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Take A Walk Around The Mars Maryland 5 Star Course

PUBLISHED
  • 12:38 pm
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Elkton, Md.—Oct. 18

This year’s Mars Maryland 5 Star at Fair Hill marks the final time eventing legend Ian Stark will design a cross-country course. Perhaps fittingly, Maryland was the former five-star winner’s debut in designing at the top level, and this is his goodbye before retirement.

This year’s 6,140-meter course follows the same direction as 2024 and involves 28 jumps with 48 efforts. The optimum time—which only one pair, Mia Farley and Phelps, made here last year—is set at 11 minutes, 15 seconds.

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Fence 1, CrossCountry App First Flowers. Kimberly Loushin Photos.
Fence 2, Hart Trailers Hurdle, is set on a downhill slope.
Fence 3AB, Select Event Group’s Locust Log Pond. The first combination on course is also the first of four water jumps on course.
Fence 4, Buckeye Nutrition Cedar Double Brush.
Fence 5AB, Main Arena Brushes, begins over a large brush.
Continuing on right bend to a narrow and back over a large brush.
Fence 6A, Brown Advisory Timber Rails.
Fence 6B. These fences are set such that riders can approach on an angle, or take a long route around some trees for a more direct approach.
Fence 7ABCD, Yanmar Sunken Road, is very similar to last year’s course.
Fence 8, Dubarry of Ireland Singerly Slider is an open oxer over a ditch set at the bottom of a steep hill.
Fence 9A, Brown Advisory Canoe, was used last year, with water falling out of the canoe at the top.
Fence 9B, Brown Advisory Cascade, is a new element, featuring a keyhole in the water with water falling from the top of the keyhole.
Fence 10, Flying Scot, complete with kilts drying on the line, is one of several odes to retiring Scottish course designer Ian Stark on this year’s track.
Fence 11, The Unnamed Trib Magna wave, has quite a drop on the backside.
Fence 12ABCD, Irish Horse Board Coffin.
Fence 13AB, Cecil County Barricades, leads to Fence 14, the Cecil County Corner, which is separately numbered from the previous combination but is set on a related distance.
After a long gallop and a pull uphill, they’ll meet Fence 15, Big Elk Palisade.
Fence 16, Taylor Harris Insurance Services Boxes.
Fences 17 and 18AB, Sawmill Slices are separately numbered but ride on a related distance on a curved line.
Fence 19, Ruppert’s Roll.
Fence 20ABC, Mars Sustainability Bay. Riders approach from the same direction they did last year, with a hanging log bouncing to the crab drop.
Fence 21ABCD, Mars Sustainability Step And Angles, is also similar to last year. Riders jump up the Normandy Bank and have a stride to the log before heading to an angled brush.on the downslope.
Fence 21CD, the angled brush.
Followed by Fence 22, Mars Equestrian Angle, which is on a related distance.
Fence 23, Quarry View Building Group Timber Beam.
Fence 24, Foxcatcher Flyer returns, with a brush groundline and a smaller version for the three-star.
Fence 25A, Fair Hill International Roller Coaster
Fence 25BC, Fair HIll International Drop
Finishing with a skinny cabin to a brush chevron at 25CD
Fence 26, Trish’s Table, an ode to event founder Trish Gilbert, who died earlier this year, is set downhill.
Fence 27AB, Belgian Owls is the last combination on course.
Fence 28, Scotty’s Farewell, another tip of the hat to Stark and his nickname, the final fence, is once again set in water.

See the track on CrossCountry App here.

Full results here.

The Chronicle is on-site at the Mars Maryland 5 Star, bringing you photos and stories from all phases of the event. You can find all of our coverage of the event in one spot, and you also can follow us on Instagram and Facebook. You can read more in-depth coverage in the Nov. 18 issue of the Chronicle.

  • Updated
  • October 18, 2024
  • 12:38 pm
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