United States Eventing Association

McEwen and JL Dublin Out In Front at Defender Kentucky CCI5*-L

Lexington, Ky.—April 26—With the Paris Olympics on the horizon this summer, riders from the top eventing nations are gunning for a coveted team spot, and British team selection is particularly tough due to a plethora of talent.

Tom McEwen came to the Defender Kentucky Three-Day Event to prove he’s on form with James and Joe Lambert and Deirdre Johnston’s JL Dublin, and he’s out in front after two days of dressage. The pair scored a 24.6 to slide ahead of fellow British rider Yasmin Ingham and Banzai du Loir, who led the day yesterday on 26.0.

While McEwen says he could have produced a little bit better test, he was happy with how “Dubs” handled the electric Friday afternoon crowds in the Rolex Stadium.

"I must say it's quite atmospheric today,” he said after coming out of the ring. “There's quite a few people in there, it's quite electric in there which I think shown with a lot of the tests here—probably everyone not quite getting scores that they were hoping for, for example. I was delighted. He put everything into it. It was our best test. For me I think we can be softer, better, but we went in there nailed what we had on the day. Dubs has been on amazing form all year. Today’s test really showed that.”

McEwen and the 13-year-old warmblood gelding (Diarado x Zarinna) have been paired since mid-2022. Nicola Wilson brought Dubs along through the five-star level before a riding accident ended her eventing career.

“It’s all down to Nicola Wilson because she’s done all the work before me,” said McEwen. “I’ve been very lucky and fortunate to be basically handed a five-star horse after all the hard work and training’s been done. I tinker around and play with movements and finalize small details that come out in the scores we’re getting at five-star. It’s hours and hours of work no one ever sees, but you try and do it so you can perform on a stage like this.”

McEwen and Dubs finished second in Kentucky last year before representing Great Britain at the FEI European Eventing Championships (France) alongside Ingham. An elimination on cross-country ended their weekend early, but they came back strong at the Pau CCI5*-L (France) and finished third.

McEwen thought Kentucky this year would be advantageous to show off Dubs’ form, and the fact that it was two weeks earlier than Badminton (England) would give the gelding some extra time before Paris should they make the team.

“It’s one of the best venues in the world,” he said. “We’d all love to be going to the Olympics in a couple months’ time, so realistically the best way of doing it is to come to one of the best places in the world. Badminton runs a little bit later, and this has got the surfaces and the amazing venue like the Olympics will be. It’s got the terrain—the course tomorrow looks incredible. The ground looks amazing. It’s designed beautifully. Realistically I’ve come here to try for the British team. You’ve got to go and show yourself, and everyone’s got a different way of doing it and different ideas. For me, it’s to come and perform on a big stage. The dressage arena felt very electric for the horses, and being able to come out and expose them to something like that is perfect preparation.”

Liz Halliday and Lauren Nicholson share the third place spot on 30.6 and are the top U.S. riders at the moment.

Halliday brought the Nutcracker Syndicate’s 10-year-old Irish Sport horse gelding (Tolant R x Ballyshan Cleopatra) to Kentucky for this first five-star.

“I was really thrilled with him,” she said. “He’s a young horse, very much a horse in the making still. For him to be in the top three with what I would consider the finished product sort of test—I’m thrilled with. He definitely noticed the cameras and the crowd cheering from the warmup, but he’s just a horse I believe so much in, and I’m absolutely thrilled with him today.”

The pair won both CCI4*-Ls they entered last year, so Halliday thought it was time to try a five-star.

“Really it was as I was halfway around his second four-star [at Galway Downs] that I knew he was ready for a five-star,” she said. “He really did need the second one. He’s very, very careful, and I didn’t want him jumping too high. I had to feel like he really measured the fences better, and I truly believe he’s ready. He has a big engine, and he’s very brave, so I’m going to do my best to give him a really good ride with the future in mind tomorrow.”

Nicholson drew the biggest cheers of the day for Jacqueline Mars’ 17-year-old Anglo-Arabian gelding Vermiculus (Serazim x Wake Me Gently), who’s returning to the international ring after having 2023 off. “Bug” is a crowd favorite due to his diminutive size and big personality.

Nicholson needed a long-format event this year for Paris qualification, so she chose to challenge herself in the five-star with extra pressure and intensity.

“I was pleased it came together well because he felt extremely fresh in the ring, and it’s a fine line between that freshness being impressive and being airs above the ground!” she said with a laugh, adding that their warmup these days is only about seven minutes. “The whole test I didn’t know what the marks were because I was trying to keep that balance, but I was very relieved at the finish that we did without any super exciting moments.”

She credited groom Sally Robertson with keeping Bug happy this weekend, hand grazing and doing ground work to keep his brain busy.

“It was definitely a big team effort because he was extremely excited to be back at the party,” she said. “He’s had a really long career. He did his first four-long as an 8-year-old and his first Kentucky five-star as a 10-year-old and has done two big things every year for the last decade, and last year was the first year he hasn’t. When we got here, he certainly let us know that he was very pleased to be back, and he’s been the wildest I’ve ever had him! He’s not the type you can just ride until he’s obedient. He’ll get worse and worse. He’s got quite the personality, and he’ll only tolerate so much drilling and training. It’s certainly been a collaborative effort all week getting the right amount of schooling and keeping his brain engaged.”

While the Olympics would be an amazing experience, Nicholson would rather be competitive if she goes, so she’s hoping for a good run this weekend.

“If I’m being honest, I’ve thought about the Olympics every single day of my life since I was 6 years old. I’d be lying if I said it didn’t cross my mind every day, but it’s also a matter of ticking the boxes on the way there,” she said. “There’s a point in your career where you’re desperate to get there, and then there’s a point in your career where you only want to go there if you’re going to be competitive, so my thought process and goal right now is Paris is in the back of my mind, but it’s also making sure those boxes are ticked, that I’m challenging and pressing and being as competitive as possible and preparing myself and my horse to be as competitive as possible because I’m not interested in going just to get the accolade. I want to go to win medals for the U.S.”

One U.S. pair was eliminated by the ground jury of Robert Stevenson (USA), Xavier Le Sauce (FRA), and Judy Hancock (GBR) in the dressage today—Lillian Heard’s 18-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding (Guy Cavalier x Lady Tanjour) LCC Barnaby showed some uneven steps in his first extended trot. Wood released the following statement:

“The Ground Jury decided today that Barnaby looked uneven in his test and eliminated me from the competitions. The vets have looked him over back at the barn, and there is nothing to report. My best guess is tension made him take some short steps. I am clearly devastated, but I also am happy to have a healthy, sound horse, and if there is one thing no one can argue, it is that Barnaby owes me nothing. I am here now to cheer on all my friends competing and will be back as a competitor another day.”

Will Faudree withdrew Jennifer Mosing and Sterling Silver Stables' 13-year-old Hanoverian gelding Mama's Magic Way (Mighty Magic x Hauptstutbuch Straightaway) after dressage. They were in 31st place.

Cross-country for the five-star starts tomorrow at 1:30 p.m. EST.

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