The final fence on course is a newly-built design that really feels like a homage to Kentucky. Photo by Sally Spickard.
It’s 2026 and while many things in our lives may seem uncertain, theres one thing that is constant like the rising of the sun: Derek di Grazia is going to make one beautiful cross country course for the Defender Kentucky Three-Day Event.
After spending some time cruising around with Derek and chatting with him a bit about this year’s cross country, I have some thoughts.
If I had to choose a theme for this year’s course I would say it is trust. Derek’s courses always reward bold, forward riding but this year Derek has also put more of an emphasis on quiet careful distances in which the rider must trust their horse to make the right decision and more importantly, wait for them to make it.
Harry Meade himself says, when asked his thoughts on the course going into Saturday, “I didn’t think there were as many bold attacking questions on forward distances…there are perhaps some more blind turns on slightly quiet distances.” With combinations on steep angles and corners on blind turns, any rider inclined to get ahead of the motion is poised for runouts. That isn’t to say riders can pull to every jump (which is a shame, I would really love that) but careful footwork and quiet, patient riding will reward the riders.
For some of these combinations, riders will have to put the clock completely out of their minds and instead focus on impulsive, bouncy canters that will set their horse up for success. Oh, but don’t worry there’s plenty of chances for riders to make up time on some of the course’s many gallop sections.
“Right in the beginning of the course,” Derek says when asked when riders can make up time, “[The riders] want to try not to be late at the third minute but after that you have to be able to take advantage of the places you do have to gallop.”
Let’s take a closer look at some of the interesting combinations on Derek DiGrazia’s course this year.
MARS Sustainability Bay 4ABC
Fence photos below via CrossCountry App
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The first combination for the horse and rider pairs will come early in the course, only four jumps in, they will have to navigate a combination through the first water, getting their feet wet both literally and figuratively.
Derek did not want to catch any riders out at the first combination, there are no alternate routes as Derek anticipates everyone will be going well by this point. A straightforward cabin will need a confident ride but the horses won’t be dropping into water this early. A simple crossing through the water and out over a narrow cabin to an even narrower stump will let the horses know this is a serious event but for the green horses a successful navigation of the water will put some money in the confidence bank going into the rest of this course.
Care Credit Question 7ABCD
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The coffin question also comes up early on the course, which Derek says was on purpose “it’s either going to come early or it’s going to come late” (a true Derek-ism, if there ever was one).
The direct line is pretty straightforward, in over rails, one stride to a ditch and two strides out over the double brush. Derek wants riders to emphasize a correct coffin canter so that horses don’t have the first fence down (as it is on MIMs clips): “If a horse drags its hind legs on the rail, the rail will come down, so the riders really want to make sure they ride this with the right canter.”
As per usual, Derek doesn’t want riders to struggle too much and the Care Credit Question has numerous alternate options for those that might need them. “There are a few ways for them to bail themselves out if they need to,” he said. “We really don’t want them to have a bad fence, so we’d rather give them time and have them jump an easier fence even though it’s going to take a little bit of time.”
This combination, to me, sets the tone for the course. For success at this coffin the riders cannot be worried about the time. They have to let their horse jump carefully and correctly to find the best success and I think horses will gain confidence after navigating a coffin so early but it’s up to the riders to give them the ride they need.
Opposing Corners 9AB
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For this year, Derek really went all out on the corners. “We went back to the drawing board,” he said. “You’ll probably notice each one of these corners is up on a little hill. We raised the ground a little bit and makes it a bigger fence.” Which is totally fine, Derek, you’re right. Last year I thought the corners were so teeny tiny you had no choice but to make them bigger. No, they aren’t massive at all. Child’s play.
Accuracy plays a key role in this question and riders will have to “accept the angle and make sure they have their line.” This combination feels more like a typical Derek question as it emphasizes bold and decisive riding. Riders have to get the horses across these massive corners so they cannot have a weak pace. “I think the distance won’t be difficult to make, but they don’t want to get there weak,” he said.
Pete’s Hollow 14ABC
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“It’s quite steep going down that slope,” Derek says, pointing to a hill that looks like a small mountain at the start of Pete’s Hollow. Riders will, of course, have to be accurate, but Derek emphasized that riders will “have to trust their horses, so they just have to be patient” as they navigate the terrain.
