Oliver Townend (GBR) turned in two clear rounds Saturday and sits first overnight with Ballaghmor Class and eighth with Cooley Master Class. Both horses lost a shoe on course, and persistent rain made the footing slick.

“For me this was the toughest cross-country course for a long, long time at the Five Star level. It’s right up there with the very toughest in the world,” Townend said. “Both horses had a tough enough time out there. I’m still very emotional about how amazing they both are. They’ve both literally given me their heart and soul today.”

By the time Townend left the startbox with Ballaghmor Class, it had been raining heavily for some time. The horse lost a shoe at fence seven, so Townend said he tried to protect his mount around the slippery turns. Still, they crossed the finish only two seconds over the optimum time to take the lead on 27.3.

“He’s an unbelievable cross-country machine. With a shoe he could have been ten or 12 seconds inside the time without any sweat,” Townend said of the Irish gelding owned by Karyn Shutter, Angela Hislop, and Val Ryan. “I’d love to be stylish and ride the round I’d like to ride, but it wasn’t meant to be this time. It was rough and tumble and start and stop and just trying to keep him on his feet.”

Oliver Townend and Ballaghmor Class. Photo by RedBayStock.com

Townend praised Ballaghmor Class’s “tenacity, ability, strength, and complete robustness to do the performance he did” in difficult conditions.

Likewise, Townend had to work to bring Angela Hislop’s Cooley Master Class home clear with 6.4 time penalties.

“Cooley Master Class didn’t have a smooth trip at all, but every time I gave him a squeeze he stuck his head down and did what he could,” Townend said. “He lost a back shoe early on and slipped and slid. He wasn’t full of confidence and he wasn’t jumping particularly high, but at the same time he did what good horses do and dug deep and I was very happy with him.”

Townend is now in a position to take a third consecutive win in the CCI5*-L, but with the top eight all within a rail of first place, there is no margin for error in the final phase.

We’ll celebrate what they’ve given me today and tomorrow’s another day,” Townend said.