United States Eventing Association

K3DE Rider Talk: What Are They Saying About Cross-Country?

Derek di Grazia’s name is legend at the Kentucky Horse Park as the designer of the Defender Kentucky Three-Day Event cross-country course for over a decade, in addition to countless other influential tracks around the world. Now with the inclusion of the Cosequin CCI4*-S division, which runs alongside the famed five-star, riders at both the four- and five-star levels get to experience one of the iconic di Grazia Kentucky tracks while competing in the bluegrass. The USEA caught up with riders of both levels to get their feedback on this year’s courses.

CCI5*-L Competitors

Liz Halliday | Cooley Nutcracker | 30.6

“I think it's a very good course. It’s hard, but fair. The lines are there to be ridden, and I think it will be rewarding if you ride them well. I think [di Grazia] built us a great track.”

Andrew McConnon | Wakita 54 and Ferrie's Cello | 41.5 and 37.7

“Cross-country looks great. It’s beautifully presented– it’s decorated really well and the volunteers did an incredible job. We couldn’t do it without everybody here. The course should suit [my] horses quite well. Everything is there to be jumped and I am looking forward to having a go!”

Hannah Sue Hollberg | Capitol H I M | 33.0

“It looks hard. I feel Derek’s courses normally walk in a way where you are like, ‘What’s the trick here?’ It looks harder than when I normally walk the courses at this level. I think the beginning is really twisty and then it gets kind of up and down the hills, wearing them out a bit, and then that coffin is really hard, I think. You’ve gotta ride every literal stride.”

Sara Kozumplik | Rock Phantom | 35.3

“Derek Di Grazia is one of my favorite course designers and he always does a very good job. The builders here are unreal as well and everything looks amazing. Listen, it’s a five-star– I think Derek's courses historically, somebody might think something looks like it might be fairly straightforward, but it rarely is. But he rewards positive riding and he gives us quite a few options if things don't go quite to plan or we're on a green new horse or whatever. So I think we're very lucky that way.”

Calvin Böckmann | The Phantom of the Opera | 31.4

“I think the combinations and everything are quite clear for the horses and for the riders. I think the course designer did an amazing job because here or there, you can always choose if you want to make one stride more or one stride less. I think it is really, really fair, but it's also something where you always need to be focused. I think every jump, you really need to be one hundred percent focused, so I think that's gonna be very interesting.”

Yasmin Ingham | Banzai du Loir | 26.0

“It looks brilliant. Derek di Grazia does such a brilliant job of designing each year. He’s asking different questions, it’s a really true, big five-star track and the ground is just perfection. And the way the course has been dressed is just beautiful. I'm very much looking forward to riding it on Saturday.”

Kirsty Chabert | Classic VI | 31.0

“I think the main water [the head of the lake] is the obvious one at the moment that sort of gives the appearance that it requires fairly accurate riding. The rest of it is really beautiful– very flowing, very clear to the horses. I'm really looking forward to it!”

Oliver Townend | Cooley Rosalent | 37.0

"I think it's incredible. I am a huge Derek fan. I think that he has you twisting and turning early on, which means you're gonna behind you minutes before you even get kicked off and get into a rhythm. He tests you all the way to the end. He's the best in the world at this and I think that it's definitely not going to be a dressage competition. I think that stamina will be a huge effect even though the ground is incredibly good. I still think we will see a lot of mistakes and a lot of time penalties."

Buck Davidson | Sorocaima | 31.0

"I think this is an amazing course. I think it's the best one I've seen here. I think the last few years sort of hadn't flowed that well and I didn't think it wasn't really that nice to ride. I think it flows really well. There's not so many ABCDEF. There's no U-turns. The horses will be thinking forward and when they're thinking forward they're going to jump better."

Christoph Wahler | D'Accord FRH | 34.0

"It's difficult. You have to be very, very smart and sort of intelligent as a rider in the beginning just to give him a good feeling getting into the course because it twists a little bit and turns in the beginning. I just want to get him into a good rhythm and give him a nice, confident feeling about what's to come. And then at some point, of course, opens up a little bit more and gets more galloping and that's probably going to suit him a little bit more. Tough questions all the way around."

Lauren Nicholson | Vermiculus | 30.6

"I think it's a bit different than what we're typically used to here. When I was walking with David [O'Connor], I kind of typically like to do one less everywhere, and he's like, 'No, you gotta do one more here. You gotta do one more here.' So I think tomorrow, it'll just reward riding correctly, riding accurately, taking the time where you need to, and then trying to make up time in between stuff. The grounds fast, which will help me I think, you know, he's not the fastest horse in the world. But we're longtime partners, and I'm really excited to get out there."

