It’s time to kick off the 2025 MARS Maryland 5 Star at Fair Hill, presented by Brown Advisory! We’ve got a roster full of potential 5* champions on our hands this week, so as is tradition let’s take a dive into each pair.
We’ve been toying around with a few new updates to our Form Guides. For Maryland this year, we’ve got the Form Guide arranged as follows:
Below, you’ll find a quick write-up on each pair in the 5* field’s recent form leading up to this weekend. If you click here, you can also view much more on each and every horse in the field if you really want to dig in. This way, you can still view the Form Guide somewhat in it’s traditional form, but if you’re a real rabbit hole diver, the opportunity is there.
As always, we really appreciate your feedback on our Form Guides as we continue to work to improve them! You can always send us your thoughts [email protected].
Want to see more stats on the field? Be sure to check out the EquiRatings Prediction Center here, and you can also play Eventing Manager this week here.
[Click here to view EN’s Horse & Rider Wiki]
The entries are listed in Draw Order (you can view ALL entries here).
EN is pleased to welcome Deirdre Vaillancourt Real Estate as the sponsor of our coverage of this year’s MARS Maryland 5 Star. If you’ve got Aiken, SC on your list as a place to base or even move to, Deirdre should be your first call! You can find all properties available and contact Deirdre directly by visiting AikenSCProperties.com.
MARS Maryland 5 Star at Fair Hill (MD): [Website] [Tickets] [Schedule] [Entries] [Live Stream] [Scores] [EN’s Coverage]
#60: Caroline Pamukcu and HSH Tolan King
Caroline brings forward her first of three CCI5* rookie horses with her this weekend in the 10-year-old HSH Tolan King, a horse that’s shot up the levels and now has some pretty extensive 4* experience under his belt. He’s coming into this weekend off a string of top-10 finishes at the 4* level and a fourth-place finish in his first 4*-L at Tryon last spring. The dressage is still a work in progress for this horse, but Caroline’s been working frequently with Grand Prix dressage rider Samantha St. Jacques on the flat in addition to her regular jumping coaches, so while we won’t necessarily see a super competitive test from this pair to kick us off, Tolan King has a very strong cross country record with just one jumping penalty ever recorded. He will have a pole down here and there (and did have a single rail at his sole 4*-L at Tryon last year), but this weekend will very much be a building experience for this young horse that Caroline likely has high hopes for. This pair does have some recent experience here at the Maryland 5 Star, finishing sixth in the 3*-L in 2023.
#61: Boyd Martin and Luke 140
Luke 140 comes into Maryland full of running with just some light preps to keep him sharp after finishing in the top 10 at Kentucky in April. It will be interesting to see how much Boyd goes for the clock here on Saturday, as Luke has proven he can finish on his dressage score at this level (reference his 4th place finish at Luhmühlen in 2023). This piece of ground, however is a different beast, and Boyd will approach both of his rides this weekend with an eye on not only being competitive but ensuring he’s still got plenty of options for World Championships next year. That said, though, coming off a $100,000 payday at the US Open last weekend between his 4*-L and Open Series win, Boyd will definitely be eyeing that $300,000 prize pool this weekend. Luke 140 and stablemate Commando 3 are each genuine competitors on the flat, so if Boyd’s in a strong position (and it’s likely he will be) after dressage, we’ll most likely see him push as hard as he can for that elusive optimum time. On Sunday, Boyd’ll have the tutelage from his not-so-secret weapon, Peter Wylde, with hopes of continuing his consistently hot streak of show jumping clears to finish on or near the podium at the end of competition.
#62: Jessica Phoenix and Wabbit
We are VERY KEEN to see if the hard work Jessie Phoenix and Wabbit have been putting into their show jumping will pay off in a big way this weekend. If you pick horses based on their cross country performance, Wabbit is a strong shout for you. He won’t dazzle you on the flat (but his ears will), and yes, he did have some difficulty on cross country here last year, but he’s jumped some of the biggest tracks in the world, including Badminton in 2024 and Burghley in 2023, so the grit to get ‘er done out there is very much present. He’s coming off some disappointing show jumping rounds, getting a Compulsory Retirement at the 4*-S at Bromont in August, but Jessie says she thinks she may have found a key to unlocking Wabbit’s wings on Sundays — watch this space to learn more if all goes well this weekend.
