways on cross country).

Derek di Grazia’s track rode quite well today, despite its steep challenge. Issues were a bit scattered throughout, but the 9AB combination would have caused the most difficulty with four pairs encountering difficulty here and having to go around to the option. Dressage leader Colleen Loach dropped out of her position, but delivered a clear cross country with FE Golden Eye, adding 12.4 time penalties to sit in fourth overnight. Second- and third-placed Lillian Heard Wood ran into some trouble with both Chilly and Dassett Olympus on course, but finished well with both and was feeling understandably disappointed but generally positive about her horses at the end of the day.

Derek was pleased with how his tracks rode today, reiterating his philosophy that the course should be, above all, fair to the horses. “I always try to believe that it’s fair and and that it is something that is very possible to do,” he commented. “Especially at the level, realistically, you believe that horses that are at the four-star level are trained to a certain level of proficiency and that they should be able to handle what you put out there. But the biggest thing is really is to make sure it’s fair, that they really are able to understand what what the question is and then be able to go ahead and execute.”

The designer in residence here has already put his thinking cap on for what he wants to put in place for the upcoming “Little Bromont” and FEI Nations Cup in August, which will feature a CCI4*-S track.

Boyd Martin and On Cue. Photo by Abby Powell.

Boyd Martin Takes Charge of CCI4*-S and CCI3*-L, Retains Lead on CCI2*-L

Boyd Martin has five rides this weekend across three divisions and had a very good day in the office: he’s leading each of those three divisions.

He and five-star winning mare On Cue easily retained their lead in the CCI4*-S by delivering the fastest round of the division and adding 12.8 penalties to their dressage score. They’ll head into tomorrow’s show jumping with a score of 41.8 and will have plenty of breathing room ahead of Phillip Dutton and Z. The Aachen-bound pair had a steady round, picking up 20 time faults and slotting them into second place after dressage runners-up Colleen Loach and Vermont retired on course.

Boyd can’t help but sing the praises of Christine Turner’s mare, and while he rode steadily and not necessarily for the fastest time he was still rather impressed by her easy effort.

“She’s just got back in the swing of things and it was a monstrous four-star short course and she went around on a loose rein,” Boyd said. “She would be one of my all time favorite horses ever to ride. She gallops like the wind, she’s smart, she’s careful, she’s brave, she’s easy to turn, she sees a fence in a split second. I just love her to bits.”

Boyd Martin and Chiraz. Photo by Abby Powell.

After CCI3*L division leaders Lauren Nicholson and Larcot Z, a newer ride in her string, collected a few time faults and left the door open for a new division leader today, Boyd and Sandra Olsen’s Chiraz galloped right though. The pair, who was sitting second after dressage, delivered a clear round three seconds inside the time to take over the lead heading into show jumping with a score of 29.6.

“We’ve only been together for a short period of time and I really didn’t know what to expect,” Boyd said of the 10-year-old Holsteiner. “He put in a fantastic round across the country and we had a couple of iffy fences, but he kept kept fighting for me.”

Boyd’s remaining three mounts this weekend were entries in the CCI2*-L division and all of them ended the day near (or at) the top of the leaderboard.

“All three of my [two-star] horses felt green, but that’s exactly why I brought them to Bromont. It’s always a tough, challenging cross country course and I feel like the horses finished with a good education. ‘Morris’, ‘Barney’, and ‘Charm’ all ripped around in a competitive time and they were green in spots, but I felt like they really stood up to the task.”

Boyd Martin and Astis Charming. Photo by Abby Powell.

Asti’s Charming, a ten-year-old Hanoverian gelding owned by Sterling Equestrian, retains the lead in the division and remains on his dressage score of 23.0.

“Hats off to Charm,” Boyd said. He dug deep and he was definitely feeling some inexperienced moments, but he showed plenty of grit and and ended up doing the time quite easily.”

Mo Chroi (“Morris”) also ran clear and inside the time and moves from sixth place to third. Barney Rubble crossed the flags just one second over time and climbs from eleventh to sixth heading into show jumping.

Noah Stanlaske and DHI Showman. Photo by Abby Powell.

Noah Stanlaske Best of the U25CCI2*-L

It was a lot of hard work that got Noah Stanlaske to the point he is today: leading the U25CCI2*-L division at MARS Bromont CCI. Noah took the reins on DHI Showman after the gelding was first campaigned by coach Buck Davidson (Noah also works with Shannon Lilley, who’s been here helping him this week). Having ridden a Thoroughbred from his first Beginner Novice on, transitioning to a big warmblood was a big change for Noah.

“You know, I came out here wanting to be competitive. And I think I achieved that today,” Noah said. “I was a little nervous, like listening going last of the day I heard where everything went wrong. I also heard where things went well and where I could learn how to maybe kick a bit more, where to really push for the time. It was hard to make and there was a point where I didn’t think I was going to make [the time], so it was just exciting to get across the finish line.”

