United States Eventing Association

Lexington, Ky.—Aug. 28—When it’s time for an important competition, Shanroe Cooley knows how to shine, according to Boyd Martin.

“Dallas” chose a great night to step up, as he put in a clear show jumping round during tonight’s $60,000 Adequan® USEA Advanced Final at the USEA American Eventing Championships (AEC) presented by Nutrena Feeds, clinching the championship title.

“He's brilliant,” said Martin of Dallas LLC’s 11-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding (Dallas x Shanroe Sapphire). “He's a fantastic jumping horse. For all the big shows that are really important, he seems to prance out there and jump like a stag. I felt like he jumped the course really well. We had a good warm up, and I’m very pleased with him tonight.”

Eighteen pairs jumped under the lights in the Rolex Stadium over Bobby Murphy’s course, and just two were double-clear—Mary Bess Davis and Imperio Magic, who finished as reserve champions, and Elisa Wallace and Lissavorra Quality, who finished 14th. Martin and Dallas added .4 time penalties, but it was enough for the win.

Martin and Dallas are coming off a third-place finish at Luhmühlen CCI5*-L (Germany) in June. He took over the ride from Liz Halliday, who produced Dallas from a young horse before a riding accident in 2024. In an emotional moment, she came to help Martin accept his awards at the end of the night.

Martin and Dallas started the weekend in third place after dressage, and a fast cross-country round yesterday moved them up to the lead.

"I think he's evolved and matured and developed a lot since Luhmühlen, and I think that was a great turning point in our career just because it's one of the toughest events in the world, and he finished strong there. And sometimes when you do those big five-stars, it can rattle a horse, or in this case, it's made him stronger and more seasoned. So I must say, all three phases this weekend with Dallas, he just felt like a more established, mature horse, and to ride him here in Liz's hometown in front of Liz was very, very rewarding for me because Liz put her heart and soul into this horse, and nothing made me happier than seeing her patting and smiling and hugging her champion horse.”

Martin is fresh off a team bronze medal at the FEI World Eventing Championship (Germany), so he only had two horses to ride this weekend at the AEC, but he appreciated being able to mingle with riders from different parts of the country and of different experience levels.

"The AEC is like the Olympic Games for a lot of the younger riders and the amateur riders, and the sport of eventing is thriving in this country,” he said. “When you walk through the barns here and see the passion in all the people that are obsessed with this sport, it’s really, really exciting. I love coming here just because there's a lot of faces that remind me of when I was 15 years old, dreaming of what could be in this sport, and I love coming down here just because obviously Kentucky's the mecca of all horse sports, and it's great being around people that share the same passion as you.”

For Davis, competing at the Kentucky Horse Park this weekend was a bit of redemption as she fell off on cross-country at the Defender Kentucky Three-Day Event this spring. She injured her leg during the fall, so she had to take about three months off from riding to heal.

Her longtime partner Imperio Magic, a 12-year-old Anglo-European gelding (Cassander C x Khadija des Hayettes), is a strong show jumper, and their double-clear boosted them from fourth after cross-country to Reserve Champions.

“This year at Kentucky, it's just heartbreaking a little bit because I know what he's capable of, and I know what I'm capable of,” she said. “And then I got hurt. The first thing I told my husband was like, ‘I'm quitting. I'm tired of hurting.’ And he was like, ‘Let's just give it time.’ He always says that, and of course, like two days later, I was back in with everything, and planning where I was going!”

She took her coach, Karen O’Connor’s words to heart as she headed into AEC week. “Karen O'Connor talked to me coming into this, and she said, ‘You've got to learn how to win. You know you're competitive. You have to learn how to win.’ So, we came into this, and we really focused hard on every aspect of the show and performance, and it really paid off. The dressage is getting better; it needs to be better. It was about this close to being amazing, so we're still getting there. But it was really important that she had that conversation with me, and then we applied it all week, and just every day he was amazing. So, it worked.”

Moving up from 12th after dressage to third overall was Maya Clarkson riding her own 14-year-old Hanoverian gelding Maks Mojo C (Mighty Magic x MS Winter Morning). They started their weekend on a score of 33.5 and added 9.6 time penalties on cross-country and two rails in show jumping to finish on a score of 51.1.