#63: Jennie Brannigan and FE Lifestyle
After winning the 4*-S at Carolina International this weekend, all sights were set on a spring 5* for Jennie Brannigan and “Foxy”, who’s really come into his own across phases over the last few months. But after pulling up on cross country at Kentucky with the plan of heading to Badminton, Foxy sustained a severe injury while trailering to his destination in the UK. He stayed in the UK for several weeks after to rehab and returned to the U.S. in the summer. Now, Jennie’s aiming high for this weekend. She’s got some real experts in her corner between German Olympian and dressage specialist Bettina Hoy as well as show jumping Olympian Peter Wylde. Jennie had to pick herself back up after taking a tumble in warm-up with Kismet at Morven Park last week, but she’s told us all systems are go for a fighting shot this weekend. FE Lifestyle is no slouch in any phase, and his dressage has gotten stronger and stronger. We saw him getting a ride from Bettina herself at Morven Park, and his flatwork is looking exceptional. It would be great to see some of that hard work in the dressage pay off this weekend. Foxy has been flirting with the 30 mark this year, and if he can start the competition thereabouts, there’s no telling what kind of finish these two would be capable of.
#64: Shannon Lilley and Eindhoven Garette
Shannon Lilley and Eindhoven Garette will be the first to see of our “sophomore” 5* riders making their second start after also running Kentucky in the spring. In the intervening months since, Shannon and “Gare Bear” have made some progress on the flat as they look to build on what they did at Kentucky. This is a serious jumping horse with the all-out ability to deliver a quick clear, and if Pierre Le Goupil’s track this weekend suits them, they will be ones to watch as they march their way up in the standings. They dipped into the 20s at the 3* level in their final prep for this weekend (and finished on that score), which should be a great boost of confidence to tackle this next step in their career.
#65: Allison Springer and Vandyke
Allison Springer’s used patience and tact to produce the quirky (are we seeing at trend here?) Vandyke to this precipice of a 5* debut. He’s not been the most straightforward to produce, despite finding early success and earning the title of USEA Preliminary Horse of the Year as a 6-year-old. This pair are coming off a hot streak of strong 4* runs that saw them cruise to a 7th place finish at Rebecca Farm this summer. While their dressage won’t be a competitive score quite yet, if “Rico’s” recent jumping form can continue, they’ll be able to make their way up in the standings. Allison’s primary goal, though, will be production, not necessarily going for the win. This is a horse she’s had her eye on as a 5* horse since the early days, so it’ll be important to her to ensure that this weekend is just the first of many successful runs at the level.
#66: Lindsay Traisnel and Bacyrouge
Lindsay Traisnel are on fiery hot form as they head in determined to put last year’s Maryland retirement to rest for good. They’re coming off of back-to-back 4*-S wins, one at Bromont in August, followed by the other at Tryon in September. Lindsay’s been working on her and Dreamy’s cross country speed to help them get closer to those elusive double clears, and her practice is paying off as she aims to peak this week.
#67: Arden Wildasin and Sunday Times
2024 USEA Adult Amateur of the Year Arden Wildasin made a long-awaited debut at the CCI5* level at Kentucky this spring. They did pick up one drive-by on cross country, but they finished in the top 20 after having just one rail down on Sunday. Arden’s only run the very experienced 18-year-old Irish gelding a couple of times since, and she’ll likely have been focusing hard on fitness to ensure they’re up for the Maryland terrain challenge.
