Austin O’Connor and Colorado Blue: Your 2023 MARS Maryland 5 Star winners! Photo by Sally Spickard.

It was a day when literally anything was possible at the MARS Maryland 5 Star, presented by Brown Advisory. Following an exciting and influential cross country test on Saturday, we were looking at a top five of horses all capable of jumping clear rounds, but without an individual standout with a stellar jumping record on the final day of competition.

When Ireland’s Austin O’Connor entered the arena with the Salty Syndicate’s Colorado Blue for his turn around Michel Vaillencourt’s track — which had already caused its share of influence, with no one achieving a double clear to that point — we wondered. Here was a horse who’s jumped clear rounds in important scenarios: he jumped a clear round to finish in the top 10 at Badminton in 2022, and also jumped clear in the second, individual medal final at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.

Austin O’Connor finishes a double clear show jumping with Colorado Blue. Photo by Sally Spickard.

Despite a close call at the liverpool heading toward the VIP chalets, Austin and “Salty” jumped a clear round, also finishing inside the time allowed of 77 seconds. At the time, Austin and the 14-year-old British Sport Horse were in fourth position. Their double clear put the pressure on the podium holders, all of whom would ultimately lower rails and open the door for Austin to become the first Irish CCI5* winner since 1965. That year, Major Eddie Boylan and Durlas Eile took the title at Badminton. Austin and Colorado Blue (Jaguar Mail – Rock Me Baby, by Rock King) finished the weekend on a score of 34.9.

“Unbelievable,” Austin said after his round, and after he’d gone on to take the overall win. “People like me, we’re not supposed to win five-stars, but hey, it’s just happened I think. You know, it’s the end result of a lifetime’s work really. Ultimately it’s all about the horse. He’s unbelievable. He’s been a champion for years and privately I was prepared to give him to somebody better because I felt he deserved to win a five-star and I didn’t think I could ever win one with him, but here we are.”

Austin O’Connor and Colorado Blue. Photo by Sally Spickard.

Austin’s had the opportunity to know Salty quite well, as he was actually involved in the breeding of the horse with longtime supporter Kate Jarvey at Mellon Stud in County Limerick, Ireland. “We had a sort of breeding program together, and twenty years later here we are. The breeding was discussed, and we did come up with Jaguar Mail as the sire. In our minds, it’s the damline — obviously Jaguar Mail is a very good stallion, but it’s his damline. It’s a mare [Rock Me Baby] by Rock King, which was a Thoroughbred, and was actually a Thoroughbred and evented. And so we would look at the damline and go from there. I can’t say I was there when he was born, but I would have seen him within a month.”

“We wouldn’t have come to Maryland if we didn’t feel there was a strong possibility of jumping around, but saying that the last couple of three-days I’ve done I’ve ended up with a couple of cheap rails,” Austin continued. “It happens nothing really obvious, and today I make a horrendous mistake and he gets me out of jail. He’s eighty-five percent Thoroughbred. He’s all blood, he’s all class. To be honest, from day one he looked a proper, proper horse.”

Austin originally went to Burghley for his fall 5* with “Salty”, but a drive-by at the influential Leaf Pit fence would end their weekend early after Austin opted to retire there. In fact, it would be longtime U.S. eventing champion and event horse owner Tim Gardner who would put a consoling arm around Austin’s shoulders and put a bug in his ear: Maryland was waiting.

The first Irish 5* winner in 58 years. What a feeling. Photo by Sally Spickard.

“When I was having a little bit of a down low at the party, he put his arm around me and said, ‘You’ve got to bring Salty to Maryland’,” Austin recalled. “Because obviously Pau would have been the obvious choice. So he was the man that convinced us to come here.”

And perhaps manifestation is a real thing: “I did say something at Badminton when I was walking up to the podium this year. I did sort of say, tongue in cheek, ‘it won’t be long until there’s an Irish winner,’ and I did say, ‘I hope you’re looking at him’…completely bullshitting!”

William Fox-Pitt and Grafennacht. Photo by Sally Spickard.

British Olympic medalist William Fox-Pitt also elevated himself and Amanda Gould’s Grafennacht (Grafenstolz – Nachtigall, by Narew xx) despite lowering one rail, the A of the triple at 9, from third into second overall on a score of 35.3.

“I was very pleased with how she was great today,” William said. “She can knock a jump or two down, and she can also jump a clear round. I mean she’s not a show jumper, even though she’s by [Birkhof’s] Grafenstolz. I kind of wish she’d become Lordships Grafflo! She can just be a little economical, and today she wasn’t. She really very nearly could have jumped a clear round, and I was still delighted in one down. She’s the sort of horse who could lose an event with one down or win an event with a clear round — there is a clear round in there, and she’s great to work with.”

William has repeatedly said that this lovely mare has been one that’s kept him in the eventing game (please don’t ever leave us, William), but is he feeling the time approaching when we’ll no longer see him at these big events?

“I’m getting close. I think I’m coming to my senses quietly,” he mused. “I’ve not got any horses now. She’s the only five-star horse — I’ve got a six year old. So there is more time in my life now, which is quite nice. But I’ve got to decide, you know, could she give you a bit more fun? Do I do it well enough? I think as an older rider you are — you’re increasingly worried about looking like an idiot. And I think normally you’re out there doing the cross country, you do your best and you attack. Nowadays, I think ‘oh God I hope I don’t like ride an old man today because everyone would go, for God’s sake just give up!’ So it’s getting close, but she’s keeping me in the game. She’s a lot of fun. And of course, yesterday morning I was thinking ‘what the hell am I doing really?’ But by the evening I thought, ‘that’s what I’m doing!’ As we all know, it’s a drug and it’s a good one, so I’m enjoying her and goodness knows I think I probably should to come to my senses, but I’m not sure I’d enjoy watching anyone else ride her yet!”

Oliver Townend and Cooley Rosalent. Photo by Sally Spickard.

World #1 Oliver Townend did not have a rail in hand to start the day, but William did give him a rail’s worth of breathing room with his pole down. In the end, he’d need it and then some, finishing Cooley Rosalent‘s second 5* with a final score of 37.1 and on the third step of the podium. This was yet another pair that certainly can jump clears, but has yet to do so at this level. The mare, owned by Paul Ridgeon, is just 9, though, and with more experience and strength Oliver is confident the clears are coming.

“She was giving me an amazing feeling,” Oliver said of Cooley Rosalent (Valent – Bellaney Jewel xx, by Roselier xx), who’s also known as “Rosie”. “I felt that there was a bit of a mistake possibly coming out of the combination. I felt that everything was right going in, and then I felt it was me getting a little bit too desperate at the next one, so perhaps she had one down and I had one down. But in terms of for the future, I’ve not got a concern about show jumping clears. I thought she had a beautiful round, we had two mistakes and that was that.”

Oliver Townend congratulates Austin O’Connor on his big win. Photo by Sally Spickard.

At the end, it was Austin’s victory that was also the cherry on top of Oliver’s weekend (though he’ll still be returning here until he wins, I think — this is his third podium at Maryland in as many years, but he hasn’t caught the top spot yet): “I can’t tell you how happy I am — I nearly cried for Austin. Austin’s been a good friend to me in fairly tough times of the last few years, and we share other lunatic friends so I would imagine there would be some get together at some stage for Burghley and Maryland.”

Finishing as the top-placed U.S. pair were Hannah Sue Hollberg and Christa Schmidt’s Capitol HIM (Con Air – O-Heraldika, by Heraldik xx), who jumped a clear with just one second of time to move up into fourth after starting the weekend in tenth. This was a first 5* completion for “Chito”, who came to Hannah Sue after first being purchased for Christa to ride. They did start the Kentucky 5* in 2022, but Hannah sadly fell from the horse not far from the finish on cross country.

Christa did in fact campaign Chito (she also currently rides Hannah Sue’s former 5* partner, Harbour Pilot, in the dressage ring) through Training level before handing the reins to Hannah Sue. “He was just a little bit too much horse for her, so I got to take over the ride,” she explained. “We didn’t really have extremely high expectations for him starting out — we just kind of slowly brought him up the levels, and every time we kind of asked him to do more, he would just step up and answer the questions, and he’s gotten better and better and better.”

Hannah Sue Hollberg points to her supporters after delivering a clear round aboard Capitol HIM. Photo by Sally Spickard.

Hannah’s kicking herself a bit for staying a little more conservative at the beginning of cross country, but she wanted to ensure her horse had enough left in the tank. “My only thing that I wish I had done better — well I wish I did a lot of things better — but biggest thing I guess is that on cross country, I didn’t know if he would go the distance — I don’t really know until they do,” she elaborated. “I kind of held him back a little bit more at the corners at the top before the crab water. I think I could have been inside that time if I had just let him go. I was worried about him getting tired, so it’s nice to know that he’s so able and eager and can do it.”

Hannah also noted that the 16-year-old Holsteiner gelding had been diagnosed with Cushing’s disease about a year ago, right after he finished the 3*-L here at Maryland 5 Star, in fact. Hannah withdrew him after cross country that year. “And the reason he was in the three-star last year is because of that. I just couldn’t figure out what was wrong with him all year. And I didn’t want to push him too hard and ask him to do more than he could do. And then once we figured that out and he got on the medication he needed, it just has completely changed his life and he’s become the horse that we always knew he was and it’s just, you know, building toward peaking at the right moment and planning the season and hoping it all works out.”

Mia Farley and Phelps. Photo by Sally Spickard.

Receiving the Amanda Pirie Warrington award for the top-placed 5* first-timer this weekend is 23-year-old Mia Farley, who delivered a solid round on a notoriously tough show jumper in the off-track Thoroughbred, Phelps (Tiznow – Boom Town Gal). Mia joked with me earlier today that David had comforted her saying, “hey, the worst you can do is fourteenth!” So the hope was to leave as many poles up as possible. Phelps struggles in this phase and as Mia says sometimes he can come out on jumping day a little more “protective” of his body. Today, she says, “he came out like, it’s Sunday!!”

“Today is the best I’ve felt him on any Sunday, and so his jump school this morning was promising and we kind of had to not really have any expectations for him in a way,” Mia said. “We know his past with how jumping is definitely not his strong suit, but today we can’t be more proud of him. Sure he had two down, but he was full of run and jumping well – better than normal honestly.”

