United States Eventing Association

Clark Montgomery and Loughan Glen Land the Lead After Dressage at the 2017 Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event

Has the king been dethroned? Clark Montgomery is certainly giving it his best effort. He and Loughan Glen sit four points ahead of defending champions Michael Jung and FischerRocana FST after the conclusion of dressage at the 2017 Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event presented by Land Rover.

The 14-year-old Irish Sport Horse (Limerick x Tattymacall Mustard) owned by Jessica Montgomery, Kathryn Kraft, and Holly and William Becker is known for regularly posting sub-40 dressage scores, but “Glen” threw down the gauntlet this morning earning a personal best of 33.6. According to Equiratings, this result is 6.4 points better than their average four-star score (40).

“He came out this morning for his pre-ride, and he was little on the muscle. I didn’t quite know what I was going to get,” Montgomery said. “Jess [Clark’s wife] said to me that he looked a little tight when he first went in, but then settled right in – probably more so I settled right in to it – He just floated around. It was a good, soft, nice test that we know he can do and the judges loved it.”

The 2016 Rio Olympic veterans looked in fine form this spring, returning to competition after Glen had a bone chip removed from his knee last fall. “He seems to have recovered from that really really well. We got a couple of competitions under his belt early in the winter in Florida and the couple CIC3*s just to make it more difficult with him to fill out is confidence, and he was ticking every box. Hopefully we can pull the trigger tomorrow with a happy, fit horse,” he continued.

Michael Jung and FischerRocana FST. USEA/Leslie Mintz Photo.

With his eye on a third consecutive win, two-time defending champions Michael Jung and Brigitte and Joachim Jung’s FischerRocana FST earned a mark of 37.1 to sit in second place before tomorrow’s cross-country.

“I was very happy about FischerRocana. She was very nice to ride, very relaxed so I can try to go forward and push her a little bit to a very good mark. I think it was a very good test for her, but maybe not good enough,” he joked on ending the day in second place. The 12-year-old Wuttemberg (Intuagno xx x Rose II) mare has had plenty of experience at this venue, winning during her first appearance in 2015 and then again in 2016.

“For me it’s one of the nicest competitions because you have perfect conditions for the horses, and that’s what I like, that the horses feel well. On the competition, you have to prepare them that they are relaxed and ready, and that’s what you find perfectly in Kentucky,” he added. “I think every year she is [better] with the transport, with the traveling, with the flight. My groom said when she arrived in the stable she was much quieter. I think she knows this place and she’s happy here.”

Kim Severson and Cooley Cross Border. USEA/Leslie Mintz Photo.

Third place belongs to a rider very familiar with this venue, three-time Kentucky winner Kim Severson, this time aboard the Cross Syndicate’s Cooley Cross Border. “Cross” earned a score of 41 in his four-star debut.

"I’m always so nervous when I come here. I just get so nervous,” Severson said humbly. “[Cross] always tries really really hard. Sometimes he tries too hard. He went in there and he was with me 100 percent. My career with him so far has been very up and down. I’ve always thought I don’t ride him as well as I’ve ridden other horses, but I feel like this year I have a pretty good understanding of him.”

“Cross,” a 10-year-old Irish Sport Horse (Diamond Roller x Who’s Diaz), is also a past champion of the USEA Young Event Horse Program (YEH), a series which exists to identify talented up-and-coming event horses. Click here to read about Cross and the other nine YEH graduates who are competing this weekend.

Liz-Halliday Sharp and Deborah Halliday’s Fernhill By Night moved into fourth on a 41.3. Jessica Phoenix takes the next two rankings with horses both owned by Don Good. Bentley’s Best (43) and Pavarotti (43.1) hold fifth and sixth place, respectively.

Lauren Kieffer and Jacqueline Mars’ Vermiculus are in seventh (43.8), Maxime Livio and Ecurie Livio’s Qalao Des Mers take eighth (44.6), and Phillip Dutton has two rides, Thomas Tierney and Ann Jones’ Fernhill Fugitive and the Mr. Medicott Syndicate’s Mr. Medicott, tied for ninth on 44.8 points.

Click here for scores.

Class is now in session with the 2017 Virtual USEA/PHC Event College!

Event College is a special series designed to educate the general public on the sport of Eventing. Tune in to learn from “professors” such as Lauren Kieffer, Max Corcoran and Jen McFall. These video classroom sessions give you a first-hand look at the competition as it happens at a CCI***. Here are the classes you can watch so far:

Show Turn Out 101 with Max Corcoran

Four-Star Dressage Warm Up with Lauren Kieffer

The New Four-Star Dressage Test with Kurt Martin

Virtual Course Walk: How to Ride the Hollow with Jen McFall

Virtual Course Walk: Drop into the Head of the Lake with Sharon White