Piggy March is one of two competitors to leave the five-star competition at the Mars Maryland 5 Star final trot-up.
The British rider’s mount, John and Chloe Perry and Alison Swinburn’s five-star debutant Brookfield Cavalier Cruise, was sent to the holding box and Piggy then decided to withdraw. The pair had been fifth overnight.
Piggy March with Brookfield Cavalier Cruise and groom Amy Phillips, at the final trot-up at Maryland 5 Star 2023. Credit: Amy Dragoo
Piggy reported that “Fletcher” gave her a super ride yesterday.
“The course was much the biggest he’s tackled but he really rose to the occasion and finished great – I couldn’t have been more proud of him,” she said. “Very sadly he is not quite right this morning and we decided to withdraw from the holding box so no showjumping for us today.
“Absolutely gutting for his owners John and Chloe Perry and Alison Swinburn and Amy [Phillips] who has looked after him so well. It wasn’t to be for us this week but we will get him home and live to fight for another day. He’s a very special horse.”
The ground jury also sent Erin Kanara’s ride Campground, owned by Marnie Kelly and eighth after yesterday’s cross-country, to the holding box. The US competitor re-presented, but Campground was eliminated.
Maryland 5 Star final trot-up: 14 progress
The other 14 cross-country finishers were all passed by the ground jury, consisting of president Judy Hancock (Britain), Robert Stevenson (USA) and Andrew Bennie (New Zealand), at the Mars Maryland 5 Star final trot-up.
Data analytics company EquiRatings say overnight leader Oliver Townend now has a 68% chance of winning the event on Paul Ridgeon’s Cooley Rosalent. William Fox-Pitt sits second and has a 27% win chance with Amanda Gould’s Grafennacht.
Cooley Rosalent is only nine years old. The last nine-year-old to win at five-star was Oslo, William’s ride, who took the Blenheim Horse Trials eight- and nine-year-old class and then Pau Horse Trials in 2011. Cooley Rosalent has already won that Blenheim young horse class this autumn and now bids to emulate Oslo’s five-star triumph.
Should William win, he will extend his record of five-star victories – he currently tops the all-time leaderboard with 14 and he has won every northern hemisphere five-star except Maryland.
The five-star showjumping starts at 2.30pm local time (7.30pm British time).
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