Mia experimented with a pelham bit in the last few shows before opting to put the 10-year-old Thoroughbred by Tiznow back into a snaffle for today. “I really thought about it and thought ‘what if I just put him back into a snaffle, so he can jump into it more?’ We schooled him in a pelham and then we put the snaffle on and he felt really comfortable, jumping into it.”

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Mia, of course, felt the nerves that come with defending a potential podium finish in one’s first 5*, but she also felt “pretty mentally stable all day” and says that peace came from acceptance and a “what will be, will be” mentality. “I’ve been pretty mentally stable all day, I’m not going to lie,” she laughed. “When I got on him, I was just like ‘he’s going to be what he’s going to be, and he’s either going to jump a clear round or he’s not.’ I was just like expecting — I don’t want to say nothing, but also expecting nothing. And so I think that’s what helped. I obviously was nervous, but I really felt good going into show jumping.”

Despite the lowered rails, Mia was good to finish fifth — a stellar debut for one of the most promising young riders coming up through the ranks. David O’Connor in an interview yesterday noted Mia’s soft way of riding and how well it sets her up to produce quality rounds, and we couldn’t agree more. Here’s to this only being the start for this scrappy pair.

Caroline Powell and Greenacres Special Cavalier. Photo by Sally Spickard.

Other notable rounds today include New Zealand Olympian Caroline Powell and Greenacres Special Cavalier, who jumped a class clear with two seconds of time to finish in sixth, followed by fellow Kiwi and World Championships rider Monica Spencer and another off-track Thoroughbred, Artist, in seventh. Andrew McConnon also secured his first 5* completion, though I know he’ll already be working on what he can improve after feeling a bit disappointed with his cross country time and four rails down today with Jeanne Schigo’s Ferrie’s Cello. It certainly won’t be the last we’ll see of this pair.

And with that, the third year of the MARS Maryland 5 Star is in the books. It was a true five-star weekend all around, the weather gods blessed us with mostly good weather, the porta-pot gods blessed us with well-maintained toilets, and the media center was kept stocked with snacks and coffee which is really the best way to motivate me to write 3,000+ words each night.

Before we go, let’s check in on the 3*-L National Championship. Veronica Green-Gott checks in:

Caroline Pamukcu Jet Sets to Chile on a USEF National CCI3*-L Championship High

Caroline Pamukcu and HSH Connor secure the USEF National 3*-L Championship. Photo by Shannon Brinkman Photography.

It was a day full of peaks and valleys in the USEF National CCI3*-L Championship at the MARS Maryland 5 Star. An influential day of show jumping left our first two placings untouched while the rest of the field was entirely rearranged.

Caroline Pamukcu and HSH Connor (Connor 48 x Galwaybay Merstona by Mermus R) owned by Caroline and Sherrie Martin as well as Derek Strine are your National Championship winners this weekend. The triumphant pair added nothing to their dressage score to go double clear across the board this weekend and finished on their score of 25.4. The talented 7-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding has a habit of being a bit of an overachiever, as this is the second time he’s finished on his dressage score this season, and third time in his career. Caroline, who is heading off to the Pan American Games and had to hop out of the press conference early to catch a flight south to meet her team horse, HSH Blake, is definitely leaving on a high note.

“This win is so emotional because I’ve had the horse since he was a four-year-old and there’s such a big community behind me. It was just emotional for me to remember his first jump school, his first flat school and then all the way to this moment,” Caroline said. “We were so close last year to winning the Young Horse World Championships, that for him to win the USEF National Championship 3*…It’s amazing. Hopefully it’s a good last show before the Pan Ams.”

Lauren Nicholson and Ms. Jacqueline Mars’ Larcot Z (L’Arc de Triomphe x Kocote De La Londe by Socrate de Chivre) added only 0.4 time faults to her dressage score to finish in second place with a final score of 28.6. The lowest score of Larcot Z’s FEI career, Larcot Z was produced by Will Coleman and Reagan LaFleur through the 2* and 3* levels. For Lauren’s first season with the 10-year-old Zangersheide gelding, she’s off to a stellar start — the pair have yet to finish outside of the top five of every event they’ve completed since partnering up.

“The Larcot horse is probably one of the most fun horses I’ve had in the show jumping. He’s so willing and brave but he’s such a freak about being careful. He makes the job easy because you really just kind of ride quite forward to everything and trust him to take care of the front rail,” Lauren said. “He was a pleasure to ride and you know, I’m so grateful to Ms. Mars for stepping up to get him because, I hope he’s the horse of a lifetime.”

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Lauren admits she’d been “stalking” the horse ever since he was four, noting he was completely her type to ride. And when the opportunity came to take the ride, Ms. Mars stepped in to support her longtime rider. Lauren’s prioritized taking her time with this new and very special horse, acknowledging he also needed no “fixing” after taking the reins from other riders. She’s even worked with former rider Will Coleman in the transition to ensure she’s ticking along.

“He’s always been my type and you know, again, Coleman’s such a classical trainer and rider and our programs really mirror each other in that way,” Lauren explained. “And he’s just so committed to the fundamentals of basics with the horses and producing them so correctly and classically from the beginning and really following the training scale. So it’s very easy for me to pick up the ride from home and you know, I think some people these days get stuck into chasing things pretty early and the newest and latest trick and the thing is with horses is training horses isn’t new. And with young horses, you just kind of have to keep ticking the boxes and keep working on the training scale.”

“We always are pretty conservative about how often we run especially at this age, which I think is why in our program and the O’Connor program too, our horses last as five-star horses still in their late teens,” Lauren continued. “We consistently get to that level and they do it year after year, and this sport’s — I think it’s becoming even more important that horses last so long. So I think longevity in our production of them is very priority and how we train our horses.”

One rail bumped Caroline and HSH Tolan King from fourth place to sixth place, leaving an opening for Savannah “Woodge” Fulton and Nelson Warnell’s Cash Point (Cash and Carry x Up to Date 15) to take her spot with a score of 31.4. It was a banner weekend for Savannah and Cash Point, as their final score was their lowest yet, not only at the 3* level, but including their entire FEI career.

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“I’ve had him since he was four and I feel like, with this sport especially, it’s really hard to put all three things together all on one weekend, especially with a baby. And so the goal for the weekend was just to make the time cross country,” Woodge said. “I don’t want to say the pressure was off, but yesterday was just fabulous. And if he came out this morning really tired and you know sort of feeling sorry for himself, I would just be proud of him for doing well yesterday. So the fact that he was able to jump out today and finish well was really exciting.”

Unfortunately, Taren Hoffos and Regalla (Sir Donnerhall x Rubiera A by Rubinstein 46), third after cross country had a rough time in the show jumping phase, after a fall just before the finish line resulted in elimination. Both horse and rider got up and walked off after the incident and are reported to be ok. We were so sorry to see Taren’s weekend end this way, but hope she is proud of what she accomplished on a challenging cross country track Saturday.

We now move full-steam ahead into a very busy rest of the fall season, with the eventing at the Pan American Games kicking off Thursday, October 26, as well as the final 5* of the season in France at Les Etoiles de Pau. We’ll then move to the Eventing Championships at Galway Downs the first week of November, and the season concludes with the 4*-L at TerraNova (FL) in mid-November. With that in mind, I’m off to get a bit of sleep and make my way back to California, and I’ll see you very soon with coverage from the Pan Ams while Tilly Berendt brings you coverage from Pau.

As always, thank you for reading and following along with us, give your horse a pat, and Go Eventing.

MARS Maryland 5 Star: [Website] [Final Scores] [Live Stream Replays (North America)] [Live Stream Replays (Outside North America)] [EN’s Coverage]

EN’s coverage of MARS Maryland 5 Star is brought to you by Kentucky Performance Products.

Piggy March waits for the Ground Jury’s decision following her first presentation of Brookfield Cavalier Cruise. Photo by Sally Spickard.

The Maryland 5 Star fields thinned significantly following a tension-filled Final Horse Inspection on Sunday morning.

In the CCI5*, there were two changes to the board after both Piggy March (GBR) and Brookfield Cavalier Cruise (withdrew from the hold box) and Erin Kanara and Campground (not accepted on second inspection).

Mia Farley and Phelps were all clear in the Final Horse Inspection. Photo by Sally Spickard.

This now moves Austin O’Connor (IRE) and Colorado Blue up into fourth place and poised for a podium finish. Erin kanara and Campground were in 18th place following a clear with time cross country Saturday.

Overnight leader Oliver Townend and Cooley Rosalent will move forward to vie for the win. Photo by Sally Spickard.

William Fox-Pitt and Grafennacht are in second after cross country. Photo by Sally Spickard.

There was also lengthy discussion following Doug Payne and Quantum Leap’s presentation, but the ground jury could have also been debating Doug’s ability to pull off a leather jacket.

Doug Payne awaits the ground jury’s decision after jogging Quantum Leap. They were accepted and did not have to go to the hold or present again. Photo by Sally Spickard.

Looking to the USEF CCI3*-L National Championship, five horses were sent to the hold box: Kirsten Schuitema and One Sly Fox, Jennifer Moody and Eye of the Storm, Nilson Moreira da Silva and Elmo, Braden Speck and BSF Liam, Hannah Sue Hollberg and Hachi. Jennifer Moody ultimately decided to withdraw Eye of the Storm rom the hold box, but all others were accepted upon reinspection.

So a total of 14 combinations will now move forward to show jumping in the CCI5*, and 40 will jump in the CCI3*-L. We’ll see the 3* first beginning at 10:30 a.m. The show jumping will kick off for the headlining division at 2:00 p.m. Show jumping orders of go should be available shortly here. See the link list below for live stream links. 

MARS Maryland 5 Star: [Website] [Entries, Schedule & Times] [Live Scores] [Live Stream (North America)] [Live Stream (Outside North America)] [Tickets] [EN’s Coverage]

EN’s coverage of MARS Maryland 5 Star is brought to you by Kentucky Performance Products.

Oliver Townend and Cooley Rosalent. Photo by Sally Spickard.

It was fairly easy to anticipate how World #1 Rider Oliver Townend and Cooley Rosalent (Valent – Bellaney Jewel xx, by Roselier xx) would finish their cross country today after watching them skip through a highly-anticipated combination — Fences 14 and 15 (the Select Event Group Baltimore Barricades and Bodgie’s Fox Covert). Carving through the direct, efficient line, Paul Ridgeon’s nine-year-old Irish Sport Horse mare with both racing and jumping breeding gave a huge effort over the first max spread table, making Oliver’s original plan of five strides to four strides impossible. You’d not have known, though, as she quickly picked up the line and was through it with a swish of her tail and a blink of the eye.