“He was better than me tonight,” Clarkson shared. “The rails were my fault, and I was bummed about them, but that’s OK. This was both of our first time jumping in this ring together, so I was pleased. He was amazing. He jumped the same as he does in every other ring, and I was a little bit just not quite on my game.”

Reflecting on their weekend together, Clarkson noted that the dressage test was the best test Maks Mojo C has done and that he made the cross-country feel easy.

“Advanced on him in the past has not always been that easy,” she noted. “The horse has the biggest heart of anything I’ve ever ridden. He’ll just find the flags regardless of what position I’m in, but it was nice to have all of the rounds feel pretty smooth. I was proud of that today.”

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About the USEA American Eventing Championships (AEC)

The USEA American Eventing Championships (AEC) presented by Nutrena Feeds is the pinnacle of the sport at the national levels. Held annually, the best junior, adult amateur, and professional competitors gather to vie for national championship titles at every level from Starter to Advanced. This ultimate test of horse and rider draws hundreds of combinations from around the country to compete for fabulous prizes, a piece of the substantial prize money, and the chance to be named the National Champion at their respective levels. In fact, the 2021 AEC garnered over 1,000 entries and now stands as the largest eventing competition in North American history. The 2026 USEA American Eventing Championships presented by Nutrena Feeds will be held on Aug. 25-30 at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, Kentucky. Click here to learn more about the USEA American Eventing Championships.

The USEA would like to thank Presenting Sponsor: Nutrena Feeds; Advanced Final Title Sponsor: Adequan; Platinum Level Sponsors: Bates Saddles, Marshall+Sterling Equine Insurance; Gold Level Sponsors: ARMA, Gallaghers Water, PulseVet, Schneiders Saddlery, SmartPak, Standlee; Silver Level Sponsors: Auburn Labs, Kerrits, The Jockey Club Thoroughbred Incentive Program, Rood & Riddle; Bronze Level Sponsors: 70°, Antech Diagnostics, Athletux, The Chronicle of the Horse, Devoucoux, D.G. Stackhouse & Ellis, Dubarry of Ireland, Equestrian Team Apparel, Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation, John Deere, Retired Racehorse Project, Ride EquiSafe, Santa Cruz Animal Health; Contributing Level Sponsors: AnimaSol, CrossCountry App, Foxhollow Farm, Georgetown/Scott County Tourism, Kentucky Equine Research, Kentucky Horse Park Foundation, Lexmark, LV Harkness, Only Fools and Horses, #WeRideTogether, YETI; and Prize Level Sponsors: ARRO Helmets, The Dad Den, Dandy Products, Equiluxe Tack, Equine IMED, FLAIR Equine Nasal Strips, I Love My Horse Boutique, The Infused Equestrian, Love Equestrian, Majyk Equipe, Mare Modern Goods, Natalie Hummel Coaching, Neighborly Tack, Outlaw Nutrition, Parkmore Supplements, Peak Performance Equine Spa, Poseidon Animal Health, Rachel Dory Fine Art, Right Path Equestrian, Saddle Bird Boutique, Sidelines Magazine, Strides For Equality Equestrians, STRIDER, Stylish in the Saddle, VTO Saddlery, and XLR8 Equine.

About the $60,000 Adequan USEA Advanced Final

The $60,000 Adequan® USEA Advanced Final will take place at the 2026 USEA American Eventing Championships presented by Nutrena Feeds at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, Kentucky on Aug. 26-28. Thanks to Adequan’s amazing support, the Adequan® USEA Advanced Final will bring together the country’s top riders to vie for $60,000 in prize money and the title of Adequan® Champion. To qualify for the $60,000 Adequan® USEA Advanced Final at the AEC in 2026, competitors will need to complete a minimum of two events without cross-country jump penalties at any USEA recognized Advanced horse trials, CCI4*-S, CCI4*-L , CCI5*-L, World Championships, or Olympic Games. Click here to learn more about the $60,000 Adequan® USEA Advanced Final.