British Olympic team Gold medalist Oliver Townend (GBR) rode to his first Maryland victory atop Ballaghmor Class, finishing with a mistake-free show jumping round on Sunday for a final total score of 31.3 penalties to win the 2024 MARS Maryland 5 Star at Fair Hill presented by Brown Advisory. This is Townend’s ninth all-time victory in a five-star and fourth with Ballaghmor Class (Burghley 2017 & 2023, Kentucky 2021). Ballaghmor Class now finds himself among the best five-star horses in the history of the sport.
Three-time Olympic veteran Tim Price (NZL), the 2022 Maryland winner, and 15-year-old gelding, Falco placed second, also with a mistake-free Sunday, finishing with a score of 34.6. David Doel (GBR) was third on Galileo Nieuwmoed with a score of 38.5, while Buck Davidson (USA) took fourth on Sorocaima with a score of 47.6.
Townend, who finished second in the inaugural MARS Maryland 5 Star in 2021 and had consecutive third place finishes the last two years, finally pushed his way to the top of the podium. “I fully expected that Tim would go clean and keep the pressure on me,” he said. “Fortunately, I am lucky to ride one of the sport’s great horses and he delivered big time.
“I wish he could carry on for another 10 years so we could retire together,” continued Townend, whose ninth 5 Star win ties him with Andrew Nicholson and Lucinda Green for fifth all-time behind William Fox-Pitt (14), Michael Jung (11), Sir Mark Todd (11) and Ginny Elliot (10). “He’s just phenomenal and it’s my job to show the world how good he is. Luckily, I didn’t mess this one up.”
Four Canadians started the CCI5*-L, but surprisingly, none completed. Lindsay Traisnel and Bacyrouge had a lovely dressage test to place 8th but retired after a second refusal near the end of the course; Jessica Phoenix and Wabbit broke a frangible device at 12A and retired at the C element; and Colleen Loach and FE Golden Eye were eliminated after three very uncharacteristic problems at various point in the course. Phoenix withdrew her second horse, Fluorescent Adolescent, prior to cross-country.
This was course designer Ian Stark’s final cross-country course, as he is retiring from course design. This year’s course was the toughest test since five-star integration, involving 28 jumps.
“It wasn’t quite the day I was hoping to retire on, had there been a dozen go around, I would have been much happier,” said Stark, himself a three-time Olympic rider for Great Britain. “There were some unfortunate silly hiccups, but the good thing was that trouble was everywhere, it wasn’t one fence and from a designing point of view that is positive. I have had a great time here in Maryland and America as a whole and I have always said in mind and in my heart that this is the right time to retire.”
In the CCI3*-L competition, Sharon White, who was part of the U.S. Team that took home silver in the 2023 Pan American Games in Santiago, Chile, jumped from ninth place to first after a spectacular cross-country round on Saturday, and held firmly onto her lead with a clean show jumping round with eight-year-old Westphalian mare, Jaguars Duende finished with a total score of 29.6.
“Maryland is a unique place and a good test of fitness and a very proper course,” White said. “The atmosphere is unreal and special in both the dressage and show jumping so it’s such a good education for a horse. To me, I want not to overwhelm them and if you really produce them confidently, sometimes you have to be a little patient and I don’t mind being patient.”
Sara Schulman and Cooley Chromatic held onto second place throughout the entire competition, finishing with a final score of 30.6. Overall, Schulman and her gelding had strong finishes in each phase. Schulman held off Will Coleman and Fahrenheit Addict, as the pair finished with a final score of 31.5. Coleman, the two-time Olympian from Gordonsville, VA, moved up the leaderboard after a great cross-country round, going from fourth to third in the finale on Sunday.
“We are appreciative of our sponsors for continuing to make the Maryland 5 Star possible again this year, especially MARS Equestrian™ and Brown Advisory,” said Jeff Newman, president & CEO of the Maryland 5 Star. “The weather was outstanding and the crowds throughout the weekend were incredible to see. Ian Stark’s final cross-country course was beautiful and challenged the sport’s most elite riders and their horses. Thank you to the FEI riders and officials for coming from around the world to help lay the ground work for this event, to the staff and volunteers who worked tirelessly to get it off the ground, and our fans who continue to show us amazing support every year. We look forward to seeing everyone back out at Fair Hill and in Cecil County in 2025.”
The only Canadian to finish the CCI3*-L was Mégane Sauve riding Nuance, a 10-year-old Thoroughbred mare bred by Yves Landry. The pair were 44th after dressage but had a good XC trip to climb the leaderboard to 17th; four rails in stadium jumping saw them finish in 21st spot overall of 54 starters.
According to Equiratings, the 3 Star competition presented its most demanding challenge since it began running alongside the 5 Star event. Only 15% of riders — just 8 out of 53 — managed to finish the cross-country phase within the optimum time, marking a sharp decline from previous years. In addition, the cross-country jumping clear rate proved to be the toughest yet, with only 53% of riders achieving a faultless round. This is a notable shift from the rates of 37% in 2021, 61% in 2022, and 68% in 2023.
Full results here.
~ with files from Maryland 5 Star / Maroon PR
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