Oliver Townend and Cooley Rosalent. Photo by Sally Spickard.

Minutes later, Oliver crossed the finish, stopping the clock 15 seconds over the optimum time of 11 minutes, 10 seconds. He accumulated six time penalties — “hopefully I won’t be kicking myself tomorrow!” — but it was enough to keep him in the position to beat on Sunday at the MARS Maryland 5 Star, presented by Brown Advisory. He’ll take a two-phase score of 29.1 into the show jumping tomorrow, without a rail in hand.

“Rosie has fulfilled my expectations of her,” Oliver said. “We always thought she was a superstar since the day we first saw her at age four, and from literally arriving in the warm-up to setting out of the box, I just thought, ‘God yeah, there’s just something special’. She’s very keen, but in a beautiful way — ears pricked and enthusiastic, and basically she’s had a whale of a time out here and I couldn’t be happier with her. She’s fulfilled our dreams that she is the hopefully next big thing for five-star horses.”

Historically, Oliver’s had a rail here and there — including one at the mare’s first 5* at Luhmühlen in the spring — with Rosie, but the pair does have clear jumping rounds on their card at Long format events. He will need to leave all the rails up tomorrow, as both William Fox-Pitt and Mia Farley are within four penalties of the lead as it stands now.

“For [owners Paul and Diana Ridgeon, who also owned horses for Andrew Nicholson and have been longtime supporters of Oliver’s] to get a superstar like this after owning horses their whole life, it’s very special for the whole team,” Oliver said. “She’s so honest and loves her job so as long as I get her nearly in front of the fences, she looks for the flags and jumps them very well. She’s been very keen all day, and she’s a pleasure to ride. I want to do that more than ever – with the horses that I’m privileged to ride, these horses are what keeps getting me up in the morning. It takes a huge amount of people to get me here on this horse, so thank you to everyone.”

William Fox-Pitt and Grafennacht. Photo by Sally Spickard.

William Fox-Pitt was equally pleased with the effort of his mare (how lovely to have two incredible mares sitting atop this leaderboard tonight!), Amanda Gould’s 11-year-old Oldenburg mare Grafennacht (Grafenstolz – Nachtigall, by Narew xx), who accumulated 5.2 penalties to move up one spot into second place overnight. “I’ve known she’s a lovely horse and she gave me a great ride at Badminton, so of course I’ve come here full of optimism,” he said. “[The question is] when they’ve done a five-star, are they going to be as good at the next one? But she’s always been a very cool horse, ever since she was five, it was always like she just walked the course like “yep, yep, yep” — she doesn’t really deviate anyway. She’s nice and easy to ride.”

William benefitted some from about a 20-minute hold after Arielle Aharoni pulled up Dutch Times two fences from home (Dutch Times was loaded into the horse ambulance with a wrapped right front after coming up lame. Arielle reports he’s resting comfortably at New Bolton this evening and she hopes he’ll be able to come home with her soon.). “Lillie” pulled up well — they’d just cleared the 14AB/15 combination before being held — and William took the time to walk her around, grab some water, and put some water on his mare. They were quickly sent away once Dutch Times was safely off the course and were seemingly equally quick to get the last few minutes of the track done to come home clear.

William Fox-Pitt and Grafennacht during the hold. Photo by Sally Spickard.

“Absolutely, I have to admit of course that the hold, in hindsight, did help,” William said. “You’re never quite sure — you think you’d like to stay in that rhythm and keep going. I thought, ‘Oh my goodness, when I get out to the corners around the water, she might be fresher than I’d anticipated’, so I rather thought that I’d ride her a bit quieter. But she held quite relaxed. She had a good wash, there was some water there in the end and I didn’t know how long I was going to be held for. It was all a little bit hit and miss, but I’ve got to say it all played to my advantage for sure because she doesn’t look like she’s done an event.”

This is another who’s had a few rails on the record. She lowered three in her first 5* at Badminton, but she did jump clear in both Boekelo’s and Burnham’s 4*-Ls. Tomorrow’s Michel Vaillancourt-designed track should prove itself a worthy challenge for the afternoon to come.

Which now brings us to, in this writer’s (and probably the rest of the eventing internet’s, to be honest) humble opinion, the absolute Story. Of. The. Day. Full. Stop.: Mia Farley and Phelps.

Mia Farley and Phelps. Photo by Sally Spickard.

Mia’s been jokingly casual all week, insisting she was “ignoring all the things that I don’t want to think about”. But Mia’s been training with David O’Connor since she moved to the East coast from her hometown in southern California in 2017, and not long after, she met a little off-track Thoroughbred named Phelps (Tiznow – Boom Town Gal, by Cactus Ridge). Purchased off Joanie Morris for $1 by David, he became Mia’s to produce, and the training began for what would wind up being the sole clear round inside the optimum time today. Part of that production is preparation from the multi-medalist and longtime U.S. eventing chef d’equipe.

“I think a big part of our training at home… we kind of made a joke that we always jump the last element first, like if we’re teaching horses how to look for flags, we always jump the last element first, and then you connect the two of them and they learn to kind of hunt the flags. And I really think I saw that training that we did with Phelps five years ago, today.”

Mia Farley and Phelps. Photo by Sally Spickard.

Mia started Phelps’ eventing career, and their cross country record is quite impressive. They’ve had just three events incurring cross country jumping penalties since the beginning days at the Novice level on, and they’ve never had a cross country penalty in FEI competition. While Mia is taking this one day at a time and enjoying the moment, she does know Phelps struggles mightily in the show jumping. That being said, he has jumped a double clear before, at Morven Park’s 4*-L last fall, where he finished on his dressage score. With two horses ahead of her that also have rails dotting their record, it’s difficult not to think of the possibilities. Could this be the fairytale weekend we weren’t expecting? In less than 24 hours (I mean, honestly more like 10 hours from now, by the time I finish this report), we’ll know. But for now, we’re all raising a toast to you, Mia. Enjoy it.

Austin O’Connor and Colorado Blue. Photo by Sally Spickard.

As the first out of the box this afternoon, most of us anticipated Ireland’s Austin O’Connor and Colorado Blue (Jaguar Mail – Rock Me Baby, by Rock King) to show us how this course was supposed to look, and they certainly proved us right. After an uncharacteristic blip at the Burghley Leaf Pit last month, Austin opted to hop a plane to the States for a crack at Maryland, and he brought The Salty Syndicate’s Colorado Blue home with just three seconds of time to move up into fourth place overnight. They elevate themselves nine places after starting the weekend in a semi-disappointing 12th with a couple of errors in an otherwise personal-best dressage on Thursday.

“It was good, it was, but it was it’s a tough ask — it’s a big test,” Austin said after his ride. “It’s a proper five-star.” This pair would very likely have made the time, had it not been for the decision to go longer at the top water (25ABCD), pulling to the left to swing back around to jump the angled brush at D. Monica Spencer as the third out would be the first to take the direct line there, but Austin chose to preserve his clear round here with “Salty”.

“I took a long way, surprised him,” he said. “I mean, I think we had a fair idea that it was gonna take a lot of jumping the whole way, and it did. The fences are big and they’re built in such a way that the horses go higher again, sort of putting another another six inches to the size… it all takes concentration and jumping.”

Salty has jumped double clear at the 5* level (Badminton 2022), and also jumped clear in the individual medal round at Tokyo (though he did knock one in the team round), so we know this horse has the staying power to deliver on the final day.

Piggy March and Brookfield Cavalier Cruise. Photo by Sally Spickard.

Piggy March set out with a plan to give the track a good crack, but prioritize giving 5* first-timer Brookfield Cavalier Cruise (Cavalier Carnival – Ryans Cruise, by Atlantic Cruise) a strong and positive ride. She accomplished this, opting for a long route when she felt she was having trouble turning right. “So I’m very pleased and very proud,” she said after finishing her ride on Chloe and John Perry and Alison Swinburn’s gelding. “I went to a lot of plan B’s and plan C’s on my round, which wasn’t what I had intended to do from the off, but for some reason I was struggling turning right today, which I’ve never had before — so that was very expensive timewise… And so I accept the time on that he’s finished, happy there wasn’t a moment that he’s had an unpleasant experience. There were just moments there of my ride that I experienced a very different horse to what I’ve had before, but that’s part of the game and that’s, you know — we stepped up to five-star, he’s still a very green inexperienced horse so good on him. You know, I’m very, very, very proud. He kept jumping really well to the end.”

Andrew McConnon and Ferrie’s Cello. Photo by Sally Spickard.

Other notable rounds today include sixth-placed Hannah Sue Hollberg, who brought first-timer Capitol H I M (Con Air – O-Heraldika, by Heraldik xx), owned by Christa Schmidt, home clear with 7.2 time penalties and a two-phase score of 39.6. Lillian Heard Wood and her own LCC Barnaby (Guy Cavalier – Lady Tanjour, by Rafael) completed an incredible 13th 5* cross country track, and Andrew McConnon was another 5* rookie who delivered a clear round with time aboard Jeanne Schigo’s Ferrie’s Cello (Chello III – Karelza, by Wolfgang).

This was a significantly more challenging track built by Ian Stark in the third year of the Maryland 5 Star, though a small field makes the numbers a bit more concentrated. In contrast to 2022, which saw Oliver Townend finish some 17 seconds inside the time (“which was quite embarrassing,” he said in the press conference), only Mia Farley would finish bang on the optimum time this year with Phelps. Several came close: as I said before, Austin O’Connor would probably have caught it had it not been for the long route at the Crab water, and William Fox-Pitt’s 5.2 penalties were the third-quickest of the day.

Doug Payne and Quantum Leap. Photo by Sally Spickard.

“I think Ian did do a very good job on that course,” William noted in the post-cross country press conference. “He was very brave in parts and really gave us a serious track that we had to think about. I did walk the course and think Ian very much had a Murphy Himself in the back of his mind when he was walking some of those distance and fences, and I was rather wishing I was on a Murphy Himself. But my mare coped very well, I’m very pleased with her and I think he stuck a good balance. I think he asked very good questions, there were times when things maybe weren’t so big, but he did test our horses. We’ve got one inside the time — I thought when I walked it there might be two, so that’s a pretty damn good result.”

