McEwen Retains Lead at Defender Kentucky Three-Day Event

No one has ever accused a CCI5*-L of being easy, and Saturday was no exception as horses and riders fought hard to complete Derek di Grazia’s course at the Defender Kentucky Three-Day Event presented by MARS Equestrian™ (K3DE). At the end of the day, overnight leader Tom McEwen and JL Dublin from Great Britain added four time penalties to retain the top spot, with fellow Brits Yasmin Ingham and Banzai Du Loir (31.6) standing second and Oliver Townend and Cooley Rosalent (31.8) in third.

Organized by Equestrian Events, Inc. (EEI), the Defender Kentucky Three-Day Event presented by MARS Equestrian (K3DE) features one of only seven annual Five Star three-day events in the world. Known as “The Best Weekend All Year,” the event annually attracts nearly 90,000 spectators who also enjoy extensive shopping, a variety of hospitality experiences and a wide array of demonstrations. In addition to the traditional CCI5*-L, the event also features the Cosequin® Lexington 4* and Kentucky CSI4* Invitational Grand Prix presented by Hagyard Equine Medical Institute.

While McEwen’s round with “Dubs” was enough to keep him on top, it wasn’t perfect, with him taking the long route at two fences and accruing time faults. Still, he was thrilled with the 13-year-old bay Warmblood gelding owned by James and Jo Lambert and Deirdre Johnston’s performance.

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“He was amazing,” McEwen said. “‘Dubs’ was cruising around and way up on time … I had to take two long routes [which caused the] time faults, but he made child’s play of the course. I’m just delighted with him. He was amazing, and we came here to do exactly that.

“I knew coming in here that Dubs is the most incredible horse and should be right up there, so we came here to deliver a great test and come and go as quick as we can cross-country. I know what the horse can do and it’s up to me to deliver on the day,” he concluded.

Ingham was equally thrilled with her mount. “He was brilliant today,” she said. “He gave me a super ride; it was so nice to have a good round today. We had one small moment at the Defender Head of the Lake, but he was super honest and dead on with his line. It made me so happy how he was looking through the flags.”

Townend is in Kentucky contesting his 100th CCI5*, which is a significant accomplishment. Even more impressive is his partnership with a relatively green horse, Diana and Paul Ridgeon’s 10-year-old gray Irish Sporthorse mare Cooley Rosalent, which he hopes will catch the selectors’ attention for the Paris Olympic Games later this year.

“I’d like to think she’s definitely in the mix [for Olympic selection],” Townend said. “She’s been to the 5* in Maryland and here, and both have got terrain and speed [questions]. She’s proven she copes with the crowd and on quick tracks and she’s definitely on an upward trajectory. We’ll see what tomorrow brings — it’s not my decision — but I would very much like to get there on any horse.”

The time was hard to get on Saturday, with only two horse-and-rider combinations — USA’s Mia Farley and Phelps and Germany’s Christoph Waller and D’Accord FRH — coming home under the optimum time of 11:14. Farley was initially given 15 penalties for missing a flag out of the first water complex, but had the decision reversed upon review and became the highest placed American in fifth place. This also means she currently leads the Defender/USEF CCI5*-L Eventing National Championship presented by MARS Equestrian. Waller currently stands in sixth overall.

Phelps is one of the few full Thoroughbreds in the class, owned by David O’Connor, who is no stranger to the top levels of the sport having been the Olympic champion in 2000. The gelding’s first 5* was last fall in Maryland where he was the only horse to go double clear on cross-country, and Farley credits his breed for his ability to be quick and have stamina.

“I think with Phelps — and a lot of Thoroughbreds — you can set a tone in the beginning of the course and that’s what they have at end,” Farley said. “And if you ask them to go, they still have the energy at the end. You can have a lot of options. He’s a quick horse.”

As Lexington is the center of Thoroughbred breeding, Farley said she felt the crowd’s enthusiasm a little more. “It’s a little bit of pressure and a lot of fun,” she said. “Phelps was bred here in Kentucky … and it was a lot of fun to have that support.”

The USA’s Lauren Nicholson and Vermiculus started the day tied for third with fellow American Liz Halliday and Cooley Nutcracker. Nicholson and Halliday both finished with time penalties, but Nicholson’s 4.4 kept her in seventh just ahead of Halliday, who had 6.4 time faults to stand eighth.

Of the 35 horses who started the competition, two were withdrawn before the start of the cross-country phase: Will Faudree’s (USA) Mama’s Magic Way and Hannah Sue Hollberg’s (USA) Capital HIM. Hollberg took a fall from her CCI4*-S horse Carsonstown and was sore enough that she felt discretion was the better part of valor, deciding to save it for another day. Two pairs were eliminated on cross-country, while four retired on course. Five pairs finished with jumping penalties. (Canada’s sole entry, Lisa Marie Fergusson riding Honor Me, were eliminated on course.)

Scores are tight going into the final phase of show jumping on Sunday, with less than a rail separating the top three. Riders are already looking to the next phase even as they celebrate their cross-country rounds.