When asked what has really grown in the time Noah and “Elvis” have been together, he answered, “I think our bond, really. Him seeing me taking care of him. Him supporting me. He’s a horse that needs a person — he loves his attention, he loves his cookies, he loves his hugs. You can just go and hug him for ten minutes straight — he gives you the heavy breath and the puppy eyes. Our bond is really I think what’s made him help support me and me support him.”

Noah will go into tomorrow’s show jumping finale on a score of 29.2, and won’t have much breathing room ahead of second-placed Sara Schulman on a score of 29.6.

Maya Clarkson and Maks Mojo C. Photo by Abby Powell.

MARS Bromont Rising Participants Shine on Cross Country Day

It was a banner day for the future of the sport as the young riders receiving the MARS Bromont Rising grants showcased their skills and talent on cross country. Second placed in the 3*-L overnight will be one such recipient, Maya Clarkson. A clear cross country inside the time was rewarded with a move up from ninth into second on a score of 32.5.

“It was so much fun. My horse was super,” Maya said. “The course was amazing. I thought that it asked a lot of really good questions is definitely it was kind of my first three long. So it was like the hardest course that either of us have ever seen. And I thought that he answered every single question like, by a mile. He was so good. I couldn’t have been happier with him.”

This was a 3*-L debut for Maya, who has been campaigning internationally with Maks Mojo C — who shares a sire (Mighty Magic) with Miks Master C and Mama’s Magic Way, to name a couple — since 2022. She said the insights gleaned from the Bromont Rising program made for some additional tools for her arsenal in a new venue.

“[Bromont Rising] was really helpful in regards to how to ride the specific tracks and the terrain,” she said. “I’ve never been here before and the ground is different, so that was really helpful knowing how the horses might react to certain parts of the ground and where to stay away from.”

Sara Schulman and Cooley Chromatic. Photo by Abby Powell.

Highest-placed of the Bromont Rising riders in the U25CCI2*-L is Sara Schulman, who delivered an impressive round on her own Cooley Chromatic to sit second overnight on a score of 29.6. Partnered together since the seven-year-old gelding was four, Sara says it’s been a real pleasure to strengthen her partnership with her horse to get to this point.

“I’ve had him since the beginning of his career, which has been a really nice partnership to build off of,” Sara said. “When I got him, he was 16 hands and now he’s 17.1, so I’ve had to adapt with that as he’s grown. But having a partnership of three and a half years is a really nice thing to have going on to a new course and new terrain and the biggest test of his career. Sometimes you don’t know quite how younger ones are going to react to the terrain questions or the twisting courses, and he ate it up. I took a little bit of extra time to set him up because he was a bit eager to be running out of the box, but I’m excited that he was so excited to be running around.”

Speaking to the benefits of the Bromont Rising program, Sara thought for a moment when asked what her biggest takeaway has been. “I think one big takeaway that is important for all of us to go with is that we’re the future of the sport and we sort of have to take responsibility in that,” she reflected. “So shedding a positive light on the sport and creating education especially [where there] were so many spectators out on course, which was awesome. And there were quite a few people who came up and I explained a little bit more about my horse and a bit about the sport. So I think just spreading that education and awareness to positive vibe for our sport is really important.”

Sara Schulman and Cooley Chromatic. Photo by Abby Powell.

One of the coaches here this weekend, Germany Olympian Bettina Hoy, was equally impressed with the outcome of the weekend so far (though we do still have one more day of competition!). The young riders she’s been helping worked hard all week to soak up the knowledge they were gaining from the teachings of Bettina, dressage judge Cara Whitham, and course designer Derek di Grazia. For Bettina, the chance to share some of the knowledge she’s acquired over her career is a chance to give back and help further the sport.

“Overall, I’m actually very impressed by everyone, the fact that they really soaked it up every piece of information they could get, they really soaked it up, they worked very hard,” Bettina said. “And I could see them try to put into place, especially in the dressage on the cross country, I think, you know, at an event, I don’t think you can change that much. You can give some information, what to look for, especially here, as I said before, they would have felt the horses getting a little bit tired. Knowing how to deal with that knowing and having a debrief to what can you do better? How can you get your horse maybe a little bit fitter, if they felt there was getting tired. But I was impressed by the way they rode — they were very positive. They’re good kids. And I think, you know, some of them will certainly make it up to the top. And it’s fantastic of Ms. Mars to sponsor this, because I think it makes a huge difference to the kids.”

“I was very lucky and having had amazing coaches, all the way along. Foremost, my dad. But then I could tap into a lot of special coaching and trainers as well. And I’m just foremost really, really thankful that I can give something back into the sport and if what I have to say or what I can pass on, if that makes the sport safer, more enjoyable, keeping horse and rider happy and healthy. That’s my biggest reward.”

And with that, my time in Quebec comes to a very sad close. I head off entirely too early tomorrow to make a baby shower on the other coast, so I’ll leave the Sunday reporting to Abby Powell and our intern for the weekend, Poppy van Mahltzan. All divisions will jog at 8 AM tomorrow morning, and the competition will resume 9:30 AM starting with CCI2*-L show jumping.

Stay tuned for much more from the conclusion of what’s been a very wonderful weekend in Bromont. Go Eventing!

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