#69: Will Faudree and Mama’s Magic Way
With successful 5* runs on both sides of the pond, “Mason” has proved that he’s not only a Kentucky and Maryland horse, but a Badminton and Burghley one too. With nary a cross country jumping penalty in their 20 international runs together, bar breaking a frangible device at the inaugural running of Maryland 5* back in 2021, this impressive gelding is an out-and-out cross country pro. Unfortunately we didn’t get to see him gallop and jump on his last 5* start at Kentucky last season, after a disappointing day in the dressage ring and a score of 40.6 resulted in Will opting out of the competition, so we have to go back to Burghley 2023 for the last time we saw this pair at the top level. They scored the first 10s of the competition that year for a drool-inducing halt, earning them a career-best sub-30 score, showing that when he curbs his enthusiasm, “Mason” is more than capable of starting out in a competitive placing going into his favorite phase. Show jumping is a little trickier, with poles falling more often than not, but those clear cross country jumping rounds have seen them finish in the top 16 in in three of the their six 5* starts.
#70: Alex Bragg and Quindiva
It’s very cool that Alex has decided to bring his exciting mare to Maryland for a trip across the pond. With three 5* finishes (and a retirement at the very wet 2023 edition of Badminton due to the going), this gal came out of the top-level starting blocks with a bang and has continued to prove her mettle at the pinnacle of the sport. She finished 15th a Burghley on her debut in 2023, adding just cross country time to her dressage score, then finished on the podium at Badminton last season, again with no jumping penalties to add. They joined the elusive FOD club at Burghley last fall, where they finished on their starting score in 8th place. Typically mid-30s in the first phase, they’re a sure bet for a leaderboard climb from there and Alex will be in it to win it as he goes eventing in the US for the first time.
#71: Caroline Pamukcu and She’s The One
Caroline brings “Jemma” to Maryland after withdrawing from Kentucky in the spring before running cross country, so although not technically the mare’s first 5*, it’ll be the first time we see her really get her hooves stuck into the top level. This young mare has all the goods to deliver a smart test between the white boards, with sub-30 scores already creeping into her form at 4*. She’s scopey and bold out on cross country, with nary a jumping penalty in sight since Caroline took on the ride at the start of the 2023 season. The stadium jumping is still a bit of a work in progress, and although there are clear rounds on her card, they’re by no means guaranteed. It will be really interesting to see this exciting prospect get her 5* career underway proper this week, with no doubt lots to come from her in the future.
#72: Sophia Hill and Humble Glory
Making the trip from down under, Sophia Hill and “Hughie” are headed stateside for the first time. They spent the 2024 season in the UK to take in Burghley following a successful spin round Adelaide 5* which saw them finish on their dressage score for third place on their debut at the level in 2023. Sadly they were unable to replicate their form at the Australian event on their return this season, where they were eliminated for a heartbreaking error of course in the show jumping after a clear inside the time on cross country day had them set to take the win. They made an impressive showing at Burghley last year, albeit with an 11 penalties for breaking a frangible device dropping them out of the top 15, but a quick round nonetheless and nothing added on the final day meant they still managed to finish just outside the top 20. They won’t be leading the pack after the first phase, but if they stay true to form in the jumping (they haven’t had a show jumping pole at any level since 2022), we can certainly expect a leaderboard climb from there and potentially another excellent placing from this exciting pair.
#73: Brooke Burchianti and Cooley Space Grey
Brooke will be the first to tell you she’s really the opposite of “excited” when it comes to thinking about running a 5*, but she did DO THE DAMN THING at Kentucky in her and “Astro’s” debut this spring. There, they picked up one drive-by on cross country but finished the weekend strong. Unfortunately, their result there was negated several weeks later after Brooke was informed her horse had tested positive for a substance present in an approved treatment that was given well ahead of the suggested withdrawal period. Despite this experience, which understandably left a bad taste in Brooke’s mouth, she’s putting that all behind her and focusing on a strong sophomore effort here at Maryland. She and Astro had a frustrating parting of ways at their final prep at Stable View, which didn’t leave Brooke with the best feeling, but she made a plan to have some additional practice and get herself in the right frame of mind for the task ahead, and she’s sat on a horse that’s got a supreme amount of trust in her. If they can stay on the same page this weekend, they’ll have a fabulous time out there on cross country together.
