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New Zealand rider and star thoroughbred take control of Maryland 5 Star dressage with personal best score: ‘He was offering so much’

Pippa Roome Pippa Roome

    • Foreign riders, led by New Zealand’s Monica Spencer, took control of the Mars Maryland 5 Star dressage on the second day of action (Friday, 17 October), holding four of the top six positions on the leaderboard ahead of cross-country.

    Monica scored a new personal best of 23.7 with the 14-year-old thoroughbred Artist, saying: “He was amazing – he was offering so much energy and I was like, ‘Whoa boy, whoa Max.’ But we held it together, he stayed with me and showed off, which was really nice.”

    Since they burst into the spotlight with world team bronze in 2022, Monica and Artist have become a consistent five-star combination, with four top-11 results at the level including seventh here in 2023 and 11th at Burghley Horse Trials last year. Monica and her family – husband Spence (Andrew) and son Gus – have based in the USA since the winter of 2023-2024.

    Today, Monica Spencer and Artist pulled off a polished, fluent, relaxed Maryland 5 Star dressage test, showing their established partnership throughout. They scored nines from British ground jury president Sandy Phillips at C for their confident second counter canter and flying change and for the collective harmony mark, as well as garnering eights from all the judges.

    Looking ahead to tomorrow’s cross-country over Pierre Le Goupil’s track Monica said: “I don’t think it’s going to be a dressage competition, it’s serious out there. There is some really different stuff I have never seen before, so it will be interesting to see how the day unfolds.”

    Maryland 5 Star dressage: Caroline Pamukcu and HSH Blake

    Caroline Pamukcu is greeted by husband Deniz and daughter Blake as she leaves the dressage arena at Maryland 5 Star 2025. Credit: Amy Dragoo

    Caroline Pamukcu is now best of the home side riders, sitting second with her third of three rides, HSH Blake, on a score of 28.3. This 10-year-old horse, who belongs to Mollie Hoff, the rider, her mother Sherrie Martin and husband Deniz Pamukcu, was Caroline’s ride at the Paris Olympics.

    The pair excelled in the trotwork and later canter today, with Blake just showing a little of his inexperience in the first two flying changes.

    “I’m so, so proud of him. Obviously this is his first time at the five-star level. I’m just over the moon with how he performed and he felt like he really enjoyed himself. When I came into the arena, it’s like he kicked into another gear, and he felt very happy, which made me happy,” said Caroline.

    Switzerland’s Felix Vogg now holds third, with another seasoned 14-year-old, his own Cartania, who has had three top-15 finishes at British five-stars, as well as eighth at the 2021 Europeans and 14th at the 2022 World Championships.

    “We started competing together over here in the USA. I bought her in England, then brought her here when I lived here. Since then she’s gone well and we’ve decided she’s a better five-star than championship horse – she’s doing all this stuff and she’s really good at it,” said Felix.

    Felix re-routed here after suffering an injury in the build-up to Burghley Horse Trials in September, saying he thought Maryland would suit the mare better than an alternative five-star run at Pau Horse Trials next week.

    The Swiss combination scored 28.7 today, pulling off an active, engaged test, which could at times have been a little softer and rounder in the neck and with more balance shown in the counter canter.

    “That test is a bit hard for her — it needs quite a lot of strength, which is her weak point, but she still made it a personal best at this level, so I’m really happy with her,” said Felix.

    New Zealander Jonelle Price (Nikki Axon and Merrill Halstead’s Chilli’s Morning Star) and the USA’s Boyd Martin (Yankee Creek Ranch LLC’s Commando 3) share fourth, having both scored 30.3.

    Jonelle’s otherwise strong marks dropped down to fours in the first and final flying changes, while Boyd and Commando 3’s quality work was just marred by a weakness in collecting the canter out of movements such as the extended canter and stretch circle.

    Jonelle’s compatriot Tayla Mason, another New Zealander based in Britain, is sixth on Centennial, just 0.1 of a penalty behind the pair sharing fourth, with Boyd’s leader from Thursday, Luke 140, in seventh.

    Britain’s sole contender, Alex Bragg, lies 16th of the 22 starters at the conclusion of dressage, after a tricky ride yesterday when Quindiva became quite lit up and sensitive.

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    Pippa Roome
    Pippa Roome

    H&H magazine editor and eventing editor
    Pippa is a true eventing geek and has been H&H’s eventing editor since 2005. She has first-hand experience of competing up to British Eventing intermediate and international CCI2*-L level, and has worked in the industry on a top event yard. Pippa enjoys nothing more than immersing herself in the sport at the highest level, reporting from the five-stars and international championships, including the Olympics.
    Pippa Roome

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