From the precision of dressage to the boldness of cross-country, 38 horse and rider pairs in the CCI5*-L and 49 in the CCI4*-S are moving on to eventing's next phase at the Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event. Big crowds are expected to line the galloping lanes of Derek di Grazia's cross-country track to cheer on eventing's very best.
First out of the start box this morning at 9:15 a.m. in the CCI4*-S is Sarah Kozumplik and the 18-year-old gray Selle Français gelding Rubens D'Ysieux (Balougran x Orenda D'ysieux) that she owns with Edith Rameika. The overnight leaders, Liz Halliday Sharp and The Nutcracker Syndicate's 9-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding Cooley Nutcracker (Tolant R x Ballyshan Cleopatra) are scheduled to begin their round at 9:33 a.m. They're on a score of 24.5, one point ahead of Halliday-Sharp's other four-star mount, The Monster Partnership's Cooley Be Cool (Heritage Fortunus x HHS Carlotta).
Kicking off the five-star cross-country on Derek di Grazia's course is Buck Davidson on the first of his three five-star mounts. That is Cassandra Segal, Natalie Sandler, Lisa Darden's 13-year-old Holsteiner gelding Erroll Gobey (Cassini II x Ulla II) at 1:20 p.m. Overnight leaders Yasmin Ingham and The Sue Davies Fund's 12-year-old Selle Français gelding Banzai Du Loir (Nouma D'auzay x Gerboise Du Cochet) will be counted down for a 2:48 p.m. departure. Their score of 22.1 is a half-point ahead of fellow British pair Tom McEwen and Jo and James Lambert and Deidre Johnston’s 12-year-old Holsteiner gelding JL Dublin (Diarado x Zarinna).
Derek di Grazia has designed both cross-country courses. The CCI4*-S has an optimum time of 6:44 seconds and is 3,836 meters with 22 numbered fences and 35 jumping efforts at 570 meters per minute. The CCI5*-L course has an optimum time of 11:26 and is 6,520 meters with 28 numbered fences and 49 jumping efforts at 570 meters per minute. Take a virtual walk around the five-star course here and in this video di Grazia did with the USEA Adult Rider Program.
You can catch up on all the dressage action from the past two days by clicking here.
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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.
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