#74: Tayla Mason and Centennial
It was a case of third time lucky for Tayla Mason and her homebred “Chase” when she made it off the Badminton waitlist at the final second and went on to score her first 5* cross country clear this season. She’d had two prior top-level runs at Pau, picking up a 20 on their debut at the level in 2021 and then 11 penalties for breaking a frangible device in 2024. Their quick clear at Badminton rocketed them up the leaderboard and, despite a couple of poles on the final day, they climbed 50 places following the jumping phases earning them the Glentrool Trophy for their efforts. As indicated by such a leaderboard climb, the first phase isn’t always easy for them (they scored 40.2 on that occasion), but they went as low as 30 at Pau last season, where they were the second fastest on cross country day. The final phase is still a work in progress, with two poles at Badminton, three at Pau last year and four the year before, but there’s no doubting that this is an exciting combination and it’ll be cool to see them do their thing stateside as they take on Maryland in the hope of finishing even further up the leaderboard on what will be their fourth 5* start.
#75: Mary Bess Davis and Imperio Magic
Mary Bess and “McCall” have been on fine form as they aim for this second 5* effort. They were the top-placed Rookies at Kentucky this spring with a 16th place finish, and since then they’ve finished on the podium twice at the Advanced/4* level, including a second place outing at Stable View Oktoberfest to set themselves up well for this weekend. Mary Bess told us that weekend that she’s really been focusing on relaxation with her 11-year-old Anglo European gelding, feeling like she’d lost some of it as she came into this season. She’s called on pro dressage riders such as Roel Theunissen to help her fine tune what would be this horse’s least strong phase, and the efforts have paid off as they’ve earned some more competitive scores over the summer. By taking a “less is more” approach, Mary Bess feels she can get the best possible marks come Friday, to put them into a strong position to jump their way up and fight for a competitive finish.
#76: Monica Spencer and Artist
“Max” was discovered by Monica Spencer as a four-year-old when she saw him at his first show and promptly bought him. This smart gelding is racing-trained but didn’t actually race (he proved to be too slow), with Monica bringing him through the international eventing levels in New Zealand before landing a late call-up to the Kiwi team for the World Championships in Pratoni in 2022, where they really stamped their mark as ones to watch, winning team bronze medal and finishing 21st individually. He made the step-up to 5* at Adelaide the following year where he was in the lead and favorite for the win after the dressage only for Monica to have an unlucky and uncharacteristic tumble out on cross country. His next start at the level came at Maryland at the back-end of that season, where he really had the chance to show his mettle and finished in 7th, before he took on Kentucky 5* the following spring and added another top-level 7th place finish to his record. The following season he jetted across the pond to compete at Burghley and finished just outside the top-10. They’ve added yet another excellent finish at Kentucky this season, where they came 8th, and will be hoping to perhaps go even better as they take on Maryland for the second time.
#77: Jonelle Price and Chilli’s Midnight Star
An exciting 5* debutant for Jonelle, “Ollie” sure has eventing in his blood, what with his sire being William Fox-Pitt’s 5* winner Chilli Morning. Jonelle took over the irons from Britain’s Jo Rimmer in 2023 and set about bringing the gelding through the 4* level. They’ve had some educational runs alongside showing they can be competitive on their day, with a 3rd place in the 4*-L at Millstreet last season and 6th at Scone Palace recently proving that the horse is chomping at the bit for his step up to the top level. Dressage scores at 4* have been consistently in the low-30s and although there are a couple of 20s on his cross country record, we can chalk them up to experience at this point in the gelding’s career. He’s been careful in the final phase thus far, with just the odd pole now and then, but his form certainly indicates that he’s capable of finishing up with a clear round in the stadium. It’ll be really interesting to see how things play out for this pair as they take on their first 5* together at Maryland this week.
#78: Felix Vogg and Cartania
Don’t let a disappointing Badminton this season put you off adding this pair to your Eventing Manager team as they make the trip to the U.S. to take on Maryland this week. This mare has had a strong showing across the levels with Felix, most recently winning the 4*-S Nations Cup event in Avenches. She started out her 5* career with 15th place at Badminton in 2023, then proved it wasn’t just luck when she returned a year later and came 11th, adding the title of ‘Burghley horse’ to her record when she finished 13th there last season. These kind of placings have been produced by starting out with a neat sub-30 dressage score and then putting in a quick, clear cross country round. The final phase isn’t the mare’s favorite, with poles falling pretty regularly – and with them placings – but there has been an improvement recently and if she manages to keep them in the cups, Felix will surely be finding himself on the 5* podium before long.
