Two-time top-10 finishers Buck Davidson and Sorocaima return for a fourth run at the 5 Star. Photo by Tilly Berendt.
We have an entry list for this year’s MARS Maryland 5 Star at Fair Hill, presented by Brown Advisory! This year, the newest CCI5* event celebrates its five-year anniversary and a strong international field is ready to tackle the challenge.
Remember, it’s a new-look cross country course this year, too. Pierre le Goupil of Paris 2024 fame has stepped into the shoes of Ian Stark, who has stayed on to advise this year as he eyes up retirement and the ski slopes. While we’ll still see the track used in similar ways this year as the team works on a long-term vision for the course, we can expect a new look and feel that will bear a different stamp. What, exactly, that stamp is remains to be seen, so let’s talk about what we do know: the entries!
The 25-combination roster is, in alphabetical order:
- Alex Bragg (GBR) – Quindiva
- Jennie Brannigan (USA) – FE Lifestyle
- Jennie Brannigan (USA) – FE Connery
- Brooke Burchianti (USA) – Cooley Space Grey
- Bruce Davidson Jr. (USA) – Sorocaima
- Mary Bess Davis (USA) – Imperio Magic
- Mia Farley (USA) – Phelps
- Will Faudree (USA) – Mama’s Magic Way
- Sophia Hill (AUS) – Humble Glory
- Shannon Lilley (USA) – Eindhoven Garette
- Tayla Mason (NZL) – Centennial
- Boyd Martin (USA) – Luke 140
- Boyd Martin (USA) – Commando 3
- Caroline Pamukcu (USA) – HSH Double Sixteen
- Caroline Pamukcu (USA) – HSH Tolan King
- Caroline Pamukcu (USA) – She’s The One
- Caroline Pamukcu (USA) – HSH Blake
- Jessica Phoenix (CAN) – Fluorescent Adolescent
- Jessica Phoenix (CAN) – Wabbit
- Jonelle Price (NZL) – Chilli’s Midnight Star
- Allison Springer (USA) – Vandyke
- Monica Spencer (NZL) – Artist
- Lindsay Traisnel (CAN) – Bacyrouge
- Felix Vogg (SUI) – Cartania
- Arden Wildasin (USA) – Sunday Times
We’ll once more have another shot at the title for inaugural winner Boyd Martin, who will ride Luke 140 (the Luke 140 Syndicate) and Commando 3 (Yankee Creek Ranch LLC), both of whom come into the weekend off of banner years which include a comeback for Luke 140 to the 5* levels after a season on the sidelines.
It will also be a hotly-anticipated first CCI5* for HSH Blake (Mollie Hoff, Sherrie Martin, Caroline and Deniz Pamukcu), who has conquered just about every other step along the way with Caroline Pamukcu in the irons. Caroline also has three other horses entered, including a return to the 5* level for HSH Double Sixteen (Double Sixteen Partnership) and She’s the One (Mollie and Annie Hoff, Sherrie Martin) as well as a debut for HSH Tolan King (Tolan King Partnership). She will, however, narrow down to three rides at some point.
Lindsay Traisnel and Bacyrouge. Photo by Shannon Brinkman Photography.
Canada is also represented well with the on-fire Lindsay Traisnel and Bacyrouge (Patricia Pearce) as well as Jessie Phoenix with both Fluorescent Adolescent and Wabbit on the card.
The weekend will be a welcome back for Jennie Brannigan and Tim and Nina Gardner’s FE Lifestyle, who suffered an injury during transport just before Badminton this spring, truncating the sizzling hot form they had been on. He’s accompanied on the entry list by FE Connery, who finished on the 4*-L podium at Rebecca Farm this summer and now steps up to the 5* level. Allison Springer also has a debut horse in the Rico Syndicate’s Vandyke, top 10 in the 4*-L at Rebecca.
Alex Bragg and Quindiva. Photo by Hannah Cole Photography.
This year, we’ll welcome several new-to-Maryland faces from the international contingent, thanks in large part to the generous travel grants made available by the Maryland International Equestrian Foundation and Loch Moy Farm. Among those are Quindiva (the Roe family), who with Britain’s Alex Bragg has two CCI5* top-10 finishes under her belt at both Burghley and Badminton. Sophia Hill (AUS) and Humble Glory (Sophia and Andy Hill, Michelle and Ted Landy) are heading stateside after very nearly coming away with the Adelaide 5* win this spring; they’ve also run around Burghley and finished 22nd there last year. Switzerland’s Felix Vogg has also entered his World and Europeans championship horse, Cartania (Phoenix Eventing S.à.r.l. and Felix), who’s also got a strong record at the 5* level with three top-15 finishes at Badminton/Burghley. New Zealand is represented several times over, with both Tayla Mason and Centennial (the Mason family and Sue Rutter) as well as Jonelle Price and Chilli’s Midnight Star (a 5* debutant horse owned by Nikki Axon and Merrill Halstead coming off a top result at Scone Palace earlier this summer). Monica Spencer will also fly the flags for the Kiwis, basing here in the U.S. for the next few years with Artist (Spencer Eventing) who has three top-1o 5* finishes (and one just barely outside of the top 10).
Speaking of Thoroughbreds, in addition to Artist, we’ll have Phelps (David O’Connor) with Mia Farley (you’ll recall they finished fifth in their debut at the level in 2023, then went on to complete Burghley last year), as well as Sorocaima (Carl Segal) with Buck Davidson. “Cam” returns for the fourth time to Maryland, having finished fourth in 2024.
Will Faudree and Mama’s Magic Way. Photo by Sally Spickard.
Also lending their depth of experience to the field are Will Faudree and Mama’s Magic Way, who’ve finished top-20 at Burghley and top-15 at Kentucky and return to Maryland for the second time (they were also 10th at the former Fair Hill International at the 4*-L level in 2019).
Four pairs who made their first 5* start at Kentucky are ready to do it all over again: Brooke Burchianti and Cooley Space Grey, Mary Bess Davis and Imperio Magic, Shannon Lilley and Eindhoven Garette, and Arden Wildasin with Sunday Times.
The CCI3*-L has 54 entries and provides an excellent sneak peek into some potential future stars of the sport. You can take a look at the full entries for both the 5* and 3* as well as the East Coast Young Event Horse Championships here.
We’ll have much more Maryland content coming your way soon. As a reminder, we’re (well, I am, technically) teaming up with the event to host a new Maryland Masterclass event with Pierre le Goupil and Ian Stark on Friday, October 17. It’ll be your chance to get a first look at the course and hear from Pierre and Ian up close and personal. You do need to purchase tickets in advance, and you can do that here. If you have an interesting question you’d like me to work into the chat, let me know by emailing [email protected] (or better yet, come and ask them yourself!).
We’re pleased to welcome Deirdre Vaillancourt Real Estate as the sponsor of our coverage of the MARS Maryland 5 Star at Fair Hill, presented by Brown Advisory! Deirdre is your go-to resource if you’re considering a move — temporary or permanent — to Aiken. You can browse her current listings or set up an inquiry by visiting AikenSCProperties.com.
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