July 1, 2025 
It was a dominant win from start to finish for American Olympian Caroline Pamukcu this weekend at the CCI4*-S at Maryland International. Held at Loch Moy Farm in Adamstown, Maryland, Pamukcu rode She’s The One, owned by Mollie Hoff and Sherrie Martin, finishing on a score of 45.2.
“I’m super pleased with the day today,” Pamukcu said. “I’ve been working hard with my coaches. I’ve been training with Samantha St. Jacques in dressage, and then my longtime friend, coach, and mentor Anne Kursinski in the show jumping.”
This is the first 4* career win for Pamukcu and the 10-year-old AES mare, “Gemma,” her partner of more than two years. The pair previously won the CCI3*-L in Tryon, North Carolina in May of 2023, and earned top 10 performances at the Morven Park CCI4*-L and in the CCI4*-L at Ireland’s Millstreet.
CCI4*-S Dressage
Leading from Day 1 on her dressage score of 29.6, Pamukcu, who had three rides in various divisions on Friday, said she was especially happy with Gemma given that she needed to give her an abbreviated warm-up.
“She was very relaxed,” Pamukcu said. “We’ve been working hard on her changes and her way of going and relaxation, and she put in a very good, steady test.
“There’s lots of room for improvement, but it was nice that we can go in and put in a good test with a 10-minute warm-up, where normally, I would have a couple of pre-rides and a little bit longer of a warm-up.”
After dressage, Leslie Lamb and Banjo were tied for second with Arden Wildasin and Billy Beaufort on a score of 32.9. Jennie Brannigan and FE Connery moved into third place with a score of 34.0. But, as ever, cross country day would shake up the standings.
CCI4*-S Cross Country
The optimum time on Loch Moy Farm’s brand-new course, designed by Andrew Heffernan, proved extremely influential, with no one in the 4* division finishing inside the time.
Many riders prioritized getting their horses home safely over speedy cross-country rounds in the hot Maryland weather, and the show schedule was adjusted to end earlier in the day to avoid the worst of the heat.
“I’ve been coming here since I was about seven years old, and [Heffernan] followed a different track this year. I thought it flowed quite nicely,” Pamukcu reflected. “He asked good questions, and it was very interesting, because a lot of the questions were very forward-riding, which actually suited the course.
“They did an amazing job with the footing,” added Pamukcu, who is based in Springtown, Pennsylvania and Ocala, Florida. “This time of year, it’s so difficult to keep galloping and keep the horses fit—especially with the rain—but [Carolyn Mackintosh, owner of Loch Moy Farm] did a really, really good job seeding the course and getting the turf top-notch.”
After cross country day, Lisa Marie Fergusson and Trinity Thank Q finished in second place with a score of 51.4, while Brannigan remained in third place on 54.4 with Connery. Pamukcu, meanwhile, maintained her hold on the top of the leaderboard on a score of 44.
CCI4*-S Show Jumping
The final phase of the weekend saw little changes in the standings. Pamukcu and She’s the One were clear in show jumping, adding just 1.2 for time, and bringing their final score to 45.2—more than enough for victory in the CCI4*-S.
Fergusson and Trinity Thank Q were also clear and within the time allowed, finishing on their score of 51.4. Meanwhile, Brannigan and FE Connery suffered a rail down and 0.4 time penalties, finishing on 54.4 in third.
With this victory, Pamukcu is already turning her sights on CHIO Aachen, where she’ll compete her Paris 2024 Olympic mount, the 10-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding HSH Blake. The new mom of a five-month-old daughter, Blake—who shares her Olympic mount’s name—says a busy competition schedule suits her just fine.
“I feel good when I’m competing a lot,” Pamukcu explained. “When I won the Pan Ams, I was six weeks on the road leading up to the Games. So I’m trying to get myself back in the swing of things, especially with this one [referring to her daughter, Blake]!
“It’s good for me to go into next week [at CHIO Aachen] feeling competitive. And it’s always good to win a four-star. Hopefully I’ll go and win another one.”
