first published in the January 2024 Equiery

The competition calendar here in Maryland takes a few weeks off in December, but there have been several excellent results for Maryland-breds since our last column went to press. In reverse chronological order:

Thoroughbred Flat Racing
The overall sales topper at Fasig-Tipton’s Midlantic December Mixed and Horses of Racing Age sale on December 5 in Timonium was an un-named Maryland-bred weanling colt by Ghostzapper out of Dance All Day (Exaggerator). The weanling’s dam sire won the 2016 Preakness Stakes. He was consigned by Northview Stallion Station in Chesapeake City and sold for $82,000 to Machmer Hall Thoroughbreds in Oklahoma.

Dressage
The 2023 US Dressage Finals were held November 9-12 at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, KY. At this national event, qualifying pairs from all over the country compete in adult amateur and open divisions, at Training Level through Grand Prix, and junior/young riders at Training Level through Fourth Level.

Maryland’s Hilltop Farm in Colora was represented by three horses in the championship classes.:
• Hilltop-bred stallion Louisville HTF finished third in the Open Third Level Championship division;
• Hilltop-owned stallion Sternlicht Hilltop finished third in the Open Intermediate I Free style Championship division;
• Hilltop-sired gelding Chapel Hill finished fifth in the Adult Amateur First Level Championship division.

Eventing
The Waredaca Starter Checkerboard Challenge Horse Trial was held at Waredaca Farm in Laytonsville on November 11. Maryland-bred Thoroughbred Jinx – registered with the Jockey Club as Upinthenickoftime (Will’s Way x Brit Kay (Rinka Das)) – won the Novice Rider division. He was bred by J. Noel Magee and Dr. & Mrs. Bruce C. Wells and is out of the Maryland-bred Brit Kay. Jinx had three starts at the track before moving on to eventing. Experienced international campaigner BFF Savannah (BFF Incognito x Tequila Punch (Two Punch)), bred by Lisa Reid of Union Bridge, won an Elementary division. BFF Savannah competed up to the CCI2* level in 2012 and is now teaching a new rider the ropes at the lower levels. Her sire is Maryland-bred Thoroughbred/Clydesdale cross BFF Incognito.

The Virginia Horse Center Horse Trials were held the weekend of November 2 in Lexington, Virginia. The highest placed Maryland-bred was Crazed (Orientate x Riveting (Petionville)) who won the Senior Novice Rider division. He was bred by Ann Biggs Jackson of White Hall and had 19 starts at the track through 2020. He began his eventing career in 2021. Crazed later finished fourth in the Open Novice division at Chattachoochee Hills in Georgia. Un-raced Maryland-bred Thoroughbred Absolute Zero (Freedom Child x Still Kicking (Gold Case)) – registered with the Jockey Club as Away to Freedom – finished second in a Preliminary Rider Division in which almost 50% of the entries failed to complete. Absolute Zero was bred by Country Life Farm in Fallston. Maryland-bred Welsh Cob FCF Midnight Encounter (Menai Mister Mostyn x Strange Encounter) finished second in the Open Novice B division. He was bred by Victoria Carson of Westminster and has had an extensive dressage career competing up to Third Level, as well as a career eventing up to the Preliminary level.

The Chattachoochee Hills CCI3*-S and Horse Trials were held in Fairburn, Georgia, the weekend of October 28. Maryland-bred Rheinland Pfalz-Saar Bonaire (Bliss MF x Avalon (A Fine Romance)) competed at the CCI3*-S level and finished a very respectable fourth. Bonaire was bred by Elizabeth Callahan in Oxford, Maryland, and is out of her home-bred Oldenburg mare Avalon. At the national level, un-raced Maryland-bred Thoroughbred Ameristan (Cosa Vera x Seeking Allie (Seeking Daylight)) won the Open Novice B division on an impressive dressage score of 25. Ameristan was bred by Lady Olivia at North Cliff LLC.

Last but not least, two Maryland-breds won divisions at The Waredaca Classic Three Day Event and Horse Trial on October 28. Seasoned Maryland-bred Trakhener Olney Uncle Sam (Sonset Seiger x Aerial (Starman)) won the Training division, and Maryland-bred Swedish Warmblood Beall Spring Chanel (Black Coffee x Ma Cherie (Rubignon)) won the Open Beginner Novice division. Olney Uncle Sam competed at the international levels up until 2022 and is now teaching the sport to the next generation of eventers. He was bred by Ami Howard at Olney Farm in Joppa. Beall Spring Chanel was bred by Thora Pollak of Beallsville and is starting her eventing career.

You can learn more about these horses as well as many others in our Maryland-Bred Sport Horse Database, at https://mdhorsecouncil.org/sporthorses/.