#79: Mia Farley and Phelps
After smashing it around Burghley last fall (and finishing fifth here in their debut in 2023), Phelps picked up an injury that saw him sidelined until the latter part of this season. As a horse who truly knows his job well at this point, he didn’t need a ton of prep runs to get ready for Maryland. He’s run a handful of events over the summer, starting slowly at a Prelim to kick in June and most recently running a 3*-S at Tryon in September, where they finished top-five. Phelps may be a Thoroughbred, but like fellow competitor Artist for Monica Spencer, he can do a really, really nice dressage test. While he can sometimes (ok, almost every time) be a bit, er, *cheeky* at the start of cross country, he’s really an out and out Long format horse who thrives (and can easily go double clear) on a long track. Show jumping remains his weakest point, though — they lowered two rails at Maryland in 2023 and four at Kentucky in 2024, making for some heartbreaking finishes that would’ve otherwise seen Mia on the podium. Mia did spend some time in the jumper ring this year with all of her horses, and if she can coax even a single-rail round from this plucky, David O’Connor-owned horse, they will finish very competitively this weekend.
#80: Boyd Martin and Commando 3
Originally produced up to the 4* level by Sweden’s Louise Romeike, “Connor” landed in Boyd Martin’s barn for the 2023 season and the pair set about delivering some impressive results; in 14 international starts they’ve racked up four wins at 4* plus a bunch of other top placings, all-in-all finishing outside the top-10 just twice. The gelding’s 5* debut at Maryland last season was hotly anticipated, and a sub-30 dressage score had them in a great spot early on, but their competition came to an unscheduled end after an unlucky early fall out on cross country. The duo bounced right back though, and confidently took the runner-up spot at Kentucky at the start of this season. “Connor” is what you could call a triple threat. With just a smattering of first phase scores above the 30-mark and many scores in the 20s, his impeccable cross country jumping record – in 32 FEI competitions he’s had a single jumping penalty (in 2020) – added to the fact that he’s proved himself to be super careful over the colored poles, it’s not hard to get excited about this obviously talented gelding.
#81: Buck Davidson and Cooley Candyman
It was a late decision to bring “Rolo” to his first 5* this weekend. Buck initially had entered the 12-year-old Irish gelding in the US Equestrian Open of Eventing Final at Morven Park last week, but withdrew him after dressage and opted to bring him here to Maryland instead. Rolo has four 4*-L events under his belt dating back to 2021, including a podium finish in his first one at Morven Park that year. That intentional production should lend itself well to a strong debut here. Buck’s down to just one ride after withdrawing Sorocaima due to an ill-timed abscess, so he’ll be able to give Rolo all of his focus. The dressage can be solid — if they can squeak into the low-30s, Buck will be pleased with that effort. If they can grab a clear round on Saturday, Rolo also has a pretty consistent jumping record that should enable him to jump clear on Sunday and move up even more in the standings.
#82: Caroline Pamukcu and HSH Blake
It’s so strange to think that HSH Blake has not yet done a 5*, since he’s done everything else to this point! Caroline has been fully focused on Championships with this special horse, taking him first to the Pan American Games and contributing to a team silver medal, then traveling to Paris to contest her first Olympic Games. HSH Blake has been a consistent campaigner for Caroline, and this year they’ve been to CHIO Aachen and the Cosequin Lexington 4*-S and now they look ahead to what stands to be a strong debut for this very experienced 10-year-old. The one real test for this pair this weekend will be the terrain: they’ve certainly done some hilly tracks, especially at Kentucky, but these were Short format events, so this will be a different beast. They’ve done two 4*-Ls, including the Olympics which are set on a 4*-L dimension track, but this will be the biggest test of terrain they’ve seen to date. They’ll be well-prepared for the challenge though, and Caroline has the opportunity to take her horse of a lifetime out last with two other rides already under her belt.