No horse handles terrain exactly the same so it will be up to the riders to know their horse and make sure they set them up for success. Oh don’t worry guys, it’s not just steep going into the Hollow. It’s also steep going out. That steepness is going to absolutely suck all of the power out of the horse’s canter and riders will have to make up for that by being there with their leg.
The jump out is “every bit of a meter 45” so riders cannot be lazy going up the hill (which we all know is a classic problem with 5* riders, they’re just so lazy all of the time).
EEI Root Cellar 15ABC
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“We actually increased the drop this year,” says Derek, out of his mind with power. Riders will drop off of what really looks like a sheer canyon to the first brush and will have to “maintain control” after the first brush to make the turn to the second.
Control will be a necessity because these aren’t very wide jumps at all and will require absolute accuracy. “The faces on those brushes aren’t that big,” Derek admits. “Riders will have to make sure they don’t slip on by one.” Personally, bouncing off a jump would be the least of my worries after dropping from orbit and hitting terminal velocity before I hit the ground, but to each their own.
Also you’re not reading this incorrectly, it is back to back combinations for the horse and rider pairs. This drop comes right after the Hollow, making this section of the course (the sixth minute) the most intense on course. Fortunately, the seventh minute is the least intense. This carousel from CrossCountry App has this stat and more:
Owl Hole at the Mounds 16
Gang, I don’t want to talk about this fence. I thought these crazy owl holes would only haunt me at the Maryland 5 Star but they have followed me like a spectre of doom to Kentucky (which I had previously considered a safe place).
“This is one of their straightforward jumping fences,” says Derek, seemingly unaware that he has cursed this land with a demon. Sure, it’s not in combination with anything, and sure this owl hole doesn’t have eyes (wow what a gift) but it also has a TAIL which, while an impressive feat of topiary, is terrifying.
“To make it a little more interesting,” (ok Derek), “I made them have to go over the mound” (OK DEREK) “to then jump this…they’re going to have to make sure they keep the horses organized so they have a nice ride forward to this.”
It’s not a particularly large fence, which I suppose we just have to be grateful for in the grand scheme of things. You won’t catch me within 200 yards of this fence so ya’ll let me know how it goes.
Defender Head of the Lake 18AB & 19AB
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I won’t lie, this year the Head of the Lake is a doozy. Riders will have to drop in (the drop is the height of a full grown man by the way) and quickly navigate 7 strides to two offset cabins that ride in 3 strides on an angle.
It looks impossible, but Derek was clever. The two cabins are not, in fact, a combination themselves. “If they do decide they don’t want to jump the direct offset they can make circles,” he describes, which honestly, was pretty chill of Derek to include. Especially considering after the second cabin (19A) riders will have only 4 strides to make it to a massive corner on a blind right turn (though Derek doesn’t consider this a blind turn. I do. It comes up fast and horses are not going to see it unless the riders are extremely diligent in showing them the way).
This, in my opinion, will probably one of the most challenging combinations on course. Riders will have to be “on” the entire time and navigate their horses deftly without getting in their way.
Normandy Bank 21ABC
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For our last combination of the article we will take a look at the Normandy Bank. This year instead of bouncing in, riders will have to navigate the bank to an open oxer which “will come up quite quickly and [the riders] will have to make sure they’re quite accurate.”
This combination comes up pretty late in the course and Derek wants riders who are going well “to keep going well” but they’ll have to work for it. They’ll have to get right to the base of the oxer to make their job to the corner out easier (relatively, none of this is easy).
“It’s really important to make sure the horses are in a good balance here and when you land keep the control.” There is an alternate route here but it is pretty far away and will add some significant time penalties. Riders that want to make the time will have to go direct but do it carefully.
So what do you think? Obviously this is no walk in the park but I will be extremely interested to see how the riders handle the balance of patience, trust, and chasing the clock. There’s going to be some quick thinking and even quicker footwork. I admire Derek’s ability to keep things fresh every year and this course is no different. Good luck to all the combinations! Lock in!
To view the full course with guidance from Derek himself, click here to visit CrossCountry App. We’ll also drop a video preview below. The first horse in the Cosequin Lexington CCI4*-S (view that course here) will be out of the start box at 9:30 a.m., and you can view full scores here.
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