A total of 44 horses for the CCI5*L, and 22 horses for the CCI4*S will move onto show jumping at the 2021 Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event. Today’s final horse inspection started at 8:00 a.m. with the CCI4*-S horses going first and they were presented in front of the ground jury of Mark Weissbecker (USA) and Helen Brettell (GBR), and the veterinary delegate Karen Nyrop, DVM (USA).
The CCI5*-L final horse inspection started shortly after at 8:45 a.m. and 45 horses were presented to the ground jury of A total of 63 horses were presented to the ground jury of Christina Klingspor (SWE), Robert Stevenson (USA), Peter Gray (CAN), and the veterinary delegate Karen Nyrop, DVM (USA).
The ground jury of the CCI5*-L sent four horses to the holding box - the two-time Kentucky Champion, Cooley Master Class ridden by Oliver Townend, Fernhill Singapore ridden by Phillip Dutton, Quantum Leap ridden by Doug Payne, and Bendigo ridden by Ema Klugman. All passed upon reinspection except for Cooley Master Class. Unfortunately, Cooley Master Class was not accepted and is the only horse to not move forward onto show jumping after the final horse inspection.
Oliver Townend commented after the final horse inspection. "I'm just really sad, he's picked up a bit of a cut. He's sore but at the same time I hopped on and gave him a little ride this AM. He's sound to ride, he's very fresh, he’s well in himself. he would have jumped well. Unfortunately, he didn't present well and obviously the welfare of the horse is paramount in our sport and that's their decision to make their job to decide. It's very sad for me and very sad for the team. but he's still in one piece. He's very very happy and well in himself. He had a little buck on the way down from the trot ups. It's more of a frustration than anything else but he's 100 percent well in him self," said Townend on Cooley Master Class.
The CCI4*-S will have all 22 horses move onto show jumping. There was only one horse sent to the holding box - Riviera Lu ridden by Meaghan Marinovich Burdick but was later accepted upon reinspection.
The MARS Equestrian Best Turned Out Horse Award in the CCI4*-S was awarded to Albano who is ridden by Bobby Meyerhoff and groomed by Kirsten Daniels. The MARS Equestrian Best Turned Out Horse Award in the CCI5*-L was awarded to Diachello ridden by Jesse Campbell and groomed by Hannah McLean.
The CCI4*-S show jumping will start at 10:45 a.m. and the CCI5*-L show jumping will start at 1:30 p.m.
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Thirty-five five-star horses presented today under sunny skies at the Defender Kentucky Three-Day Event.
If all goes according to plan in the first part of the extended weekend, we will see 36 horses galloping across Derek di Grazia's CCI5*-L cross-country course at the 2024 Defender Kentucky Three-Day Event (DK3DE). We partnered up with the team at CrossCountry App to bring you a preview of both the five-star and CCI4*-s tracks this year.
Lights, cameras, action! The first formal horse inspection (which some might informally refer to as "the jog") at the 2024 Defender Kentucky Three-Day Event (K3DE) takes place this afternoon at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, Kentucky. While this part of the event is a fan-favorite historically based on the impeccable turnout of the horses and the stylish and forward fashion choices of the riders (we are looking at you Boyd Martin in hopes that you bring back the American flag suit circa 2022), it serves a very important purpose: ensuring that each horse is fit, sound, and ready to compete at the five-star level.
There are so many things to love about the Defender Kentucky Three-Day Event and the opportunity to peruse the booths of so many amazing vendors is definitely one of them! Don’t forget to stop by the USEA booth, located just behind the Rolex Stadium next to the large Defender Kentucky Three-Day Event booth, to stock up on all of your favorite USEA apparel.