Dutton Defends Lead with The Foreman in the USEF National CCI*** Championship

Schmitt, Groves, Wright and Poulin Lead National Driving Championships at Dansko Fair Hill International

Leaderboards Shuffle after Driving Marathons

The driving marathon got underway in the morning and Lana DuPont Wright’s course hosted plenty of action and excitement.

Yesterday’s leaders after the dressage didn’t fair well in the first marathon classe. Single Pony dressage winner, Shelly Temple was eliminated for going off course which meant that Sara Schmitt’s opening score of 95.59 was good enough to hold on for the win.

Driving Batman, she blazed around the difficult course and finished on a two day total of 147.99 which left her with a commanding lead going into the third and final phase, the cones.  She has been driving the pony for three years and says that her navigator, Keith Haskell is a large part of her success.

“He was awesome today,” said Schmitt about Batman. “I think the most difficult on the whole course was that there were a lot of tricks, like making sure you didn’t go through the gates backwards. When you are going fast it is pretty hard to remember where you’re going. I wouldn’t say he was spot on but because he’s fast even making a few minor errors he is fine. I’m quite a bit ahead and I’ve never actually gone into the cones with such a lead so it’s going to be fun tomorrow. When you go into the cones with two points in hand it is a lot of pressure, when you go into the cones with 17 points in hand you can actually have some fun.“

In the Single Horse Championship division, Robin Groves has a much smaller lead but sits atop the standings nonetheless. In second place after the dressage, she actually finished third in the marathon with a score of 100.92, but her two day total of 157.37 was good enough to bump her ahead of dressage winner Bill Peacock.

“My first hazard was lousy with my bad choice of route but the rest of it was wonderful,” said Groves. “This is his first time around this course with me and I have no complaints other than I drove the first hazard abominably. He gave me all he had and was still running at the end which I really appreciate.”

The 12-year-old Connemara gelding cruised around the course with relative ease defying his size and although Groves appreciates her position after the two days knows that Sunday’s cones will be challenging.

“I have, maybe, one point in hand and I have to say that my two strongest phases have already happened,” she said. “I have no leeway but my groom is very good at keeping me an my horse relaxed”

In the Pony Team Championship, Boots Wright held onto her lead with another convincing performance with her team. Sitting five points ahead of Lisa Stroud on a score of 166.55, Wright will bring her Ocala based team into the cones tomorrow hoping to go three for three of days of wining performances.

In the Pair Horse championship, Larry Poulin snuck ahead of dressage winner Lisa Singer by less than two points. Poulin, who is based in Massachusetts, scored 108.34 in the marathon to finish on a two day score of 160.56.

Sunday’s activities get underway at 8 a.m. with the Final Horse Inspection and then the cones portion of the USEF National Driving Championships. Show jumping for the National Eventing Championships begins at 2 p.m.

For more information please contact USEF High Performance Communications Manager Joanie Morris at jmorris@usef.org.