Tom McEwen | JL Dublin | 24.6

"I think it's a really clever course. Tt's not for the faint hearted. It's a true five-star track, you've got to make up your mind and be reactive at the same time."

CCI4*-S Competitors

Will Coleman | Off the Record and Diabolo | 30.1 and 29.9

“It’s got some really intense segments to it, particularly like in the middle here in the backfield. There’s just a lot happening in a very quick succession. It feels like a very challenging short course and I think it's going to be a good test for the horses. [Derek] asked questions from start to finish. You have a pretty big water at four and then from there on out it’s just combination after combination– sort of the modern sport, so to speak.”

Tamie Smith | Kynan | 31.7

“It looks real….. Five-star. That first water is wow. Other than that, I think last year I felt it was a little bit softer– and I don’t know that you can say soft when you come here because Derek really knows how to catch you out even when it seems okay. Last year, I think it felt like a nicer, greener horse could have gone around. This year, I don’t think that is the case. Obviously, I think with the Olympics coming up and a lot of horses in that four-short, it needs to be serious.”

Molly Duda | Disco Traveler | 35.7

“It looks big for sure. It is a big track, serious stuff. I think [Derek] is a great course designer. He wants the horses and riders to succeed, but he asks challenging questions. I think we are ready to take it on.”

Caroline Pamukcu | King's Especiale, She's the One, and HSH Blake | 31.5, 33.1, and 27.3

“I’ve walked it a few times. It’s my first time doing the four-star here, and I think it’s fabulous. It’s always an honor to be at this show, but I think it’s a really good track for my young horses that aren’t maybe quite ready to go five-star. I have a bunch of 8- and 9-year-olds that aren’t ready for five-star, but this is a great introduction, and next year when they are a bit older, I think they’ll be ready to crack on.”

Phillip Dutton | Jewelent | 31.3

“I think it's quite strong. It starts off, and you really don’t have much time before there are some pretty serious questions there with the first water and then fence six is the coffin. I think the horses need to be leaving the start gate with a sense of determination. You don’t have time to get them into too much. It's pretty full on from fence four onwards.”

Cassie Sanger | Redfield Fyre and Fernhill Zoro | 33.9 and 35.4

“There is plenty to do! I have only walked it once, and nothing is keeping me up at night yet, but that is the challenge for me. I always do it once, and then the second time I walk it, I start to think more about it.”

Olivia Dutton | Sea of Clouds | 33.5

“Definitely enough to do, but I am excited to get out there and feel the crowd and all of that excitement. There is a tricky coffin early on, so it is a tough question in the beginning. I definitely think that will test a few combinations, but I think it should be good. It all looks doable for sure.”

Briggs Surratt | Corture | 39.5

“It’s big. It’s bold. It’s technical. The ground is great, so I think it's going to be a lot of fun out there. [Corture] is quick and strong. I will take my time where I need to with her!”

Boyd Martin | Commando 3 and Federman B | 28.9 and

“It looks about what I expected. It’s sort of like a five-star over six minutes. There are a couple of very high jumps, but nothing that my two horses haven't seen.”

Leslie Law | Lady Chatterley | 31.6

“I think it's a really good track, and the footing feels really good. I think the hardest fence for her is gonna be the coffin. She can look at the ditches a little bit. So I hope to God that I get through there. If I can get through there you know, I would hope that I'll have a really good ride from there on. I think the track really suits her.”

Elisa Wallace | Reknum Corsair | 35.2

"I ran [the CCI4*-S] here last year, and I had a fall near the end for us. So I have a little bit of redemption this weekend. I think it's a very nice course. There's a lot of things to do, but the way he has it is kind of 'do as you dare'. That's a Derek course you know, so if you want to go direct or if you want to bend it out, but you're going to have to work from start box to finish line tomorrow."

Sydney Elliot | QC Diamantaire | 32.4

"The course looks wonderful. Everything [Derek] does is so wonderful. It looks kinder than it has in the past, but I think it might maybe be a little bit of an illusion, as he always does. I'm excited. I love tomorrow, so I'm ready to leave the start box."

Lucienne Bellissimo | Dyri and Tremanton | 26 and 35.5

"It'll be enough for [Dyri] to do. That'll be the toughest track he's had. I rode him at Morven [Leesburg, Virginia] in the four-long back in October, but I took him really steady. My plan will be to try and attack this a little bit more. It's beautifully built. The ground is unreal. So I'm actually really looking forward to it."

View the cross-country tracks courses here.

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