As music played over the main arena loudspeakers at The Event at Rebecca Farm, Mai Baum, the only American horse to win the Land Rover Kentucky CCI5*-L in the past 17 years under rider Tamie Smith’s longtime partner, walked into the show ring one last time. In his saddle sat owner Alex Ahearn, who brought the gelding from beginner novice to intermediate. Joining them on foot were Smith, his longtime five-star rider, co-owners Ellen Ahearn and Eric Markell, groom Alyssa Dobrotin, and Smith’s daughter Kaylawna Smith-Cook.

As “Lexus” stood quietly, Alex patting his neck and Smith showering him in love, Alex’s mother Ellen took the microphone and outlined the gelding’s path from a 4-year-old purchased in a Munich auction for a teenaged Alex to five-star winner.

“Though he’s retiring from upper-level competition, it will be hard to contain him because he’ll still want to go to every horse show, kicking his stall when he doesn’t get to go, reminding them daily of his heart and love for the sport,” Ellen said. “To Tamie, from Alex, Eric and me, we are eternally grateful for your dedication, horsemanship, compassion and love of our horse. Neither we nor ‘the black stallion’ would be here without you.”

After Ellen finished speaking, Alex took Lexus on a final victory gallop around the ring. As they removed his saddle and drape him in flowers, Tina Turner’s ”The Best” played over the loudspeakers, a fitting tribute to the horse with the highest ELO rating of any U.S. horse.

The 19-year-old German Sport Horse (Loredano 2—Ramira, Rike), bred by Günter Gerling, added one last victory to his extensive resume on Sunday in Kalispell, Montana, when he led the The Event at Rebecca Farm CCI4*-S from start to finish.

“Obviously he doesn’t know this is his last event, and he doesn’t look like it should have been,” Smith said. “I’m speechless. He’s in a class of his own and it’s been a privilege to ride him.”

His score of 22.0 in dressage was a record at that level for Rebecca Farm and gave him a 10.9-point lead over Smith’s second ride, Jutopia.

“He’s helped me with all my horses,” Smith  said. “He taught me how to ride on the flat. He taught me about self-carriage, power, uphill balance and cadence. He’s next level with all of that.”

A hush fell over the grounds when the pair started cross-country Saturday, the last to leave the startbox for the division, letting them run most of the course by themselves. Though they added 5.6 time penalties, they still had a healthy cushion heading into show jumping on the final day.

“When I was by myself with Mai Baum, I was actually laughing the whole way,” Smith said. “It was so easy and effortless, yet he has his own unique style that I have grown accustomed to.”

Watch their cross-country round, courtesy of ClipMyHorse.TV

Lexus delivered one of his signature clears, finishing on a final score of 27.6, extending his winning margin to 12.1 penalties. Smith also won the four-long with Molly Duda’s Lillet 3, who led from start to finish too, and while Smith has high hopes for her younger horses, none compare.

“My reality this week has been realizing that there will likely never be another Mai Baum,” she said.

Watch their show jumping round, courtesy of ClipMyHorse.TV:

It was a fitting setting for the gelding’s retirement, as it was the site of his U.S eventing debut, when Michele Pestl rode him to fourth in a Young Event Horse qualifier in 2010. He returned in 2011, both for the YEH with Prestl (fifth place) and the junior novice with Alex (second). Alex later rode him to second place in the training three-day event, before they made their Fédération Equestre Internationale debut at Rebecca in 2013 in the two-star, finishing ninth. The following year he won the intermediate.

After Smith took over the ride in 2015, Lexus won his first four-star short event at Rebecca that year. He only made the trip to Montana twice more in his career—when he topped the advanced in 2020 and for his final event over the weekend.  

“Mai Baum started his career with Alex at Michele Pestl’s place in Washington state, and we felt it very fitting that he have his last hurrah in the very place he began,” Smith said in a press release announcing plans for a retirement ceremony.  “The venue shaped both of our careers.”

Though Lexus competed in some jumper shows over the winter, this was his only eventing start this year. His last event was the Mars Maryland 5 Star at Fair Hill, where he had a swan song at the five-star level, and though he and Smith bested eventual winners Oliver Townend and Ballaghmor Class in the dressage, Smith retired him after they ran into trouble on cross-country.

Lexus will return to Smith’s Next Level Eventing in Temecula, California, where he will remain in work.

“He has nothing to prove and deserves to retire as healthy as he is,” Smith said. “Lexus isn’t a commodity to us, he is our family, and he deserves to finish his competition career with a massive party.” 

Throughout his career, Lexus competed in 84 events, had 50 podium finishes—32 of them wins—and was the USEA Overall Horse of the Year in 2015. He was named the Chronicle’s Overall and Eventing Horse of the Year twice, first in 2015 and again in 2023.

In addition to his historic 2023 Kentucky win, Lexus won the 2015 Fair Hill International CCI4*-L (Maryland), which put him and Smith on the map. They made the team for the 2019 Pan American Games (Peru), where they took team gold. They were also on the silver-medal winning team at the 2022 FEI Eventing World Championships in Pratoni del Vivaro, Italy, the best U.S. finish in 20 years. In 2021 and 2023 they helped the U.S. team to second at CHIO Aachen (Germany) and were bronze individually in 2023. In addition to his Kentucky win, he was ninth in his five-star debut there in 2021 and was ninth at Badminton in 2022.