The Maryland Stadium Authority expects the Maryland 5 Star at Fair Hill equestrian competition to run as planned in October, even as its nonprofit partner faces financial strain and a wave of leadership departures.
The state body authorized a $94,000 payment last month to the Sport & Entertainment Corporation of Maryland, the nonprofit that helps organize the Maryland 5 Star and other high-profile events, after employees missed paychecks. The authority declined to publicly outline why the funds were needed or to provide details on the transaction.
SECM did not respond to a request for comment Tuesday.
Following its regularly scheduled monthly meeting Tuesday in Baltimore, stadium authority officials emphasized the importance of keeping the 5 Star in Cecil County, calling it a flagship event alongside the Preakness Festival, the Maryland Cycling Classic and the Fair Hill Races.
“That’s the plan,” said Craig A. Thompson, chairman of the MSA, when asked whether the Maryland 5 Star would go forward.
Thompson said major stakeholders, including Cecil County, the authority, the Fair Hill Foundation and key sponsors, have been meeting regularly to prepare for an October competition.
“Those plans are in place,” Thompson said. “They’re not finalized yet. But the plan is to move forward in October.”
The 2026 Maryland 5 Star is scheduled for Oct. 15 to 18. According to its most recent publicly available federal tax filing, the event reported $7.6 million in expenses in 2023 and $1.4 million in sponsorship revenue. Organizers said last year’s competition drew about 32,000 spectators, an 11% increase over the prior year.
The financial support authorized by the stadium authority has raised questions about the future of the SECM, which was created in 2019 by the Maryland Sports Commission, a division of the MSA.
Michael J. Frenz, executive director of the stadium authority, said the nonprofit is legally separate from the state agency and that the authority does not operate the events it helps fund.
“We’re not taking over any of them,” Frenz said. “To the extent that those events come back, it’ll be under the auspices of some organization other than the MSA.”
Thompson echoed that position.
“There is a board of directors that exists for the Sports and Entertainment Corporation,” Thompson said. “They’ll probably decide what happens. It’s not our decision.”
The nonprofit has seen a series of leadership exits.
Joanie Morris, the Maryland 5 Star’s longtime competition director, left in November for another job. In December, SECM President Terry Hasseltine and CEO Jeff Newman also departed. Hasseltine simultaneously served as vice president of marketing and communications for the stadium authority and as executive director of the Maryland Sports Commission.
Frenz said the Maryland Department of Legislative Services has recommended cutting the state’s Major Sports Event Fund from $10 million to $5 million in the upcoming fiscal year, citing broader budget pressures.
The fund provides grants to large-scale sports and entertainment events with significant economic impact, including the Military Bowl and Ocean City’s Oceans Calling music festival.
“Our argument is that the proposed reduction would have a very small impact on the budget crisis, and it would prevent the opportunity for that $5 million additional investment to turn into additional millions for the state and the counties, given the return on investment on many of these major sporting events,” Thompson said.
Frenz said the Preakness Festival is still expected to move forward and that funding for events such as the Maryland Cycling Classic is handled through a separate application process involving multiple partners, including Baltimore City and a cycling foundation.