“We’ve been working hard at it this year, but show jumping is [Phelps’s] weaker phase, but we’ll see tomorrow,” Farley admitted. “No matter what, I’ll try to be happy with today and hope his training at home comes through.”

“In general, she’s a good jumper, but we all know three-day eventing. It’s almost a different sport on the third day. A good jumper can find a rail and a bad one can pull a clear round out of the bag,” Townend said. “Hopefully, I’ll do my best and she gives me her best and we’ll see the result.”

“Dubs is a great jumper, and we’ve been in this position before, so it’s down to me really,” McEwen said. “Fingers crossed.”

“Banzai is usually a good jumper on the final day,” Ingham said. “I need to make sure I give him a good ride, that I’m accurate and quick enough, and hopefully he’ll do the rest for me.”

A woman on a bay horse jumping a cross-country fence.

Elisabeth Halliday and Miks Master C put in a powerful round to finish atop the leaderboard after cross country in in the CCI4*-S. (Allison Pezzack Photo)

All about time in the Cosequin® Lexington CCI4*-S

Making the time in the Cosequin® Lexington CCI4*-S has never been easy. In fact, it’s only ever been done once before, by last year’s winner Karl Slezak (CAN) and Hot Bobo.

Time told the story again this year, with faults shaking up the leaderboard, though overnight leaders Liz Halliday and Miks Master C retained their lead by the narrowest of margins after adding 3.2 time penalties to stand on 29.2. She sits less than a point ahead of the only combination to jump double-clear, fellow American Will Coleman and Diabolo (29.9) in second. Boyd Martin (USA) and Commando 3 (30.1) are right behind them in third.

“He’s a pretty keen horse on cross-country and he was very keen today, but he’s such an incredible athlete and a great jumper and so careful,” Halliday said of the 12-year-old bay Swedish Warmblood gelding owned by Deborah Palmer and Ocala Horse Properties. “So, he was strong between the fences but very thoughtful and organized in the combinations, which is what I look for with him. Today he was very good and very brave — as always — and was just a good boy.”

Overnight co-leader Lucienne Bellissimo (GBR) and Dyri were one of many pairs that came to grief at fence 6, the Le Chameau Park Question, dropping them to 31st. In all, out of 42 pairs to complete di Grazia’s course, there was one double-clear and 26 who completed without jumping penalties. Five were eliminated on course, eight retired, and six withdrew before the start of the competition.

Coleman was thrilled with both of his mounts (Off The Record sits fourth after adding just 0.8 time penalties to his score) but is especially thrilled with the progress shown by Diabolo. “I was thrilled with him,” Coleman said of the 12-year-old bay Holsteiner gelding owned by Diabolo Group LLC. “I have a lot of belief in the horse. We’re still getting to know each other, but he has the qualities of being a winning horse. He’s not quite there yet, but today was a step in that direction. It was a good track and he enjoyed the whole experience out there with all the people and the whole Kentucky atmosphere. I’m over the moon with him and delighted for the people involved.”

While faults were spread around the course, the majority came at fence 6, a coffin combination with airy rails on the way in, a significant ditch, and a tight, precise line on a single stride over a narrow cabin and angled brush on the way out.

The top three Canadians in the CCI4*-S are Jessica Phoenix and Freedom GS (15th), Phoenix with Fluorescent Adolescent (19th) and Katie Malensek with Landjaeger (23rd). (Phoenix made it around the 4* on all three of her horses with no jumping penalties.) Malensek withdrew STX Mex before cross-country, and Lindsay Traisnel pulled Bacyrouge prior to the final horse inspection.

Scores are tight at the top of the division as competitors head into Sunday’s final show jumping phase. Only a single rail separates the top seven, promising an exciting end to the class.

“We’re all sitting on good show jumpers, and the top four or five are all good show jumping riders, so I think the goal [for all of us] would be to give the horses a good night’s sleep, school a little on the flat in the morning, and give it our best tomorrow,” Martin said.

One of the most exciting moments of the day happened in the CCI4*-S when Phillip Dutton (USA) aboard Jewelent was knocked loose at fence 9 the Rolex Grand Slam Challenge and executed a remarkable save. He hung parallel to ground off the horse’s side for several moments, before managing to right himself as Jewelent stood patiently, then gathered his reins and struck off, hopping over the big brush corner and jumping clear the rest of the way.

Dutton’s challenging day didn’t end there; he had a crashing fall with Quasi Cool at the last jump in the CCI5*-L after jumping clear the rest of the way around. “Quasi Cool tried so hard out there today. When we got to the final fence, he was tired, and I asked him to leave a bit too long. He chipped in and fell,” Dutton explained. “He’s absolutely fine now, and he’s resting comfortably in his stall and receiving fluids.”

Dutton’s redemption came in the form of a fantastic clear jumping round with 7.2 time penalties riding Azure as the last horse of the day in the CCI5*-L.

Prior to the show jumping phase, Sunday begins with a final horse inspection at 8:00 a.m. ET. Then the CCI4*-S kicks off at 10:30 a.m. ET with the CCI5*-L at 2:15 p.m. ET to determine the winners.

Results here.

Livestream here.