Click for a jog report and lots of photos.

It was a busy day of cross-country at Fair Hill, but Tamra Smith held her lead in the CCI***. Click for a report and lots of photos.

Elkton, Md. - Oct. 16

A year ago, Mai Baum was galloping around the Dutta Corp. Fair Hill International CCI** with his owner, young rider Alex Ahearn.

When she decided to go to college, she gave her coach, Tamra Smith the ride this February, and the pair have been steadily lowering their dressage scores and picking up plenty of blue ribbons along the way.

Today, they showed how solid their partnership has become in the CCI***, earning the top score, 38.5, to take the lead heading into tomorrow’s cross-country.

This Canadian rider has never given up on her quirky but talented Thoroughbred, even though multiple people have advised her to just sell him and move on. Now they're tackling their third CCI*** at Fair Hill with a new confidence.

What do a four-star veteran, a nighttime nurse, and two "quirky" Thoroughbred fans have in common?