Baltimore, Maryland – September 28, 2021 –Zara Tindall of Great Britain, 2006 World Champion, 2012 Olympic team Silver Medalist and granddaughter of Queen Elizabeth II, and Astier Nicolas of France, winner of team Gold and individual Silver Medals at the 2016 Olympic Games, have joined a growing list of All-Star riders entered to compete in the inaugural Maryland 5 Star at Fair Hill. Recent new international entries also include Maxime Livio of France, and Harry Meade of Great Britain.
The Maryland 5 Star at Fair Hill, one of only two 5 Star level events in the United States and just the seventh worldwide, is set for October 14-17 at the newly constructed Fair Hill Special Event Zone in Elkton, Maryland (Cecil County). The event’s prestigious 5 Star (CCI5*) designation is the pinnacle of the Olympic sport of Eventing, often described as an equestrian triathlon.
Few names in equestrian sports cause as much excitement as Zara Tindall. As granddaughter of the Queen of England and daughter of Olympic Eventing riders Princess Anne and Captain Mark Phillips, Tindall attracts a spotlight wherever she goes. In addition to winning the individual Gold Medal at the 2006 World Championships, she has also won team Silver Medals at the 2006 and 2014 World Championships and at the 2012 Olympic Games.
“It is so exciting to have so many of Eventing’s best athletes from all around the world entered in the Maryland 5 Star at Fair Hill,” said Jeff Newman, President & CEO of The Fair Hill Organizing Committee. “We’re thrilled and honored to have Olympic medalists like Zara Tindall and Astier Nicolas join the field of competitors, along with Maxime, Harry and all the others entered to date. Their presence ensures that our inaugural event is going be something special that is not to be missed!”
In addition to his Gold and Silver Medals at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games, Nicolas also placed seventh in the 2018 World Championships. Livio and Meade are both World Championship medalists with Livio, currently ranked #30 in the world, winning team Bronze in 2018 and Meade, World ranked #34, winning team Silver in 2014.
These riders join an all-star entry list that already includes:
- World Ranked #1 Oliver Townend (GBR) — 2021 Olympic team gold medalist
- World Ranked #2 Tim Price (NZL) — two-time Olympic veteran
- World Ranked #7 Jonelle Price (NZL) — three-time Olympic veteran with a team bronze medal
and the U.S.’s 2021 Tokyo Olympic team
- World Ranked #8 Boyd Martin (USA) — three-time Olympic veteran
- World Ranked #20 Doug Payne (USA) — sixth-placed individual at the 2021 Tokyo Olympic Games
- World Ranked #21 Phillip Dutton (USA) — seven-time Olympic veteran with two team gold medals and individual bronze
Plus several other Olympic veterans, including:
- World ranked #15 Lauren Kieffer Nicholson (USA) – 2016 Olympic veteran
- World ranked #47 Will Coleman (USA) – 2012 Olympic veteran who recently became the first U.S. Eventing rider ever to win at Aachen
- Leslie Law (GBR) – two-time Olympic veteran with two team Silver Medals and the 2004 individual Gold
- Clayton Fredericks (AUS) – two-time Olympic veteran and 2008 team Silver Medalist
- Hawley Bennett-Awad (CAN) – two-time Olympic veteran
- Jessica Phoenix (CAN) – two-time Olympic veteran
- Joe Meyer (NZL) – 2008 Olympic veteran
The full list of entries to-date is available at https://maryland5star.us/entries/. Entries are subject to change due to injury or other unforeseen circumstances. In addition to the 5 Star competition (CCI5*-L), the event will feature a 3 Star competition as well (CCI3*-L), which is serving as the USEF CCI3*-L Eventing National Championship, and The Dutta Corp. USEA Young Event Horse East Coast Championships Presented by Dubarry of Ireland. The four days of Eventing competition will feature Dressage (Thu-Fri), Cross-Country (Sat) showcasing the new Ian Stark designed courses, and Show Jumping (Sun). For ticket information please visit https://maryland5star.us/tickets/ .
