Two of eventing’s riders at the top of the game will compete in a field of 25 this week at the MARS Maryland 5 Star at Fair Hill.
Great Britain’s Oliver Townend, ranked world number one, will mark the U.S. debut of his talented up-and-comer, Cooley Rosalent. And world number three, Boyd Martin of the U.S., will be aboard Contessa. World Number four, New Zealand’s Tim Price, was last year’s winner, but had to scratch his ride, Falco, because the horse underwent colic surgery that revealed a benign tumor.
Oliver Townend and Ballaghmor Class at the British rider’s last Maryland 5-star appearance. (Photo © 2022 by Lawrence J. Nagy)
New Jersey rider Arielle Aharoni will be competing at the 5-star level for the first occasion with her Dutch Times. Read more about her here.
Tickets for the event, presented by Brown Advisory, are still available at https://www.maryland5star.us/tickets/. Advance pricing ends at 6 p.m. Wednesday Oct. 18. Dressage begins the next day and continues until Oct. 20. Cross-country is Oct. 21, with the show jumping wrap-up on Oct. 22. In addition to the 5-star, a 3-star competition also will be presented.
EquiRatings, a sports data and analytics company, has published its 2023 Maryland 5 Star Stats & Stories Guide for fans of the sport and all who are interested to learn more about the athletes, both rider and horse, along with stats and analysis around the third annual event.
The guide provides information around the rider with top win chances in this year’s event, with Great Britain’s Piggy March, riding Brookfield Cavalier Cruise leading the way with a 29 percent chance of winning it all. Quantum Leap, ridden by American Doug Payne is the highest-rated horse in this year’s field, having finished in the top 10 in 14 of his 22 four and five-star appearances.
The organization uses data science and equestrian experience to provide clear and defined information into high-performance analysis that can be used by a multitude of people or organizations.
For the first time, ticket holders can purchase the new MD5Star Radio powered by Brown Advisory. It will enable them to listen to live broadcast commentary and stream throughout the competition.