64% of the field completed the course, and 13 of the 25 starters (52%) jumped clear. For comparison, in 2021 11 pairs made the optimum time, and in 2022 13 pairs went double clear. 27 (64% of the field, so another example of number compression in a smaller field as this year’s field saw the same completion rate) jumped clear in 2021, and 18 (75%) jumped clear in 2022.

Several pairs were eliminated, including rare falls for both Phillip Dutton (who fell with Azure at the double corners at fence 19AB — both are reportedly okay this evening) and Boyd Martin (who fell at fence 3 after Contessa had a close distance and a peck on landing at the table out of the water, popping Boyd out the right door. Boyd was down on the ground for a moment, but he was quickly up on his feet and will now re-group and head off to Pau to compete Fedarman B next weekend). There was a hold on course when Jacob Fletcher fell from Fabian at fence 12. Zach Brandt pulled up Direct Advance at 19B after his already-injured back tied up and rendered him unable to ride effectively. Jennie Brannigan withdrew Twilightslastgleam after taking a hard fall from Pascal in the 3*-L earlier in the day. As of publication, there are no major injuries to horses or riders reported, with Arielle Aharoni’s mount Dutch Times being the only one requiring further attention after pulling up close to home.

Lillian Heard and LCC Barnaby complete an incredible 13th 5* cross country. Photo by Sally Spickard.

After trying to calm his nerves between the 3* and the 5* this afternoon by taking a quick nap in his car, Ian Stark was pleased with the day. “I have to say I felt pretty darn sick, but I quite enjoyed the three-star, I thought they did a good job,” he said. “I was very relieved when Austin went around so well. At the end of the day, everything was tried — all the routes. I think various things please me: I thought Oliver Townend’s horse was phenomenal. I thought Mia’s horse went brilliantly — she rode amazingly considering her first five-star. And what really thrilled me is, because I’m a racing man, it’s a Thoroughbred. So it’s sort of, I won’t make the gesture, to the warmbloods, but I’ve always been a Thoroughbred person so I’m delighted for her.”

Caroline Martin Holds USEF National CCI3*-L Lead with HSH Connor

Caroline Pamukcu and HSH Connor. Photo by Sally Spickard.

We may as well call the CCI3*-L the Lauren and Caroline Show, with Special Guest Taren Hoffos. Caroline Pamukcu and HSH Connor are in first place, Lauren Nicholson and Larcot Z in second, Caroline and HSH Tolan King in third, Taren Hoffos and Regalla in fourth, and Lauren Nicholson and Landmark’s Jungle Gold.

Our overnight leaders remained mostly the same from day one, however there was a little jockeying between Caroline Pamukcu and Taren Hoffos for third place– Caroline and HSH Tolan King, owned by Sherri Martin and Derek Strine, bumped Taren and Regalla (Sir Donnerhall x Rubiera A by Rubinstein 46), owned by Carolyn Hoffos, from third to fourth.

Caroline and HSH Connor (Connor 48 x Galwaybay Merstona by Mermus R) threw down a stellar double clear cross country round with a time of 9:31 seconds, seven seconds under the optimum time. “HSH Connor is no stranger to big atmospheres after doing Le Lion d’Angers last year. He’s done a lot of championships, so this is a walk in the park,” Caroline said. “But he is seven and it’s a lot of terrain. Going up to the last water like, oh my god, you’re exhausted. Then you get a second wind going down that hill and then you’re just flying on the way home.”

Caroline’s second ride, HSH Tolan King, was actually eventing’s version of a foster failure. After taking him on as a sales horse, he sat for two years before an investor took on half ownership. “He’s just been an absolute machine. He won the CCI2*-L at Tryon for his first FEI and hasn’t been outside the top five in any of his three-star competitions. This was a big ask for him, but he found it easy, very, very easy,” Caroline said.

Lauren Nicholson and Larcot Z. Photo by Sally Spickard.

Lauren Nicholson kept her hold on second place with Ms. Jacqueline Mars’ Larcot Z (L’Arc de Triomphe x Kocote De La Londe by Socrate de Chivre), adding just 0.4 points to her dressage score for a total of 28.6. “Larcot Z was amazing and, you know, I get to know him more each time out. The track wasn’t terribly difficult or changed the standings much, but I thought it was an excellent track for these young horses that are developing.”

“Jungle’s Gold, he’s young and a bit weak. What makes him great cross country sometimes makes him a bit casual show jumping, so that’s been a work in progress,” said Lauren. “They’re both athletic, talented horses.”

Taren Hoffos and Regalla. Photo by Sally Spickard.

Our West Coast girl, Taren Hoffos, added 0.8 faults to her dressage score, which ultimately made the difference between third and fourth place, and allowed Caroline and HSH Tolan King take her place on the leaderboard. “I’m just so grateful that I was able to make the trek and bring this fantastic mare out here to compete. So back home, she did the three long at Rebecca farm which I thought was great for her. That was her first three long and she placed well, she felt like she was just so confident,” Taren said. “She was great to the end.”

Tomorrow will bring a new day and new stories, so thanks for sticking around to read ours. The trot-ups will start at 8:30 a.m. ET with the 3*-L, followed by the 5* around 9:15 a.m. The 3*-L begins show jumping at 10:30 a.m., followed by the 5* at 2:00 p.m. Orders of go will be posted here following the final Horse Inspections.

All of the action will be live streamed on ClipMyHorse.TV/USEF Network — you can access the live stream here. If you’re outside of North America, you’ll find the live stream on Horse & Country here.

Veronica Green-Gott contributed to this report.

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Oliver Townend and Cooley Rosalent. Photo by Shannon Brinkman Photography.

We knew we’d be looking at a very strong challenge from the incredibly deep British squad, which sent forward three combinations for the MARS Maryland 5 Star, presented by Brown Advisory this weekend. True to form, the Brits have now established themselves as the top three to beat at the conclusion of two days of dressage.

Initially first after Thursday, Piggy March and Brookfield Cavalier Cruise will move into second tonight after an elegant performance from the 9-year-old Cooley Rosalent (Valent – Bellaney Jewel), owned by Paul Ridgeon and piloted this week by current world #1 Oliver Townend. Hot on the heels of one 5* victory at Burghley with the great Ballaghmor Class, Oliver’s hoping to add another to his collection of trophies, walking the line of a good first experience and a desire to compete. He’s hit the podium twice here, having come here to compete at Maryland since its first year as a 5* in 2021 and finishing second then with As Is and third last year with Cooley Master Class.

Cooley Rosalent, or “Rosie”, has been with Oliver since she was four, quickly showing her talent and grit for the sport with two top-10 finishes at the FEI WBFSH Young Horse Breeding World Championships, both as a six- and a seven-year-old. She stepped up to the 5* level at Luhmühlen earlier this year, an uncharacteristically high dressage score and a green 20 making it a true learning weekend for the pair.

Oliver Townend and Cooley Rosalent. Photo by Shannon Brinkman Photography.

“We’ve always thought she was very, very good, but obviously she’s arriving at these big events a little bit ahead of being established,” Oliver said, noting that his test — which earned a 23.1 to give him a finger’s width of breathing room tomorrow — was a “movement by movement” type of ride, focusing on riding forward and keeping the mare relaxed. “But she’s got enough experience to be here, obviously, and she’s on great form.”

Cooley Rosalent comes from both jumping and racing lines — in fact her dam, Bellaney Jewel, won several times as a steeplechase racer — a combination Oliver would say is an optimum blend for a top event horse. “She was bred to gallop, not to do dressage, but luckily she trots as well. I love her type of pedigree. I think if you get that combination — and I think also if you own Thoroughbred mares and you’re wanting to breed event horses, it gives you much more option because you’ve got a thousand jumping stallions, whereas if you own an eventing-type mare, there [aren’t] that many Thoroughbred eventing stallions around these days.”

William Fox-Pitt and Grafennecht. Photo by Shannon Brinkman Photography.

Multi-5* winner William Fox-Pitt is down to just one top-level event horse these days, and it’s the 11-year-old mare Grafennacht (Birkhof’s Grafenstolz – Nachtigall) who keeps him wanting to compete at these big 5* events. After attempting some embryo transfers this spring during 5* season, William decided to tick off a new box on the old “events to do” list — “Burghley’s wonderful, but I have done it a few times!”

“I’ve heard good reports, obviously from Harry [Meade] and Tim Price last year about how amazing it is,” William said. “And it’s fantastic. It’s so welcoming and generous. We’re all looked after completely.” His competition is off to a strong start as well, scoring a 26.1 to slot into third place overnight. This pair contested Badminton this spring, finishing in the top 15 and likely would have gone higher had it not been for three pesky rails down on Sunday.

“Honestly, delighted with the horse, she’s a trier. She’s fun to ride,” William said. “She’s also very good cross country but the show jumping is a little bit work in progress. So if I’ve got three in hand on Sunday, I’ll be happy!”

“I would like to think she really does want to clear the jump,” William said of her show jumping progression. “But she’s just in the stage sometimes where she’s a little bit core weak. So she’s very able to stretch and jump and gallop but the core sometimes is not good enough to be round enough for jumping, and I think that will come with age. You know, I say she’s only eleven but she had her tenth year off, so she’s a little bit like a ten-year-old. And I think, you never know when she’s 16 and I’m 100!”

It’s a bit of a festive atmosphere in the Fox-Pitt camp this week, as Grafennecht’s owner, Amanda Gould, lives in London but has dual citizenship with the States and therefore finds this weekend to be a bit of a “home” event.

Boyd Martin and Contessa. Photo by Shannon Brinkman Photography.

Boyd Martin and Club Contessa Contessa (Contender – Veritas) are the top-placed U.S. pair now, moving into fifth place with on a score of 28.8. This is a marked improvement from Contessa’s debut 5* score of 35.5 (Kentucky), though she’s certainly scored in this range on the flat at other times. Boyd took a small risk and tweaked his warm-up today, opting to do a lengthier warm-up about two hours before his actual test time, spending some time both in the warm-up as well as on the gentle slope in the infield of the track, trotting and cantering relaxed serpentines and getting the mare loose and listening. As one that struggles a bit with tension, especially the more you ride her, this new approach seems to have paid off well for Boyd.

