If you are wanting to get a good parking spot at the Kentucky Horse Park this morning, you better be on your way as early as possible! Cross-country day at the Defender Kentucky Three-Day Event is easily the busiest day the Kentucky Horse Park sees each year, so it's time to grab your coffee and go ensure you get the viewing spot you want for both the CCI4*-S and CCI5*-L divisions today.
As of Friday afternoon, there are 52 four-star pairs set to gallop out of the start box starting at 9:30 a.m. EST, and 34 five-star pairs will get things underway at 1:30 p.m. EST.
Lisa Barry (USA) and her own Irish Sport Horse mare Rosie's Adventadora (Formula One x Rajacon's Rose) will be our first pair to gallop across the bluegrass in the CCI4*-S this morning. The final pair, Tamie Smith and Kynan, a 10-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding (Envoy x Danieta) owned by The Kynan Syndicate, will exit the start box at 12:05 p.m. EST.
The CCI4*-S course features 37 efforts across 22 marked obstacles over 3,764 meters and has an optimum time of 6 minutes and 37 seconds. Optimum speed is 570 mpm.
After a short break, the five-star will get underway at 1:30 p.m. EST with New Zealand pair Tim Price and the 11-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding Jarillo (Dantos x Fiorilla), owned by Lucy Allison, Frances Stead, and James and Rachel Good. The final pair to go for the day will be the current second-placed pair in the field, Boyd Martin riding Commando 3 (Connor 48 x R-Adelgunde), a 12-year-old Holsteiner gelding owned by Yankee Creek Ranch LLC. They leave the start box at 3:50 p.m. EST.
This year's five-star course has an optimum time of 11 minutes and 20 seconds across di Grazia's 6,460-meter track which will require riders to be galloping along at a pace of 570 mpm to make the time. Horse and rider pairs will have to tackle 48 efforts set up across the 27 obstacle course.
Here is what you need to know to follow along today:
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