The Fair Hill Organising Committee (FHOC), an affiliate of the Sport and Entertainment Corporation of Maryland (The Sport Corp.), have announced that the Maryland 5 Star at Fair Hill will not take place and that the inaugural event will now take place from October 14-17, 2021. Health and safety factors, in addition to other challenges resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, led to a final decision to postpone the international Three-Day Eventing competition originally scheduled for this October at the newly constructed Special Event Zone at Fair Hill Natural Resources Management Area in Cecil County, Maryland. Event organizers and partners are now focused on producing the maiden event next year that will welcome a field of international competitors, as well as spectators traveling to the event from around the world.
The FHOC made their decision after a thorough consultation with the Maryland 5 Star at Fair Hill planning committee, its competition management partner, Fair Hill International (FHI), as well as other key constituents including the State of Maryland and Cecil County. The consensus was made that not being able to guarantee the health and safety of everyone and producing the event in a limited capacity was not favourable for the Maryland 5 Star at Fair Hill’s inaugural year.
“It was a very difficult decision and we are very disappointed for the competitors, fans and Eventing community,” said Jeff Newman, President of the Fair Hill Organizing Committee. “The Fair Hill Organizing Committee was created and tasked to plan and produce the inaugural Maryland 5 Star at Fair Hill as a world-class, international sporting event that includes an abundance of fan offerings drawing spectators from around the world to Cecil County and surrounding region.”
Newman added that “From the start of the pandemic until now, like many sports and entertainment properties, we’ve fully vetted out different scenarios ranging from a scaled back event with some fans, a competition-only event without spectators, or postponing the event to 2021. Ultimately, we felt that the uncertainties and risks that will remain throughout the year are too great to overcome. As a result, with the support of our sponsors and key constituents, postponing the inaugural event to 2021 best enables us to achieve our original goals and set the foundation for a tradition that will continue for many years.”
The Maryland 5 Star at Fair Hill is the newest CCI5*-L Three-Day competition added to the international Eventing circuit. The event is one of only seven Eventing competitions in the world, and second in the United States with the elite five star distinction. At the time of this announcement, six out of the seven five star rated international events have been cancelled in 2020 due to similar implications related to the pandemic.
The Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI), United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) and United States Eventing Association (USEA) were also informed, supported FHOC’s decision, and confirmed the new dates on the schedule for the event in October 2021.
“We recognise the difficulty of the decision to cancel the 2020 Maryland 5 Star at Fair Hill considering the excitement and positive momentum building towards the inaugural event in October. We look forward to working with the Organizing Committee to support a successful event in 2021,” commented Bill Moroney, Chief Executive Officer of US Equestrian. “The 2020 USEF CCI3*-L National Championship will be reallocated to a new venue and details will be announced in the coming weeks.”
Mike Gill and Michael Hankin will remain as The Maryland 5 Star at Fair Hill’s Co-Chairs.
“Ultimately, postponing the event to 2021 was the right move for the Maryland 5 Star at Fair Hill’s first year because health and safety must come first” they say “Our goal from the start was to showcase Maryland Pride to attending fans from around the world while also delivering a top-class competition for the riders and horses. However, due to the incredible challenges and uncertainty resulting from the pandemic, that’s just not possible this year. We look forward to producing an incredible event in 2021 and providing an economic stimulus.”
Fair Hill’s newly built Special Event Zone serving as the venue for the Maryland 5 Star features a new Ian Stark-designed cross-country course, as well as new dressage and show jumping areas constructed in the infield of the historic turf track. The USEF CCI3*-L Eventing National Championships and USEA Young Event Horse East Coast Championship will run concurrently with the CCI5*-L competition in 2021.
