Derek di Grazia’s CCI4*-S track proved that three-day events are not just a dressage show. A total of 47 competitors went out Saturday morning to tackle the Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event CCI4*-S cross-country course and only one competitor put in a double clear round – Dan Kreitl and Carmango, a 9-year-old Westphalian gelding (Chirivell x Taramanga) owned by Kay Dixon.
Kreitl shot up the leaderboard as he was 11th after dressage and now, after cross-country he is the overnight leader going into tomorrow’s show jumping on a score of 29.0. “It was a super fun course. It was only his third four-star, and the same for me, as we just moved up to the level. He’s super honest and does his job the best he can. He was trying to read every question. It was super fun, probably the most fun cross-country course I’ve done,” said Kreitl.
“I went out of the start box with my foot on the gas, and that was my plan to try to get ahead as much as I can. I didn’t get ahead so, I just kept on kicking. He’s a fast horse. On the galloping fences I didn’t try to slow down too much, I tried to find them right out of stride and keep it efficient and smooth.” Kreitl was efficient as he was the only one to make time out of the 47 competitors in the CCI4*-S.”
The Indiana native moved up to the Advanced level this year. “Me being new to the level, I have a good coach, Sharon White coaches me. I always hope he’s fit enough but, he had plenty left in the tank so I feel really happy and confident about that. It was the first time at this level that I’ve come out trying to make the time, so it was really fun,” said Kreitl. “It was a hard course and we’re tired, but he felt like he could have definitely kept going.”
The first pair out of the start box was Liz Halliday-Sharp on Cooley Quicksilver (Womanizer x Kylemore Crystal) an 11-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding owned by the Monster Partnership. The pair put in a clear round only adding four time penalties to sit in second on a score of 29.7. Rounding out the top three is Phillip Dutton on Quasi Cool (Quo Vados I x B-Estelle ) an 11-year-old Holsteiner gelding owned by Caroline Moran.
The CCI4*-S will resume with the final horse inspection at 7:30 a.m. on Sunday where 30 pairs will present in front of the Ground Jury.
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Riders in both the Cosequin Lexington CCI4*-S and the Defender Kentucky CCI5*-L are sharing similar sentiments about this year's cross-country courses: course designer Derek di Grazia didn't play around this year. Here is what some of the riders across both divisions had to say about the tracks they will aim to conquer on Saturday.
Off The Record decided not to let Michael Jung be the only record-breaking entry at the Defender Kentucky Three-Day Event this week and delivered a career-best score in the Cosequin Lexington CCI4*-S on Friday morning. He and Will Coleman delivered a test that received a score of 21.8, not only marking a personal best for the horse but also securing their position at the top of the leaderboard going into cross-country tomorrow.
Boyd Martin and the 12-year-old Holsteiner gelding Commando 3 were the last pair to go in the Defender Kentucky CCI5*-L field on Friday afternoon and were warmly greeted to the bluegrass with an impressive downpour that outshined anything the other horse and rider pairs had to combat throughout the day. But that didn’t stop this pair from putting their best foot forward and impressing the judges enough to earn them a score of 26.0, just 0.2 points ahead of second-place pair Tom McEwen (GBR) and Brookfield Quality.
Please always remain vigilant when it comes to sending any personal communications via email or text. Every year we receive reports of members and leaders of our sport receiving phishing attempts both online and by phone. These are often communications disguised as being sent from USEA staff or other leaders. As the years go on, the phishing attempts appear to be more directed and tailored.