Through the ups and downs of the leaderboard at the MARS Maryland 5-star at Fair Hill, Swiss rider Felix Vogg inched his way forward; from third place after dressage to second following cross-country, finally achieving victory in the show jumping finale on Sunday.
Felix Vogg and Cartania on their way to victory.
The standings had been steady at the top — New Zealand’s Monica Spencer led the 22 starters in dressage and stayed first after finishing well within the optimum time on cross-country on her intrepid thoroughbred, Artist.
But her luck ran out in the show jumping, where the rails started falling along the route designed by Michel Vaillancourt. First it was the vertical at fence 6 after the double combination, then another rail at the vertical after the triple bar. The one fence she had in hand over Felix and his elegant mare, Cartania, wasn’t enough — as Monica had suspected on Saturday, when she contemplated the final phase and how Artist might fare.
She was philosophical about her placing.
“To be second at a 5-Star is the stuff dreams are made of,” she commented.
Monica Spencer and Artist.
Her total of 31.7 penalties was a personal best at a 5-star and the highlight of a year in which she finished eighth at Kentucky and sixth at Aachen.
For Artist, “Show jumping’s not his strength,” she said while beaming with joy and holding a bouquet of red roses after the prize giving.
“It was a technical track out there and we just fell a bit short in a couple of places. I think he tried hard and I’m pleased with him,” said Monica, who began basing herself in Pennsylvania nearly two years ago.
In 2022, when he took first place with 29 penalties on Colero at Germany’s Luhmuhlen, Felix became the only Swiss ever to win an eventing 5-Star since one of his countrymen enjoyed victory at Badminton in 1951 (though that level had a different name then). Now the 35-year-old rider has two 5-star triumphs to his credit; again the only Swiss with that claim to fame.
Felix Vogg on his victory gallop.
“Unreal,” he said after his victory gallop, in which he joyfully made a third circuit, rather than the traditional two. For exceeding the 82-second time allowed, he added only 0.4 penalties to his dressage score, giving him a total of 28.7.
“The horse is unbelievable. I wanted to win all week, but of course, many people want that. The mare actually delivered, it’s fantastic. She was all week mentally so strong,” said Felix, who has ridden her for seven years and considered her his third-string mount until recently because he was riding several other exciting horses.
When Cartania had a dental problem last summer, Felix started jumping her in a hackamore. It worked so well he has kept on using it. She won the first event of her career in July at the 4-star short at Avenches, Switzerland.
Felix received a travel grant from the Maryland 5-Star International Riders Travel Grant Program. As foreign rider after foreign rider told me, the expense of coming across the Atlantic is daunting, and with so many events in Europe, financially for some it makes sense to stay there.
“Without that grant, I wouldn’t be here,” said Felix, who left America richer, having collected $100,000 for his victory.
Boyd Martin, the only American to win the Maryland event in its five-year history, had a rough weekend, falling from Luke 140 during cross-country. With his second horse, Commando 3, he was understandably cautious on cross-country, incurring 8 time penalties for taking several long routes.
Boyd Martin and Commando 3.
He was standing fifth coming into show jumping. But then Jennie Brannigan had two rails with FE Lifestyle, Boyd produced a clean round and Mia Farley, who had been third with Phelps, dropped four poles to go from third to seventh. (Phelps did, however, win the special award for the best performance by an American thoroughbred in the 5-Star.)
That moved Boyd up to the podium on 38.3 penalties.
Speaking about Commando, Boyd noticed, “he’s finished second for Kentucky and third at Maryland. I think the best is still to come.”
Even so, being on the podium in Maryland is still an achievement.
Maryland winner Felix Vogg with Monica Spencer and Boyd Martin.
“I love to win, but it’s not so bad being third to these two champion horsemen…horsewoman,” he said, noting Monica is his next door neighbor and Felix had lived with him and his family for a year.
“My wife is secretly in love with him,” he revealed.
That seemed to be the biggest story of the day, so I asked Silva Martin if it was true, as she herded her three little boys in the VIP area.
Silva, a top dressage rider, admitted to having a crush on Felix, but she correctly pointed out it wasn’t going anywhere.
“He has a really great girlfriend, so I think that would be a better match. I’m not sure Felix would want a woman with three children by Boyd Martin.”
This was all in fun, of course.
The original field of 22 was down to 13 for the show jumping. Top 10 finishes worth noting included the oldest horse in the competition, Sunday Times, who is 18. He was tenth, with two rails down, but looked happy to be doing his job.
Sophia Hill, who came over from Australia earlier this month, didn’t have a great dressage test with a horse who hadn’t had a chance to settle in, but Humble Glory was the fastest on cross-country and wound up sixth on his dressage score of 46.2 after a brilliant show jumping display.
Sunday Times, at 18 the oldest horse in the 5-Star, with Arden Wildasin.
Click here for 5-Star results.
In the 3-Star, Isabelle Bosley held onto the lead she established in dressage, winning on 24.8 penalties aboard her Oldenburg mount, Conner. Second-place Alyssa Phillips did the same, adding nothing to her dressage score of 25.5 penalties on her Holsteiner, Rockett 19. Third-place Olivia Dutton dropped a rail at the first fence and collected time penalties but was able to keep her third-place standing with a score of 32.9 on Jewelent, an Irish Sport Horse who is rather a new ride for her..
Isabelle and Olivia both train with Olivia’s father, Olympic multi-medalist Phillip Dutton.
Isabelle is a local resident from Monkton, Md., and she had a big fan club cheering her on.
Three-Star stars Alyssa Phillips, Isabelle Bosley and Olivia Dutton.
“It means so much to have my family and friends here supporting me this weekend. Conner was incredible, he’s such a good boy, and he’s definitely not for sale,” she said, noting, “I’ve been asked a couple of times.”
Click here for 3-Star results