Infamous Del Mar failed horse show producer arrested on suspicion of murder for hire

For more than a decade, Tatyana and Mark Remley, a wealthy North County couple who once made headlines as producers of a failed multimillion-dollar horse show in Del Mar, have struggled to find marital happiness.

Court documents filed in one of many divorce attempts describe a turbulent and lavish lifestyle.

The couple sometimes spent more than $50,000 a month, according to divorce filings. They had bodyguards, personal assistants and weekly drivers.

But Tatiana Remley has repeatedly accused her husband of verbal abuse, violence and intimidation. And she wanted him dead, prosecutors say.

Last month, the 42-year-old was arrested after apparently trying to pay an undercover detective to murder her spouse.

Sheriff’s officials said Remley’s plan was detailed. On August 2, the detective encountered Remley during an undercover operation. She explained that she wanted her husband killed and his body disposed of, according to the ministry. She brought three weapons and a cash deposit to the meeting, authorities said.

That was enough for an arrest, and she was behind bars later that day. At an arraignment in Vista Superior Court several days later, Remley pleaded not guilty to the charges of soliciting murder, concealing a weapon in a vehicle, and carrying a loaded weapon in a place. audience. His preliminary hearing, where a judge will decide if there is enough evidence for a trial, is set for November 16. She remains imprisoned without bail.

Neither Tatiana nor Mark Remley could be reached for comment. The district attorney’s office said the woman was represented by a public defender, but the attorney’s name was not immediately available.

This is the second time she has been arrested in recent months. On July 2 at around 7:30 p.m., the sheriff’s department received a call about a fire at the couple’s home in Rancho Reposa, not far from Del Mar Polo Fields.

Officers attended the scene and found Remley, who was believed to be in possession of three weapons and ammunition, according to the sheriff’s department. They arrested her and she was incarcerated on suspicion of firearms charges. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

Detectives learned of the alleged murder-for-hire plot the following day.

The criminal case is only the most recent of the couple’s misfortunes. In 2012, the duo are believed to have spent millions to bring “Valitar” to life, an ambitious show featuring acrobats and horses. But after four performances, the couple abandoned the project, leaving the sellers and the artists on the floor.

Behind closed doors, the duo were also struggling.

Sadly forever

The couple married in 2011. Less than a year later, Mark Remley filed for divorce.

It was the first in a series of divorce filings in their 12 years of union, and papers filed in the cases describe an upscale life marred by allegations of violence and intimidation.

The couple last separated in May and Tatiana filed divorce papers a month later. She said in the filings that their marriage was “great” the first year, but things quickly became unstable.

In one instance, Tatiana said her husband pointed a gun at her head in front of an employee. In another, she claimed he chased her with a knife, prompting neighbors to call 911.

Days before the couple’s last split, Tatiana said she was locked in her bedroom when several of her husband’s friends broke in and held her at gunpoint, the documents show. She said she was assaulted while other people ransacked their home.

“They then broke my dear horse (statue) in the yard and put the horse’s head in my bed, Godfather style,” the court filing reads.

She said she fled the house and reported the incident to the police, who drove her back to the property the next day. The sheriff’s department declined to answer further questions about the case now that it is being prosecuted by the district attorney’s office.

Her documents then stated that she went into hiding shortly after that night and did not return home until the night of the fire. The documents do not specify what may have led to the fire.

She said in court documents that the house burned down “when I arrived”.

Although the fire made the home uninhabitable, she requested exclusive access to the Rancho Reposa site and planned to live in a trailer on the property, according to court documents. She also requested possession of several vehicles and pets, including three passed out goats and three parrots.

Tatyana asked for $15,000 a month in spousal support, according to filings, a far cry from the $50,000 a month she said the couple spent together before they separated.

“On some nights, the parties were spending $30,000 in a single night,” the documents say. Later adding, “Evenings frequently indulged in high-end shopping and dining, and going on luxury cruises.”

The petition claims that her husband owned several luxury properties and over $1 million in cars, including two Rolls-Royces.

In an interview with The Coast News, Mark Remley said the allegations in his wife’s documents were fabricated.

Collapse of “Valitar”

In January 2012 — a few months before that first divorce filing — Erik Martonovich, a competitive rider and founder of Las Vegas-based Big Horse Productions, said the couple got in touch with him. The pair had an idea for a horse show and were willing to spend a lot of money — at least $10 million — to fund it.

Martonovich became the show’s first director, and it soon became clear the pair were overwhelmed, he told the Union-Tribune in 2013.

“They had no idea what they were doing, anything,” Martonovich said then. “They weren’t horse enthusiasts, nor show buffs.”

For 10 months, the Remleys invested money in the project. They spent $3 million on a massive 45,000 square foot red tent. They budgeted $250,000 for horses and more for a VIP lounge.

Amid their plans, the couple broke up and reconciled. It was around this time that Tatiana began pushing for a bigger role in the production, a move Martonovich opposed, he said. Many of the show’s commercials featured the tall blonde, although unlike other performers, she was not a professional horse rider.

After a horse was injured during training and shot, Martonovich was fired, and 18 of the 25 performers left with him. A new manager was hired, but the writing was on the wall.

“Valitar” opened in November 2012 and after four performances, the couple pulled the plug. Production crews stopped being paid, and the Remleys canceled contracts with landlords where some employees were housed. The couple even cut utilities, forcing crews to demolish what they could – sometimes in the dark.

A sign at the entrance to the Del Mar Fairgrounds informs everyone that the “Valitar” shows are canceled.

(Howard Lipin/The San Diego Union-Tribune)

After the series collapsed, the company set up by Mark Remley to oversee production, Equustria Development, filed for bankruptcy. Everything but the horses – tents, portable stables, feed buckets and floats – were auctioned off to pay off creditors.

Several years later, in 2015, the couple opened Rhythm and Power, a cycling studio in Solana Beach. It closed the following year.