“It’s interesting, you know, growing up on Thoroughbreds, often you just get them as tight as you can and slowly but surely, I’m learning there’s all different systems in preparing horses,” Boyd said. “It was something different. I tried and it worked out. She’s a tough girl too, she’s a resilient horse. And sometimes we’re both lathered in sweat on dressage days, but I feel like we’re getting somewhere now.”

Using the words “quietly confident, but quietly terrified” are a fairly accurate way to sum up what Ian Stark has awaiting these riders tomorrow, but Boyd putting his experience to good use as he prepares to leave the start box as the last on course. “I’ve just gotta be sensible and pay [attention] — like she, if I try and go real fast in the beginning, it blows her mind a bit and I think I’ve got to ride calm but efficient. Pick the jumps that I feel like I could fly and the ones that are gonna slow down.”

Caroline Powell and Greenacres Special Cavalier. Photo by Shannon Brinkman Photography.

Caroline Powell is also making her first trip to the Maryland 5 Star, bringing her up-and-comer Greenacres Special Cavalier (Cavalier Royale – Greenacres Touch) and taking a score of 29.0 to go into sixth overnight. At 10, this is another horse that’s still gaining experience and strength at the level, though she does have runs at Pau and Badminton under her belt to date.

“She’s only ten and there’s a lot in the test for her to do at a young age and she’s just improving all the time,” Caroline said. “At the moment, we’re about training the brain more than training movements and stuff — she just needs to develop into the superstar she’s hopefully going to be.”

Caroline noted that the mare’s owner, Mann Chris, loves to travel and see the world, and given that the mare had done Pau already, it seemed a good shout to come to the U.S. for a run. “Everybody was really keen to come out here,” she said. “It’s sort of been on our target all year. So we’ve been doing everything with Maryland in mind because we love Ian’s courses (though I might not be saying that tomorrow!).”

Jacob Fletcher and Fabian. Photo by Shannon Brinkman Photography.

A 5* first-timer hit the board in sixth place: Jacob Fletcher going on a 29.3 with Fletcher Farms’ Fabian (Up to Date – Ineke) in a strong start to his weekend. “I thought he was really good. I was really happy — he can be slightly cold but also really spooky in a new environment so we have to kind of battle doing just enough to where he still is fresh, but enough to where he doesn’t spook and it goes completely chaotic.”

Jacob’s chosen a lighter prep and fitness schedule for his horses, a methodology he’s gleaned from his own experience as well as time spent observing William Fox-Pitt and Kevin McNab, with whom he based previously. “So I’m quite happy to do well and have a canter around and keep them good, but that’s that philosophy. I try to do three or four shows, but try to do them [in] two to three week intervals to the show and then three weeks before the big one.”

Lexi Scovil and Chico’s Man VDF Z. Photo by Shannon Brinkman Photography.

Lexi Scovil is also a newcomer to the top 10 after scoring a lovely 31.9 for seventh place with Chico’s Man VDF Z (Chico’s Boy – Chardonnay Z). “Sprout” was also keen to come into the mixed zone for an interview, and even more pleased to be included in some enthusiastic pats and grass-feeding from some adoring fans. Lexi refers to the 13-year-old Zangersheide gelding as “a total pet”, and one who’s matured much in the seasons she’s had him at the Advanced and 4* level. This is this pair’s second 5* start, having finished in the top 30 at Kentucky in 2022.

Photo by Shannon Brinkman Photography.

“He’s maturing and finally dealing with the atmosphere they snuck in,” Lexi said. “He always lights up a bit in the atmosphere, but he’s finally lighting up correctly instead of, you know, with tension, so I’m so happy with him. He’s such a good boy.”

“It’s just a matter of we’re trying to get a more uphill without adding tension,” she continued, noting her work with former Spanish Riding School rider and current Austrian eventing coach Herwig Radnetter as instrumental in helping her progress on the flat. “You know, I’ve struggled for a long time — he’s lovely in a lower level frame. It’s been that step up that’s been tricky for him.”

Caroline Pamukcu and HSH Connor. Photo by Shannon Brinkman Photography.

Caroline Pamukcu Overtakes Lead in USEF CCI3*-L National Championship

The Maryland 5 Star is also home to the USEF National CCI3*-L Championships, where the competition has been fierce. Caroline Pamukcu (nee Martin) has been working hard with a total of three horses in the division. She hasn’t let the extra workload hold her back, as she’s currently leading the division with HSH Connor (Connor 48 x Galwaybay Merstona by Mermus R) with a score of 25.4. The 7 year-old Irish Sport Horse, owned by Sherrie Martin, Luann McElduff, and Caroline, has been tackling the hefty atmosphere of Maryland 5 Star like a champ.

“He’s still young, he’s seven [so] it’s a big ask for him with all the atmosphere in the cross country but we think the world of them we’ve had him since he was a baby,” Caroline said. “I give an incredible thank you to my owners, Luann McElduff, who owns him with my mom, Sherrie Martin. They are the reason why I got to keep the ride on him.”

Lauren Nicholson and Larcot Z. Photo by Shannon Brinkman Photography.

Behind Caroline is Lauren Nicholson and Ms. Jacqueline Mars’ Larcot Z (L’Arc de Triomphe – Kocote De La Londe, Socrate de Chivre), holding second with a score of 28.2. “All the credit goes to the training done by Will Coleman and Reagan Lafleur who campaigned him previously,” Lauren said. “It’s pretty lovely to get a horse trained by Coleman and get to compete. He’s a super classic horse anyway, and then lovely in the ring. So it is very much a pleasure to ride at the Maryland 5 Star.”

Taren Hoffos and Regalla. Photo by Shannon Brinkman Photography.

In third place, just .4 points behind Lauren is Taren Hoffos with Regalla (Sir Donnerhall – Rubiera, Rubinstein 46), owned by Carolyn Hoffos. Taren has traveled all the way to the East Coast from her home in Ramona, California, where she and her family own Copper Meadows. The Maryland 5 Star is Taren and Regalla’s first trip to the East Coast.

“This just felt like the right moment for the horse,” Taren said. “She’s had a really good season, at the Intermediate and three-star level when she did the three-Long at Rebecca Farm, and did quite well. And my mom and I were talking about it, my mom owns her, and she said, ‘Let’s just go for it. This is your moment. She’s ready, you’re ready. Let’s just do the big trip and go for it.’ So we just kind of got in the truck and started driving.”

After a rockier start to Regalla’s career, the 12 year-old Oldenburg mare is really showing her talent this weekend. “She did the young horse events out west and honestly didn’t really excel at that. She went to be a dressage horse for a few years and that helped quite a bit,” said Taren. “She came back to us when she was eight and we thought, well, let’s give jumping another try and she really took to it. So from then on, it’s kind of like she’s going for it. She’s been great ever since.”

We now look ahead to the daunting challenge Ian Stark has put out in what are to be his final years designing at Maryland. Our full course preview will be published first thing tomorrow, but you can take an Ian Stark-guided glance around via CrossCountryApp here.

We’ll see the CCI3*-L first, beginning at 9:05 a.m. ET with Marley Bourke and Superstorm Sandy. CCI3*-L cross country will finish at 11:20 a.m. ET, and we’ll continue with the CCI5* beginning at 1:35 p.m. ET with Ireland’s Austin O’Connor and Colorado Blue. All of the action will be live streamed on ClipMyHorse.TV/USEF Network — you can access the live stream here. If you’re outside of North America, you’ll find the live stream on Horse & Country here.

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Piggy March and Brookfield Cavalier Cruise. Photo by Shannon Brinkman Photography.

It may be Piggy March’s (GBR) first time at the MARS Maryland 5 Star, presented by Brown Advisory, but she’s certainly settled right in. Set as the seventh to see in the drawn order with 5* first-time horse Brookfield Cavalier Cruise (Cavalier Carnival – Ryans Cruise, by Atlantic Cruise) — whose name-givers honestly missed an opportunity to name him “Carnival Cruise” and secure a sponsorship with major perks — Piggy laid down a 24.2 to take an unchallenged lead. Earlier leaders Monica Spencer (NZL) and Artist will now be in overnight second after scoring a 28.4.

“He’s still he’s only ten and he’s really quite low on mileage,” Piggy said of the 10-year-old owned by Chloé Perry, John Perry, and Alice Swinburn. “And this is his first five-star test, obviously that he’s even ran through or ever done. So, you know, obviously I’m absolutely delighted. There is there will still be more to come from him; he’s a 17.1, 17.2 horse with a great big frame — an ’empty’ frame still. He will over the next few years — he’s an Irish boy — he will still keep filling and developing and building his core strength. He’s got the most unbelievable brain…and he’s just so charming to work with, so he’s like ‘alright mom, I’ll try!’.”

Piggy, who’s making her first trip to Cecil County this year, though it’s hardly her first trip to the States, acknowledges there’s still much to be done in terms of “dotting the i’s and crossing the t’s” with “Fletcher” in terms of his development both in his body and in terms of experience. After finishing second on their dressage score at Bramham’s notoriously tough (as Piggy puts it, perhaps the toughest 4*-L in the world) CCI4*-L this spring, Piggy wanted to find the next reasonable progression for the supremely talented 10-year-old. And for a trip that’s part “see how we do” and part “give it a good bloody go”, Piggy feels she’s in a good spot to tackle the monstrous course Ian Stark has designed for 2023. However, in this edition of “5* riders, they’re just like us”, she candidly said this year’s course has her clenching certain body parts a little extra.

Piggy March and Brookfield Cavalier Cruise. Photo by Shannon Brinkman Photography.

“You know, it’s a brilliant first-time five-star because [it’s] just big and bold and attacking,” she said. “It can get wet, which you don’t really normally mind, and the time can be easy and we thought well maybe they’ll tighten that up over time if everyone’s still getting the time. But I still thought, it’s not a big field, hopefully they won’t go mad…I get here and the further I get ’round I’m like, ‘Oh, God, I should have gone to Burghley and just gone a bit slower!’ But you know, it’s very inviting. I have grown up watching Ian Stark and riding lots of his courses. So it’s like, shut up Pig and get on with it! You know, we’ve got a lot of trust in [Ian].”

Monica Spencer and Artist. Photo by Shannon Brinkman Photography.

