On Saturday afternoon, all eyes were on Michael Jung. Over 35,700 spectators filled the Kentucky Horse Park who all came to watch the Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event Presented by Mars Equestrian CCI5*-L. Michael Jung (GER) on FischerChipmunk FRH, Boyd Martin (USA) on Tsetserleg TSF, and Yasmin Ingham (GBR) and Banzai du Loir came out on top and hold the top three spots going into tomorrow, the final day of the 2022 Kentucky Three-Day.
Jung, the three-time Olympic gold medalist and three-time winner of the Kentucky Three-Day Event, delivered a masterclass in horsemanship, excellent cross-county riding, and the importance of a strong partnership. He piloted FischerChipmunk FRH (Contendro I x Havanna), a 14-year-old Hanoverian gelding owned by Klaus and Sabine Fischer, Hilmer Meyer-Kulenkampff, and DOKR around his first five-star cross-country track, and finished with a double clear. “I’m very proud of my horse. FischerChipmunk is a great horse, he’s so powerful. I enjoyed all 11 minutes,” said Jung.
“I’ll give him everything he needs – like carrots, massage - everything to keep him happy and feel like a superstar,” said Jung on how he plans to pamper FischerChipmunk FRH before tomorrow’s show jumping. Jung made it even harder for anyone to catch him and FischerChipmunk FRH as there is a nine-point difference between him and the second place rider. They have two rails in hand and sit on a score of 20.1 going into the final day.
“[He] was brilliant. It was smooth sailing for 'Thomas' today. I couldn’t have been happier with him. I feel like we are in a place in our career now where he really knows his job. It was a good course, and I was very, very pleased with how it went today,” said Martin, who was one of three double clear cross-country rounds in the CCI5*-L. Martin and Tsetserleg TSF (Windfall II x Thabana) moved up from sixth to second and go into tomorrow’s show jumping on a score of 29.4
A graduate of the USEA Young Event Horse (YEH) program, Tsetserleg TSF is a 15-year-old American bred Trakehner gelding owned by Christine, TJ, and Tommie Turner and bred by Timothy Holekamp. “It’s the first Trakehner that I’ve had. They are a wonderful breed – the American Trakehner,” said Martin. “I remember when I first came to America in 2006 and I saw Darren Chiacchia riding around on Windfall. I was just in awe of how the horse performed.”
“I’m expecting him to come prancing out the stall tomorrow,” said Martin on how he expects Thomas to come out tomorrow morning before the final horse inspection.
Young British rider Ingham and Janette Chinn and Sue Davies' 11-year-old Selle Francais gelding Banzai du Loir (Nouma D’Auzay x Gerboise Du Cochet) only added 2.8 time penalties to their dressage score to move up from fourth to third place after cross-country. They sit on a score of 30.9 going into tomorrow. Like Jung, Ingham was riding a horse that had never done a five-star cross-country before today.
“It’s a dream come true to be here," Ingham commented. "I think my horse just grew in confidence the whole way round. I think he could have gone a bit longer after the 11 minutes."
“The course was incredible; the whole park has been a pleasure. I’m feeling very lucky to be here,” said Ingham, who is originally from the Isle of Man, a small 13-mile long island in the Irish Sea, and who made the trip to Kentucky for the first time. At only 24 years old, Ingham is the youngest rider in the CCI5*-L field.
The CCI5*-L will resume on Sunday morning with the final horse inspection starting at 7:30 a.m.
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After not running in 2020 and 2021, the MARS Bromont CCI Three-Day Event returned to the Bromont Olympic Equestrian Center in Quebec, Canada, in 2022. America's Jennie Saville (née Brannigan) and Twilightslastgleam won the CCI4*-L, as the chestnut Thoroughbred gelding (National Anthem x Royal Child) bred and owned by Nina Gardner moved up from eighth after dressage into the lead after cross-country with the fastest round on wet ground over the tracks designed by Derek di Grazia. Canada's Lindsay Traisnel and Bacyrouge, a bay Selle Français gelding (Mylord Carthago x Lelia) owned by Patricia Pearce, finished second, and they are among four from the top-10 in the CCI4*-L in 2022 that return in 2023.
Hannah Sue Hollberg of Kennett Square, Pennsylvania, was on a winning streak at the Essex Horse Trials on Sunday, claiming victory in both the $10,000 Open Intermediate and Open Preliminary divisions with two horses that are fairly new to her. Some difficulty on cross-country did not stop her mount Hachi from claiming victory in the Open Intermediate with a score of 101.6, while Open Preliminary partner Rockster finished on his dressage score of 27.3.
The great football coach Vince Lombardi said, “We win our games in practice.” With the goal of having the most effective practices possible for horses, their riders, and their coaches, Cathy Wieschhoff explains some signs that can indicate when horse and rider should repeat an exercise, switch it up, or be done with that activity. Wieschhoff brings perspective as a five-star rider that has competed at the Kentucky Three-Day Event and Burghley Horse Trials, a USEF “R” Course Designer for eventing cross-country and show jumping, a former Area VIII chair and member of the USEA Board of Governors, and a Level V USEA ECP Certified Coach based out of Carriage Station Farm in Lexington, Kentucky.
The United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) is pleased to announce the Land Rover U.S. Eventing Team for the FEI Eventing Nations Cup Poland CCIO4*-NC-S at the Strzegom Horse Trials (Poland) from June 21-25, 2023. The team will be under the direction of USEF Eventing Emerging and Development Coach Leslie Law.