The inaugural Maryland 5-Star three-day event at Fair Hill will be offering $300,000 in prize money, while the 3-star Long that runs on the same dates Oct. 14-17 will award $25,000, the Fair Hill Organizing Committee announced today.
The events will be staged at the new Fair Hill Special Event Zone in Cecil County, Md., where the U.S Eventing Association’s Young Event Horse East Coast Championship also will be presented.
Meanwhile, British Eventing has suggested that a one-off 5-star could be organized to fill the need for such an event in the wake of the cancellation of the country’s two 5-stars, Badminton and Burghley. There are a lot of questions about such an initiative, including raising the necessary funding, as well as getting the right horses there due to commitments to the Olympics and European championships.
The Maryland 5-star organizing committee anticipates it will offer information in the coming weeks related to retail vendor applications, tickets, sponsorships, volunteer opportunities, livestream and broadcast partners.
Organizing committee co-chairs Mike Gill and Michael Hankin said, “While we remain focused on monitoring health and safety protocols for our event, we are excited to see that the conditions continue to improve here in Maryland, and that events are beginning to open up. We are looking forward to producing an inaugural Maryland 5-Star that will provide a top-class experience for our competitors, as well as our spectators.”
The event will mark a new chapter for the State of Maryland’s equestrian tradition. The Maryland 5-Star is one of only two CCI5*-L events in the United States, and the seventh worldwide, although two in England already have been cancelled due to Covid.
“It is (a) great feeling having sporting events coming back in Maryland this year and welcoming spectators,” commented Terry Hasseltine, president of The Sport Corp.
“The Maryland 5-Star at Fair Hill will be one of the highlights during the fall, giving people something to look forward to, and something new to experience. We are excited to showcase the new Fair Hill Special Event Zone for the first time and produce an event that our state can be proud of.”
For additional information and news from the Maryland 5 Star at Fair Hill, visit www.Maryland5Star.us or follow on social @maryland5star.