Kiwi World Championships rider Monica Spencer is basing here in the States in preparation for a run at the Paris Olympics squad next year with her 12-year-old Thoroughbred gelding, Artist. She’s spent the last few months here, basing in Pennsylvania with an eye on this event. It was quite an adventure to get here to the U.S., flying together from Auckland, New Zealand to Melbourne, Australia, where they had a half-day layover before boarding a plane to the U.S., stopping in Queensland, Hong Kong, Anchorage and, finally Chicago. “Max” and Monica then had to trek another 15 hours to get to their final destination in Pennsylvania, so it’s safe to say they likely slept for about a week between them after that literal round-the-world journey.

But now, they’ve settled in and have competed in Unionville as well as at Loch Moy in preparation for this weekend. Monica noted in an earlier interview with EN that she’d watched the live stream of Maryland before and thought this course would be particularly suited to her horse, who was trained as a racehorse in Australia but did not actually race. One of the things that drew her to the horse was his natural movement. We don’t see terribly many pure Thoroughbreds in the sport who regularly score in the 20s, but Artist would be one of them.

“He’s a Thoroughbred, you know, and I do think they take a little bit longer to strengthen up because they’re not bred or built for the job we ask them to do,” Monica said. “So just strength over the years [is what I’ve worked on]. For the dressage, it’s [a lot of] lateral [work] and just keeping that suppleness through the ribs. I just produced him up the levels and and he was kind of one that that won all the way through and he’s always just, I guess, found his job a little bit easy, so he was a pleasure to produce.”

Hannah Sue Hollberg and Capitol HIM. Photo by Shannon Brinkman Photography.

First of the U.S. riders today is Hannah Sue Hollberg, riding Capitol HIM for Christa Schmidt (who, by the way, is currently loving life as Harbour Pilot’s new dancing partner!), who scored a 32.4 to sit third overnight. “Chito” can be quite horse shy, so the journey from the warm-up to the stadium can be a harrowing one, but once the pair got to work Hannah Sue felt the 16-year-old Holsteiner gelding settle in to the task at hand. “I showed [the Jumbotron] to him a couple times and he was really good and went in there and actually was better than he is normally,” she said after her test. “He did everything better and like as well as he can at home or better, so I messed up that last change — I was getting too excited! But otherwise, I thought I rode to my plan and I rode more aggressively in the trot work, which I’ve been trying to do.”

Hannah Sue originally brought Chito to Kentucky in 2022 for his 5* debut, but a parting of ways on cross country would keep them from securing that first completion. In the intervening months, she feels the horse has gotten stronger and more with her than ever before. “I feel like he’s actually a completely different horse in a lot of ways,” she explained. “He jumps a lot better, he moves better. He’s more kind of with me in general, like on the aids and looks to me instead of kind of getting nervous and getting hot. When he gets nervous, he’s like, ‘what do we do now?’ Which is such a nice thing to have.”

Mia Farley and Phelps. Photo by Shannon Brinkman Photography.

Mia Farley hits the board as the fourth-place rider after today — not a bad way to start off your first 5*! Mia’s doing her best to think of this debut as “just another horse show” with David O’Connor’s 10-year-old ex-racehorse Phelps, who scored a very respectable 32.9 today. “You know, he’s a Thoroughbred, but he’s got a pretty strong trot now. And then I cantered, they rung the bell, I went in and just started the test and remembered every movement! So, I’m happy. Phelps was great!”

Mia says she’s worked on a lot of canter pirouettes with Phelps to strengthen his hind end. “Him being a Thoroughbred, he’s naturally long and flat, kind of. But he’s really improved throughout the years — I think him and I both, not just him. But I give him a lot of credit — he tries his heart out in every phase for me.”

Andrew McConnon is another 5* debut rider this weekend, riding Ferrie’s Cello (Chello III VDL – Karelza, by Wolfgang) for Jeanne Shigo to a score of 33.4 and fifth place overnight. Andrew originally intended to run “Eddie” at Kentucky this spring, but after he felt the 11-year-old KWPN gelding wasn’t quite 100% ahead of dressage opted to withdraw and aim for another event. More time generally never hurts, and Andrew agrees, benefitting from some valuable overseas experience as a part of Team USA at the Strzegom Nations Cup leg in June instead.

“He’s eleven this year, physically. Mentally, he’d be a little bit younger than that,” Andrew elaborated. “So we just wanted to make sure everything was going in the right direction before Kentucky, and we had the opportunity to go over to Poland and do [the Nations Cup CCIO4*-S]. So when everything wasn’t lining up 100% [at Kentucky], there was no point in setting him up to do something big. So we decided to reroute and go to Poland, which was a really good experience to be able to pack and travel and deal with all the logistics and everything before hopefully eventually a team experience one day. So it was really valuable for him and honestly, extra months and extra time, just working away, has been really helpful.”

Andrew spent time in England in 2017 working for British Olympian William Fox-Pitt, who’s also here this weekend with the young mare Grafennacht (we’ll see their test tomorrow). Having the chance to spend some time with William this week has been icing on the cake, Andrew says. “I really respect him as a person,” he said. “I knew him as a horseman before, as a kid watching him go around Kentucky and he was always my favorite rider. But then working with him I got to know him as a person outside of the horses, and he’s somebody that I would like to emulate on and off the horse. He’s wonderfully supportive, and he’s very relaxed and it was really comforting to have him here. It is comforting to hear and really fun to walk cross country. You know, he’s serious about it, but he also is realistic and understands different people’s plans and he’s really supportive. So I feel like I’ve got a good group of people around me, which is really important.”

Tomorrow we’ll see the remainder of the riders in the dressage arena, which is chaired this weekend by the Ground Jury of Judy Hancock (GBR), Robert Stevenson (USA), and Andrew Bennie (NZL). Notables on the order tomorrow include New Zealand’s Caroline Powell and Greenacres Special Cavalier, William Fox-Pitt and Grafenfnacht, Oliver Townend and Cooley Rosalent, and Boyd Martin and Contessa. Of those, Grafennacht and Cooley Rosalent are the most likely threats to the top of the leaderboard, so stay tuned to find out if we have some shuffles — and perhaps an all-international top three heading into cross country — by this time tomorrow.

Lauren Nicholson in Charge of USEF CCI3*-L National Championship

Lauren Nicholson and Landmark’s Jungle Gold. Photo by Shannon Brinkman Photography.

Lauren Nicholson claimed the overnight lead in the CCI3*-L aboard Jacqueline Mars’ gelding Landmark’s Jungle Gold (Diarado – Jungle Tale, by Cougar), ending the day on a 30.3.

“He’s a homebred, so we’ve had him his whole life and career and he’s always handled the atmosphere quite well,” says Lauren of “Richie”. “He’s a very self-confident creature and always has been, so he just kind of looked around and was quite content.” The eight-year-old gelding matured quite young, she explains, and took to the rather vibrant arena atmosphere this morning with nary a nod to the audience.

“The great thing about this track as a three-star is that it’s strong,” she says in reference to Richie’s young age. “It’s a great track for their education, and also for their fitness, thinking about the future – that’s why we decided to aim him here.”

Lauren and Richie squeezed just ahead of Lynn Symansky aboard Idefix van de Crumelhaeve by just 0.4 points, followed by an even smaller margin of 0.2 by Woods Baughman and Kamara CFF in third position.

You can view the full CCI3*-L leaderboard here.

MARS Maryland 5 Star: [Website] [Entries, Schedule & Times] [Live Scores] [Live Stream (North America)] [Live Stream (Outside North America)] [Tickets] [5* Form Guide] [Digital Program] [XC Maps] [EN’s Coverage]

EN’s coverage of MARS Maryland 5 Star is brought to you by Kentucky Performance Products.

2022 Maryland 5 Star winners Tim Price and Coup de Coeur Dudevin. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

It’s time for Team EN to put on their collective fangirl hats and decide who’s most likely to take the win (and a few other arbitrary titles) this week at the MARS Maryland 5 Star, presented by Brown Advisory.

MARS Maryland 5 Star: [Website] [Entries] [Schedule] [Live Stream] [Tickets] [5* Form Guide] [EN’s Coverage]

EN’s coverage of MARS Maryland 5 Star is brought to you by Kentucky Performance Products.

Piggy March and Brookfield Cavalier Cruise. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

TILLY BERENDT

Overall Winner: Technically, mine could fall into three categories — I think this week goes to the indomitable Piggy March, who rides her debutant Brookfield Cavalier Cruise and represents Great Britain. Though she rode him briefly as a young horse, 2023 is technically Piggy’s first ‘proper’ season on the gelding, who was initially produced by Harry Meade, then went to Tom McEwen for 2022. Both Piggy and Tom are steadfast members of Team Brookfield, and it’s not at all unusual for them to swap the yard’s horses between one another and work collaboratively to ensure each horse ends up with its perfect match, and so while a new partnership like this might be a mark against many horses and riders at a five-star, in this case, you can rest assured that there’s a wealth of knowledge, experience, and empathy behind it all. And, of course, results: in 13 FEI starts, the gelding has nine top-ten finishes, and has won at two-, three-, and four-star level. He’s scored in the 20s in 12 of those 13 starts, has never had a cross-country jumping penalty in any of them, and has never had more than one rail — and those are reasonably uncommon, too. He wouldn’t necessarily be the speediest horse in the world, though he’s not at all what I’d call slow, and if Maryland’s time continues to be as gettable as it has been, that’ll be another boon to this exciting young talent and his much-loved rider. Go get ’em, Piglet.

Top Rookie (Horse, Rider, or Pair): I’m a huge fan of Phillip Dutton‘s game, gutsy Azure, who I first fell for when she went round the Seven-Year-Old World Championships with Ireland’s Esib Power aboard. They were also excellent at Aachen in 2021, where they finished in the top ten, and after that, Phillip took over the ride. They’ve spent the last eighteen months getting to know one another and this season, that’s paying dividends, with a top-ten finish in the CCI4*-S at Kentucky, another in the CCI4*-S at Stable View, and a win in the CCI4*-L at Bromont under their belts. I think the mare has every chance of impressing enormously on her five-star debut this week, even if her first-phase scores aren’t quite ready to fend off the big guns yet.

Top International Pair: Other than Piggy and Brookfield Cavalier Cruise, of course, I think it’s got to be New Zealand’s Monica Spencer and Artist, who have all the chops to lead the first phase and have just had a bit of bad luck in the other two, but this week, I think, is the one in which all three phases come together at the right time. Plus, as an ex-racehorse lover, I can’t not put this incredibly cool horse up as one of my picks!

