United States Eventing Association

Coleman and Off The Record Make Easy Work of Cosequin Lexington CCI4*-S Cross-Country

Lexington, Ky.—April 26— When Will Coleman, the overnight leader in the Cosequin Lexington CCI4*-S division at the Defender Kentucky Three-Day Event, walked Derek di Grazia’s cross-country track, he knew time was going to play a major factor in how the results would shake out upon the completion of the second phase.

“I wasn't sure anybody was going to be able to get [the time],” he commented. “It was just the way the course was set out. It was a fantastic track, extremely challenging, but the roping and way the questions were sort of strung together, I think just made it very difficult for you to maintain the necessary average speed to get the time allowed. And I don't think that necessarily takes away from the competition in any way, shape, or form, but it just was not surprising to me at all that nobody really got that close to it. In a way, it keeps it a little bit more intense, because you just don't know how everyone's going to wind up, even when the rides go well.”

Coleman’s prediction was accurate, although no one was able to make the optimum time of 6 minutes and 37 seconds, he and his long-time partner Off The Record came the closest adding just 7.2 time penalties to their score. They go into show jumping tomorrow with just one rail in hand on a score of 29.0.

“He was great,” Coleman said of the Off The Record Syndicate’s 16-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding (VDL Arkansas x Drumagoland Bay). “I haven't thought about what we'll do after this, but I’m just really tickled—when you have an older horse, and they come out, and they just feel sort of inspired to go and do it, I think it's just a really rewarding feeling, and it makes you feel just very satisfied. He gave me everything he could today, and he just enjoyed every second, so I have nothing but admiration for that horse and sort of everything he stands for.”

Phillip Dutton also held onto his second and third place positions with Possante and Denim thanks in combination to their impressive scores in the dressage tests Thursday and Friday and Dutton being able to keep the time penalties low today in cross-country.

“I'm bit relieved to get it all over with,” he joked. “It was a lot of hard work. We knew it was a strong track, and then the conditions, and then the crowd, etc.—it takes a little bit of practice to go quick at this level. I was trying to have a crack at it, but I didn't quite go as fast as I was hoping to. But, they both tried hard, and I think we'll come out of it better for what we did today.”

Possante, a 12-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding (Namelus R x Wendelien) owned by the Possante Group, is a newer ride for Dutton, coming to his barn in 2023. "It's hard work, but he's a super horse, very brave, and keeps wanting to jump whatever I put in front of him," said Dutton. "It was a little hard to get going in the heavier ground, but he jumped really well."

Denim, a 10-year-old Holsteiner gelding (Dinken x Celia II) owned by Ann Jones, Ann Lapides, Caroline Moran, and Neill Sites, maintained his third-place position by adding 11.6 time penalties to his score.

CCI4*-S competitors will have to participate in a final horse inspection starting at 7:30 a.m. EST before moving onto show jumping at 10:45 a.m. EST.

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