Boyd Martin and Luke 140 Top MD5* Leaderboard After Dressage Day 1

Martin and Luke 140 secure the overnight lead after the first day of dressage competition at the 2025 Maryland 5 Star, with Caroline Pamukcu and She's The One in a close second place.

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Four-time Olympian Boyd Martin (USA), who won the first-ever Maryland 5 Star in 2021, and the ever-rising eventing powerhouse Luke 140 ruled the first day of CCI5* dressage competition at the 2025 MARS Maryland 5 Star at Fair Hill. The pair’s polished test produced a score of 31.0, pushing them to the top of the overnight leaderboard.

Boyd Martin (USA) and Luke 140 secured the overnight lead at the 2025 MARS Maryland 5 Star at Fair Hill, following the first day of dressage competition. ©Amy K. Dragoo

“Luke is a very talented horse. He’s got an amazing ability,” Martin said about the14-year-old Holsteiner gelding, owned by the Luke 140 Syndicate. “The biggest challenge is keeping him settled in the big atmosphere. That was my biggest challenge today in trying to keep him cool. But he went around and did a very nice test, and I was quite pleased with him.”

During the beautiful but windy afternoon in Cecil County, Maryland, Luke’s groom Stephanie Simpson jumped in to help Martin coax the gelding under an inflatable archway that led into the main arena.

Pamukcu, She’s The One and Brannigan, FE Lifestyle Take Second and Third

Caroline Pamukcu, Martin’s 2024 Paris Olympics teammate, and She’s The One took a close second place on a score of 31.4—the pair’s best-ever score in a five-star competition. While “Mary” is only 10, Pamukcu noted that she’s had quite a bit of experience, which has significantly helped prepare the mare for bigger atmospheres.

Caroline Pamukcu (USA) and She’s The One came in a close second after today’s first day of CCI5* dressage competition. ©Amy K. Dragoo

“I’m really proud of her and am very thankful to the Federation for putting the time and energy into her and for giving me opportunities,” she said. “Now, she’s getting quite used to the big atmospheres.”

In addition to getting Mary more accustomed to the larger and more electric competition environments, Pamukcu attributes the mare’s progress to recent training camps and dressage clinics at Martin’s Windurra Farm in Cochranville, Pennsylvania. “We’ve been working a lot with Leslie Law and Karyn Shuter, and it’s been tremendously helpful,” she noted.

Jennie Brannigan (USA) and FE Lifestyle took third overnight after dressage on a score of 32.8. After taking a hard fall off a different horse at Morven Park last weekend, she opted to withdraw Connory, her other Maryland mount, from competition to focus on the more experienced FE Lifestyle.

Jennie Brannigan and FE Lifestyle took third overnight after dressage competition on a score of 32.8. ©Amy K. Dragoo

“I’m super happy with his work,” Brannigan said of her 15 year-old gelding. “He got a little tense at the end and then did a little change at the half-pass. There were a couple of things I could have cleaned up. I hope his score stays competitive, but I was so pleased with him.”

While Brannigan was sporting an orthopedic boot during yesterday’s First Horse Inspection (Phillip Dutton stepped in to jog FE Lifestyle), her doctors cleared her to compete this weekend.

A Peak at Pierre Le Goupil’s MD5* Cross-Country Course

In assessing French course designer Pierre Le Goupil’s CCI5* track for cross-country competition, both Martin and Pamukcu admit they have a big job to face on Saturday. Martin noted that he’d only jumped one of Le Goupil’s courses before and that was at the 2024 Paris Games.

“That course looked like a Pony Club course compared to this. I don’t want to say I was shocked, but I was surprised at how challenging this course looks,” he said. “I was expecting it not to be so strong, but we’re here and it looks like we’ve got a mission ahead of us with big fences and a different look.”

Despite the intense track set for Saturday, Martin is pleased to see another European course designer making his mark at a U.S. five star after years of great Maryland courses from Derek di Grazia, Ian Stark and Mark Phillips.

“It’s nice to get Pierre here. It’s definitely a different style of course, and he’s very creative in his ideas. It’s sort of tricky to prepare for in our cross-country schooling because we’re just not as familiar with it,” he said. “Deep down, I’m nervous as hell because it’s a bit out of what I’m used to, but I have two good horses I believe in.”

Pamukcu agrees that the Maryland track isn’t as smooth sailing as the Pan American Games or the Olympics. “I have to say, it’s one of the hardest five-star tracks I’ve seen in my career,” she said. “It’s big and bold and definitely isn’t a facade competition. It’s extremely beefy, so I know I’m going to have to be very clever out there and give my horses confidence, because it just keeps coming.”