Biggest Climber: It’s a hard one to call, this, because Maryland’s time isn’t super influential – although perhaps we’ll see that change this week. If it does end up being hard to get, it’s Ireland’s Austin O’Connor and Colorado Blue — the fastest pair at Badminton this spring and the Tokyo Olympics — who’ll take this honour. If, though, showjumping ends up being the more influential of the two, I’m handing this one to Arielle Aharoni and Dutch Times, who will start the week on a mid-to-high 30s mark and then deliver two smart clears. This is their first five-star, and they’re not, like insanely quick, but they are very consistent now after a string of learning experiences, and even though they retired after activating a frangible device at a four-star last month, I’m not holding that against them. Their showjumping, too, needs mentioning: they haven’t had a rail in over three years.

Oliver Townend and Cooley Rosalent. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

CHEG DARLINGTON

Overall Winner:
For me – but not quite according the EquiRatings stats – Oliver Townend and Cooley Rosalent are gunning for the win here this week. EquiRatings have them down as second favorite behind Piggy March and Brookfield Cavalier Cruise, but I tend to go with a healthy mix of stats and feels, and my feels are telling me that this exceptional mare will be adding a 5* win to her accolades by the time all’s said and done.

She comes with an educational run ‘round Luhmuhlen under her girth, with Oliver crediting the experience she gained there for her faultless performance at Blenheim, where she won the 4*-S for eight- and nine-year-olds. She finished on her impressive 24.7 dressage score that weekend, the only competitor to keep a clean sheet across the three phases. From 16 FEI starts, she’s been on the podium nine times, only finishing outside the top 7 on three occasions. That’s some enviable form and a sure sign that there are big things to come for this young mare, sooner rather than later if my feels are anything to go by. Oliver’s no stranger to the Maryland podium already, having been runner-up with Cooley Masterclass in 2021 and then third last year with As Is. It goes without saying that he’ll be hoping to add Champion to that list this year.

Cooley Rosalent took to the skies for the first time when she set out on her journey from the UK to Maryland, and I’ve got a feeling she’ll make the return trip as a 5* winner.

Top Rookie (Horse, Rider, or Pair):
I’m sticking with the British contingent and touting Piggy March’s Brookfield Cavalier Cruise for top rookie. Obviously a Badminton and Burghley winner is anything but a rookie, but Piggy topped the podium at the two British 5*s with her veteran super mare Vanir Kamira, and comes to Maryland with the talented young gelding for his first go at the level. And, really, who better to steer a first-timer ‘round a top-level track?

They won on their first time out together, then followed up with a second place in the 4*-L at Bramham, where they finished on their dressage score of 30.8, the horse’s only first phase score outside the 20s in his thirteen FEI runs. And his impressive form isn’t limited to between the white boards. He’s had a clean sweep across the country and is pretty speedy too. Follow that up with careful show jumping and you have the makings of an excellent 5* finish, which I’m pretty sure will come this weekend.

Top International Pair:
Well I’ve kinda wrapped this category up with my first two picks, but I’m going to shout out Monica Spencer and Artist here. EquiRatings have them down for a healthy chance of a top-3 finish and my feels are telling me that the stats are probably right!

With plenty of 4* experience – and success – under their girths in New Zealand, and having a World Championships team bronze medal to their name, they make their second 5* start looking for their first completion after unfortunately parting company on the cross country at Adelaide. That was surely just a blip though, and they’ll be ones to watch this week right from the off. They put down a dressage score of 24 at Adelaide, and a 25.6 in Pratoni, and are rarely out of the 20s in the first phase at 4*. Their cross country form is just as impressive; bar the fall at Adelaide and a 20 on their first international run, there are zero jumping penalties on their record. Like many eventers, they’re often clear on the final day, sometimes not – whilst it must be frustrating for the riders, it’s a truth of the competition that makes it exciting to the end. We’ll have to see how they fare on Sunday, but this is a pair that’s on the up-and-up and it’ll be great to see them take their shot at Maryland.

Biggest Climber:
It’s not often I’ll let a team picks post go by without saying a little something about my favorite event horse of all time LCC Barnaby. I just love this gelding – partly because I had a pony called Barnaby, partly because he reminds me so much of my Barnaby (although we weren’t quite at the same level), but mostly because he’s just such a game guy and so much fun to watch.

A veteran of the sport at seventeen, with no fewer than twelve 5* starts in his eleven year eventing career, Barnaby’s a frequent flier and familiar face on the top-level circuit in the US and Britain. He had his career-best score at Marland last year, finishing just outside the top ten, and added another top 20 5* finish to his previous five at a particularly tough Badminton in the spring. It’s no secret that Barnaby does not come to events to do dressage, which stands him in good stead for a leaderboard climb when he gets to his favorite bit of the competition, although he did put down an PB of 30 in the 4*-S at Plantation Field a couple of weeks ago, so perhaps there is something to the adage that things get better with age. But Barnaby’s all about the cross country, and for me, there’s no better sight than an event horse who really and truly relishes his job, ears pricked, eyes on the flags, and loving every single second. So, whether he’s the biggest climber or not, I’m very much looking forward to enjoying watching this guy as he gallops along, and feeling very envious of Lillian Heard Wood for getting to ride him.

William Fox-Pitt and Grafennacht. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

DIANA GILBERTSON

Overall Winner:
So the Equiratings lot reckon Piggy March has the best shot at taking the title here this year, and Oliver Townend is hot on their heels with Cooley Rosalent on a 24% win chance. Indeed, Oliver’s previous form here includes a third last year on As Is, and a second 2021 with Cooley Master Class, so really, all he needs is a win to finish the job off nicely. BUT. While I am not denying that both Piggy and Oliver have incredibly good chances of taking the top spot, I am going to add a little bit of sentimentality into the mix, and back the legend that is Mr William Fox Pitt for the win. This would give him an incredible FIFTEENTH 5* title and although the record  for the most 5* wins is already his, it would be super cool to see him extend his lead over Michael Jung and add another title  to his already extensive list of accolades. 11 year old Grafennacht showed true grit  and determination on her 5* debut  at Badminton this Spring, and to my way of thinking, William would not be bothering to make the trip across the seas if he didn’t think this feisty little mare had a serious chance of hitting the jackpot this weekend. William is one of the greatest riders of all time, and a win here – 8 years after his last 5* win – and confirm his place in the history books once and for all…

Top Rookie (Horse, Rider, or Pair):
Easy peasy lemon squeezy. Well, not that easy – this is a field littered with rookies, but for me, two in particular stand out.  Jacob Fletcher (husband of Cornelia Dorr-Fletcher if you need extra trivia) and Fabian for the US, and Piggy March and Brookfield Cavalier Cruise who have made the trip from Blighty to contest their first run 5*. That in itself speaks volumes – there are closer 5*’s that Piggy could have chosen (Pau springs to mind, which is just a ferry, rather than a plane, ride away), so she must think that the horse has a reasonably good chance at pulling off a very good result indeed. As such, I am putting my money (or at least I would if was a gambling girl) on them to finish the best of the first timers. The Equiratings Predicition Centre certainly agrees – at last glance they had them top of the list, with a 29% win chance, and a massive 52% chance of a podium place. This is no doubt in part to the prowess and skill of Mrs March, herself a multiple 5* winner, but the recent form of ‘Fletcher’ certainly helps. He won the CCI3*-L at Blair Castle last year under Tom McEwan, – his first attempt at a 3*L. Piggy took over the reins this year, and together they have already pulled off a 2^nd place at the horse’s first CCI4*-L at Bramham earlier this year. It is easy to see why Piggy has  made the trip across the pond to Maryland for his first 5*, and it’s not just to make up the numbers. The Paris Olympics are looming ever closer, and if Piggy and Fletcher can continue their recent form and add an impressive 5* debut to their ever growing list of achievements, it  will stand them in incredibly good stead as far as the selectors are concerned. Watch this space – these two are the next big thing. You heard it here first.

Top International Pair:
There’s a lorra, lorra International entries lining up here this weekend, and I have named 2 of them already here, but to save myself from sounding too repetitive, I am going to throw another name into the mix…that of Monica Spencer and Artist. Originating from the far and distant land that is New Zealand, Monica and ‘Max’ have been based in the US  for a couple of months now,  in preparation for Maryland. They burst onto the international scene last year when they made their team debut at the World Championships in Pratoni. There, they were seriously impressive in the first phase, scoring an impressive 25.6 and a speedy clear cross country saw them in the top 10 going into the show jumping. Sadly a few too many poles on the final day saw them drop back down that leader board, but  they will have no doubt been putting the work in to prevent that happening again, so they  have a serious chance of taking a place on the podium. I do love a Kiwi, and these two have the form to back up my choice….Admittedly, they have to surpass the likes of William and Piggy to earn the title of Top International Pair, but let’s face it. anything is possible when it comes to Eventing. Plus, this a seriously classy pair, so it’s not without the realms of possibility that they do just that.

Biggest Climber:
My instinct tells me to go with Austin O’Connor and Colorado Blue, a pair renowned for shooting up the leader board after cross country. Badminton this year was a perfect example of this; lying 34^th after dressage, they finished in eventual 3^rd place, thanks to a fast spin across country – something that  has become somewhat expected of ‘Salty.’  However, the course at Maryland has not been one that is renowned for having a tricky time to get (though that could well change this year), so the speed that has allowed them to climb so high after cross country may not prove as powerful as it usually does. So instead, I shall put my money on the recently married Cornelia Dorr-Fletcher, who comes forward with her feisty little mare Daytona Beach 8. They finished 10^th on their 5* debut at Burghley, back in 2022, despite lying waaaaay down the pack after dressage (50^th, to be precise).  This was not all due to cross country prowess either – a sterling performance on the final day saw them climb another 6 places – so trust me on this, if anyone is capable of scooting up that scoreboard after dressage, it is these two. Admittedly, their second 5* run at Kentucky didn’t end quite so well, thanks to a pesky 20 penalties cross country. Still Daytona pulled a clear out of the bag on the final day – as is her usual style – so if they go double clear again here at Maryland, they will be guaranteed to fly up the leader board. Honest.

Zach Brandt and Direct Advance. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

VERONICA GREEN-GOTT

Overall Winner: 
Because I love a good comeback story, I’m going to go wild here and pick dark horse Zach Brandt and Direct Advance. Only their third five-star together and their second attempt at Maryland, a win this weekend would be a true Cinderella story for the pair who retired on course last year. Zach and the 12-year-old gelding have been together since “Rosco” was four-years-old. They’ve developed a strong partnership over the last eight years, almost out of necessity, as Rosco is known to be a bit, ahem, spicy and hard to handle.

