Game face on and going for the win – Tom McEwen’s on track for the top spot with JL Dublin. Photo by Tilly Berendt.
And so we find ourselves at the finale of the Defender Kentucky Three-Day Event, which feels like it’s been going on for months and seconds all at once. We’ve seen some very smart dressage, masses of cross country excitement, and talent, tears, bravery, love, passion and horsemanship to spare in what’s truly shaping up to be The Best Weekend All Year.
Team EN’s been here for it all – in the Horse Park and glued to live streams at home – bringing every second to you, fellow eventing nerds. Here’s everything you need to catch up on the story so far:
🌟 Dressage Day One – [Round-up Report] [Test-by-test Live Report]
🌟 Dressage Day Two – [Round-up Report] [Test-by-test Live Report]
🌟 Cross Country – [Round-up Report] [Ride-by-ride Live Report]
In true cross country fashion, yesterday’s competition saw a real game of shoots and ladders happening on the leaderboard – with valiant climbs toward the top and unfortunate tumbles downwards – as the horses and riders took to Derek di Grazia’s course and evented the heck out of it. It’s a British 1 – 2 – 3 at this point in the competition, but the scores are tight all the way through the field and we all know just how easily those poles can roll when the pressure’s on. Here’s how things look at the top as we head into the final phase:
1️⃣ 🇬🇧 Holding onto his spot as leader of the pack – Olympic team gold and individual silver medalist – Tom McEwen and last year’s runner-up JL Dublin are looking to level up this time around. They delivered the goods for a 24.6 in the dressage, then swooped ‘round the track yesterday with just four time penalties to add, and are now sitting pretty on a score of 28.6. There’s not a single pole between him and the next two places.
2️⃣ 🇬🇧 Just 3 points behind are 2022 runners-up and reigning World Champions Yasmin Ingham and Banzai du Loir, who also held their position after yesterday’s cross country. They put their marker down on day one with a 26 in the dressage, then showed just how world class they are out on cross country yesterday, adding just 5.6 time penalties to sit less than a pole behind the lead on a score of 31.6. They have nothing in hand as just 0.2 penalties separate them from the next spot on the board.
3️⃣ 🇬🇧 Galloping his way from 8th after dressage into the top 3 is Tom’s Olympic gold teammate and multiple 5* winner – including three-time Kentucky champ – Oliver Townend – who’s made his 100th top-level start here this week – and the 10-year-old Maryland third place finisher Cooley Rosalent. Their 31.4 in the dressage was a tad disappointing as we’ve seen much lower scores from this lovely mare, but boy did she take to the track like a total pro yesterday, crossing the flags just one second over the time for 0.4 of a penalty. That sees them less than a pole from the top of the podium, with nothing between them and second place, on a score of 31.8. It’s tight the other way too – there’s not a pole between them and 7th on the leaderboard.
4️⃣ 🇳🇿 Another pairing making strides up the scoreboard are Kiwi combination and World Championship team bronze medalists Monica Spencer and Artist. They too scored higher than their form suggested in the first phase, landing them in 10th after the dressage on 31.9, but the Thoroughbred proved his mettle on the galloping track, adding just 0.8 of a time penalty and propelling them to within touching distance of the podium coming into today’s finale.
5️⃣ 🇺🇲 They were 5th at Maryland 5* in the spring on their debut at the level and delivered our first clear inside the time yesterday (one of only two to manage that feat), exciting young US talent Mia Farley and $1 (yes, he cost a single dollar) racing-trained Thoroughbred Phelps stormed eight places up the leaderboard from 13th after their flawless performance across the country yesterday. They remain on their 33.8 dressage score, just one pole off the lead with just a few seconds separating them from second place.
With scores this tight, and after two poles dropped them from the top spot at Maryland, Oliver and Rosie have some work to do if they want to hang onto third place, but Yas and Banzai’s Kentucky form suggest they’re on track to pull out the clear they need to secure their spot on the podium. Dubs is the highest-rated show jumper in the field according to the EquiRatings stats; he jumped clear here last year, but rolled a pole at Pau – he needs to keep them in the cups to secure the win today. History is on his side: eleven of the last thirteen cross country leaders have gone on to claim the title.
Meanwhile, the Defender/USEF CCI5*-L Eventing National Championship presented by MARS Equestrian is running alongside the 5* competition. Here’s how things are looking for the US riders:
1️⃣ Leading the charge and best of the US at this point are Mia Farley and Phelps on 33.8.
2️⃣ Sitting in second are Lauren Nicholson and everyone’s favorite Love Bug, seventeen-year-old Vermiculus on 35. Bug sure looked ready for it at the Horse Inspection this morning!
3️⃣ Liz Halliday and 5* debutant, USEF CCI4*-L National Champion 2023 Cooley Nutcracker are in third as things stand on 37.
I’ll be bringing you round-by-round updates, right down to the final fence of the competition, so keep this page refreshed as we find out who’ll be crowed Kentucky champions 2024. If you’re catching up on this later, scroll ⬇️ and read ⬆️.
If you’re craving more Kentucky, EN’s got your back – and if you want to follow the form as we wrap up The Best Weekend All Year, you’ll find EN’s epic Form Guide right here. As if that isn’t enough, we’ve got loads of great IG content happening courtesy of our team on the ground too @goeventing.
With less than a pole between the podium places, this is sure to be edge-of-your-seat, butt squeezing stuff.
Let the clenching begin, and go eventing!
EN’s coverage of the Defender Kentucky Three-Day Event is presented by Kentucky Performance Products, your one-stop shop for science-backed nutritional support for all types of horses. Click here to learn more about Kentucky Performance Products.
Defender Kentucky Three-Day Event [Website] [Entries] [Schedule] [Tickets] [Scoring] [Live Stream] [EN’s Coverage]