Top Rookie (Horse, Rider, or Pair):
Let it be known, I’m Team OTTB all the way, so it should come as no surprise that I’m picking Mia Farley and Phelps as my Rookie pair. Their typical dressage score is in the low-30s and I’m pretty sure that the words “run-out” and “refusal” aren’t even in Phelps’ repertoire. This pair is typically pretty on-the-nose when it comes to hitting the optimum time, and typically come in with no time faults, even at their first ever CCI4*-L at Tryon. I think we’ll see the benefits of Phelps’ Thoroughbred heart coming in handy throughout the weekend.

Top International Pair:
How can you not choose William Fox-Pitt and Grafennacht for this category? After the 11-year-old Oldenburg mare’s gritty performance on a less-than-ideal track at Badminton earlier this year, I’d be willing to bet that Graffenacht and WFP are going to outshine the US and international field. I’m always here for a pair with a great partnership. And, as it says in our form guide, Will refers to “Lillie” as “the reason he’s still eventing.” Clearly, these two have a great relationship that pulls them through when the going gets tough.

The one international contender that I think will be nipping at their coattails is Cooley Rosalent, as the horse has had a stellar season so far.

Biggest Climber:
I expect Caroline Powell and Greenacres Special Cavalier to once again pull their hat trick of jumping up the leaderboard on the second and third day. Typically the 10-year-old Irish Sport Horse mare scores in the high-20s and low to mid-30s in the dressage phase, which, of course, is still loads better than I could pull off. However, the day one leaders at Maryland have historically scored in the low to mid-20s.

Despite a usually tepid start on day one, “Cav” is a jumping machine. She maintained a record of no obstacle faults on cross country throughout the 2022 season and racked up a mere handful of time faults. It’s the same story for the show jumping phase; Cav went double clear on day three for the entire 2022 season.

While 2023 hasn’t been quite as fault-free as 2022 for this pair, I expect last year’s Blenheim to serve as the road map for this weekend in terms of their performance. Caroline and Cav jumped from ninth place after day one to wind up in third overall.

Austin O’Connor and Colorado Blue. Photo by Nico Morgan Media.

ALLIE HENINGER

Overall Winner & Top International Pair:
I can never truly tell the size of William Fox-Pitt’s mounts, but I believe Grafennacht is a little(?) mare that will go far. The sweet “Lillie” seems to be a real favorite of William’s with a pretty clean record, and is due for her first big win! Only two seconds away from the win at Boekelo in 2021, the mare does tend to hold on to a bit of cross country time, which may be to their disadvantage. This is, however, her first time across the pond, so should the field here in the US be slow enough for her, I think they have a good chance of clinching the title.

Top Rookie (Horse, Rider, or Pair):
Piggy March is on a roll right now, and I expect to see her continue rolling right up to the finish flags here at Maryland. Brookfield Cavalier Cruise has been nothing but flawless since Piggy has been in his saddle, with only two rails on the ground this year. Long formats seem to be his forte as well, as he hasn’t been over the cross country time in any as of yet. The pair won the 4*-S at Thoresby Park this spring against a pretty competitive field, and Piggy has racked up no less than three other 4* wins this year as well. As both Piggy and “Fletcher’s” first foray here in Maryland, I hope they leave with a solid record under their belt (and girth), and fully expect them to lay down another excellent score.

Biggest Climber:
Our Irish contingent here in Maryland are quite famous for their cross country prowess and speed, so we can all expect to see Austin O’Connor and Colorado Blue shoot up the rankings come Saturday. Their dressage scores aren’t always star-studded, typically hovering around the mid-30’s, but this little grey is powered by a diesel engine out on the course. As the fastest of the day at both Badminton’s flooded grounds and the Tokyo Olympics, “Salty” leaves no turf unturned when he takes to the field. While this would be a disadvantage to my predicted winning pair, after hearing many riders last year sharing similar feedback on the course clocking a bit slow, I have heard a few grapevine whispers that said feedback has been addressed this year – which would only serve as an advantage to this speedy set.

Doug Payne and Quantum Leap. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

SALLY SPICKARD

Overall Winner: Doug Payne and Quantum Leap

I debated for a long while on who to put forward as my winner pick this weekend, and I’m going to go all USA here to pick Doug Payne and Quantum Leap. This is a horse who’s only gotten better with age, succeeding his stablemate and Olympic veteran gracefully and now taking his place as the top (event) horse in Doug’s barn.

I feel almost as if Quantum has flown fairly under the radar as he’s notched more 5* events. Save one green runout at his first Kentucky (2021), this horse is an all-out cross country machine, and he’s also proven he can get tantalizing close to the optimum time here at Maryland, with six seconds of time in 2022 and three seconds of time in 2021. Yes, the time here hasn’t historically been the toughest, but you can bet Ian Stark will have been rubbing his palms together as he built the 2023 track, and it remains to be seen whether this year will tell a different tale.

So all of that to say, I think this could be Doug and “baby Quantum’s” weekend to shine. It’s a bit of an “always the bridesmaid” story — top ten at Kentucky this year and Maryland last year, third and USEF National 5* champion at Kentucky in 2022 — and the door is wide open for this pair to finally claim a 5* victory, and one for the U.S.-breds to boot!

Top Rookie (Horse, Rider, or Pair): Arielle Aharoni and Dutch Times

This is a pair who has seriously prepared for this step up to the 5* level. It’s quite frankly very rare, in my opinion, to see a pair take as much time as this one has to move up. And I get it: there’s a balance between mileage/experience and saving a horse’s legs for bigger things. But the move to 5* is no thing to sneeze at, and in my mind it’s better to be over-prepared than under.

Arielle Aharoni and Dutch Times have been competing at the Advanced and 4* level since 2019, completing 4*-Ls at Bromont, Morven Park, and Tryon (well, more than just completing — they were second in the 4*-L at Bromont this year and finished in the top 10 at Morven Park last fall), as well as a slew of serious 4*-S and Advanced tracks. Their time at the level didn’t come without its growing pains, but Arielle’s stuck with it — and she’s beginning to reap the rewards of time well spent. At Bromont, she earned a personal best dressage score of 32.9 and surprised even herself by moving up to the podium after stellar clear cross country.

Originally, Arielle’s goal was Kentucky next year, but she felt the systems were green for a debut this week instead. “If I want to do that [move up to 5*], I should be able to take all the straight routes and you know, not think about worrying,” she said at Bromont, noting that she’d gone out of the box with a plan to really test her and Dutch Times’ preparation.

My hat is off to you, Arielle, and I hope you smash it.

Top International Pair: Piggy March and Brookfield Cavalier Cruise

This may be a 5* debut for Brookfield Cavalier Cruise, but if we know Piggy, we know this horse will be well set-up for a strong start to his top-level career this weekend. He’s got a stellar cross country record, finishing all six of his 4* starts without cross country jumping penalties and just a handful of single rails here and there. He’s got just one 4*-L under his belt, the hefty one at Bramham, where he finished second on his dressage mark. So while this will certainly be a step up, it’s likely to suit this pair’s efficient style across the country, ability to score well on the flat, and propensity to leave the poles in the cups.

Biggest Climber: Austin O’Connor and Colorado Blue

Colorado Blue left Tokyo with a new fan club member (me, if that wasn’t obvious) after stepping in from the reserve role to seriously impress in his first championship. “Salty” is an all-out cross country machine (one irritating blip at Burghley notwithstanding) who can be counted on to climb on up those standings — case in point, his top-10 finish at Badminton after starting the weekend on a mid-pack 34.9. Full disclosure, I put Austin and Salty on my Eventing Manager team, so it’s safe to say I’m fully invested.

Cornelia Dorr and Daytona Beach 8. Photo by Nico Morgan Media.

GILLIAN WARNER

Overall Winner: Doug Payne and Quantum Leap

It’ll be an interesting weekend to watch, with plenty of qualified partnerships running, but I’m going to pick Doug Payne and Quantum Leap for my Overall Winner pick.

Doug and Quantum know each other well, as Quantum has been in Doug’s barn since he’s been a yearling. This long-term relationship has served them well, with a remarkably clean cross country record, outside of an uncharacteristic penalty at their first 5*, and often helps them up towards the top of the leaderboard. While the duo has yet to see a 5* win, they’ve been close, finishing in the top ten at four of their five 5* starts, including winning the 2022 Land Rover/USEF CCI5*-L Eventing Reserve National Championship presented by MARS Equestrian in Kentucky. This could be their weekend.

Top Rookie (Horse, Rider, or Pair): Arielle Aharoni and Dutch Times

I’m going with a Rookie pairing – this will be a 5* debut for both Arielle Aharoni and Dutch Times.

Arielle and Dutch have essentially grown up together, with Dutch joining the family as a weanling, when Arielle was only 8 years old. Over the years, they have seen fourteen 4* finishes, Grand Prix Show Jumping rounds, and a recent second place finish in the 4*L at Bromont. While this might be their 5* debut, this duo is certainly experienced, both in the Eventing and Show Jumping disciplines.

Top International Pair: William Fox Pitt and Grafennacht

William Fox Pitt’s experience and Grafennacht’s effort will make this an exciting pair to watch. Described as “a bloody good trier”, “Lillie’s” drive with William’s expertise makes this partnership one to leave an impression.

We’ve seen some dressage scores in the low 20s from them, and we can expect William to give a masterclass across the country. While we might see some faults in the show jumping ring from this pair, the experience and grit they bring with them gives them my pick.

Biggest Climber: Cornelia Fletcher and Daytona Beach 8

While we’ve heard about some trouble in managing Daytona’s dressage nerves, we’ve seen Cornelia Fletcher and Daytona Beach 8 shine in the jumping phases, often leading to an impressive climb up the board.

After their impressive leap from 50th after dressage to a 10th place finish at their 5* debut at Burghley in 2022, I’m keeping a close eye on this pair to see how they tackle the jumping phases over the weekend!

MARS Maryland 5 Star: [Website] [Entries, Schedule & Times] [Live Scores] [Live Stream (North America)] [Live Stream (Outside North America)] [Tickets] [5* Form Guide] [Digital Program] [EN’s Coverage]

EN’s coverage of MARS Maryland 5 Star is brought to you by Kentucky Performance Products.