United States Eventing Association

It was an influential cross-country day in the five-star at the Defender Kentucky Three-Day Event. Only four of the 29 pairs were able to make the time, there were four pairs who retired on course, and one pair who was eliminated due to a fall. We've broken down each ride for your review below.

#3 | Caroline Pamukcu and her first mount of the day, HSH Tolan King, kicked off the day at 1:30 p.m. at a cracking pace. Tolan King is still relatively green at the five-star level, and as he progressed around the course, commentator Sinead Halpin noted that he lost a bit of focus and Pamukcu was really having to fight to keep him on his lines, opting for several alternate routes later in the course. A flag penalty was added to her score at fence 21C, the Normandy Bank, but was quickly removed.

#4 | Though Buck Davidson Jr. and Sorocaima are quite a seasoned pair at the level, they had trouble early on, incurring a run out at 12C, the spring water fence coming out of the Sunken Road, and retired shortly after.

#5 | The first of Tim Price’s two rides for the five-star, Global Quest, activated a frangible pin early in the course at fence 7A. The pair seemed to eek their way around the rest of the course, with Price being jumped out of the tack at the drop into the Sunken Road. They took several alternate routes later in the track to ensure a safe and educational finish.

#6 | For the second year in a row, Mary Bess Davis and Imperio Magic unfortunately incurred a refusal at 15A, the drop, then Davis parted ways with Imperio Magic on the way to the Owl Hole at 17. The course was briefly held while Davis caught her breath and Imperio Magic was caught.

#7 | Sophia Hill and Humble Glory were held approximately midway around the course following Davis' fall, and Hill briefly dismounted to give Humble Glory a break. After they restarted, they were the first pair to take the direct route at the Head of the Lake and had a fantastic, fast finish. Hill commented that she’d never been held on course at a major event like this and felt that it really lent to a stronger trip on the way to the finish.

#8 | David Doel and Galileo Nieuwmoed had a couple of sticky moments around the course, but they landed with purpose and jetted off to the next fence on course each time. The pair was more than 15 seconds up on the time as they hit the 7-minute marker, taking all the direct lines to ensure he made it home with any time penalties. Doel carried 9 penalties from a missed flag at the Normandy Bank at 21C as well, but it was removed shortly after review.

#9 | Five-star first time mount, Diabolo, was quite excitable leaving the start box with Will Coleman in the irons but settled right into his job with laser focus before reaching the 2-minute marker on course. Coleman turned in a classic smooth and steady round to finish two seconds below the 11:05 optimum time. Coleman’s wife, Katie, was all smiles as she met her husband and her favorite horse at the finish. If they finish tomorrow, they will achieve their qualifications for the World Championships at Aachen later this summer. Coleman was thrilled with Diabolo’s navigation of what he called “quite a formidable track.”

#11 | Washington-native Karen O’Neal and Clooney 14 unfortunately had their five-star debut cut short after they activated a frangible pin at fence 3 and had trouble at fence 4B of the MARS Sustainability Bay, where O’Neal decided to retire and save Clooney 14 for another day.

#12 | Phillip Dutton had a scrappy jaunt through the combination at 7ABC on five-star debutant Possante, who may have shown his greenness at the level, but was masterfully piloted by the veteran Olympian. As Possante settled, Dutton took a risk and used all his strength to lock onto the direct route at the Head of the Lake and go onto finish a very productive ride around the horse’s first five-star track.

#14 | Tom Jackson and Plot Twist B got their first run on the Kentucky bluegrass today. Plot Twist B lost his line at the C element of Pete’s Hollow, missing the flag, and decided to the take the option in case he was penalized with a missed fence. He incurred a refusal for this decision and 11 penalties later in the course for a missed flag in the Head of the Lake.

#15 | Shannon Lilley had to work incredibly hard to pilot powerhouse Eindhoven Garette around the course this afternoon. The pair incurred one refusal for not making it completely through the flags at fence 15A, the EEI Root Cellar, and came home 47 seconds over the time.

#16 | Boyd Martin and Cooley Nutcracker had trouble midway through the course at the B element of Pete’s Hollow (14), knocking down a flag in the process. After review, the Ground Jury imposed one refusal for the error. Martin put on the gas after the mistake to try to still catch the time, finishing the remainder of course fences clean and adding 24.4 penalties overall.

#17 | Superstition nearly dismounted Harry Meade in the Spring Water when he took a hard trip after 12C. The pair quickly reconnected and safely made their way to the back end of the course. Meade noted before that Superstition is quite emotional, and he seemed to struggle with the crowds and lose his focus. Meade was a picture of consistency as he encouraged the gelding home, adding just a bit of time to his dressage score.

#18 | Caroline Pamukcu and She’s the One only made it through fence 8 before Pamukcu elected to retire after trouble at the B element of the Opposing Corners (9).

#19 | Emily Hamel flew “Air Corvett” around the course, with "Barry" displaying his signature jumping style and making light work of the challenging track. The pair had a spectacular clear round and incurred just 4 time penalties. There’s no doubt that the crowds will be cheering Corvett home as he attempts to complete his 11^th event at the level to celebrate his 19^th birthday tomorrow.

#20 | Alex Conrad and Malibu Preacher showed real maturity on their first trip around the CCI5*-L track, opting to take several alternate routes to ensure a positive experience in their debut. Slow and steady proved to be the right approach for the pair as they came through the finish flags without any jumping penalties. They will add 30.8 time penalties to their dressage score.

#21 | Savannah “Woodge” Fulton used her experience from her first five-star mount, Captain Jack, to give Cash Point a top-notch, educational ride across the country. The pair came home without an jumping penalties, incurring 39.2-time penalties. The experience will be invaluable as the young horse continues to progress in his career.

#22 | The crowd went wild for the morning leaders, Monica Spencer and Artist, as they charged around the course. Spencer set a blistering pace early on, giving her some flexibility to navigate more difficult combinations later on the course. A textbook ride from Spencer brought the crowd-favorites home clear and inside the time to hold the lead going into the final day of competition. In the post round interview, Spencer called on some positive reinforcement and said she is going to seal the win tomorrow.

#23 | Braden Speck enjoyed every minute galloping BSF Liam across the bluegrass this afternoon, giving a fist pump to the crowd after the pair successfully navigated the Head Of The Lake. Speck opted to take his time to ensure a clean jumping effort across the country, bringing BSF Liam through the finish flags in 12 minutes and 30 seconds. What a successful debut for the future equine surgeon!

#24 | Arden Wildasin and longtime partner, Sunday Times, took a note from Speck’s book, throwing up a fist pump after tackling the Head Of The Lake, too. Unfortunately, after trouble at the B element following the Normandy Bank, Wildasin opted to retire and end their day short of a completion to fight again in the future.

#25 | Seasoned partners, Jennie Brannigan and FE Lifestyle, left the start box looking like they had every intention of chasing the optimum time. The pair made light work of Derek di Grazia’s track, coming home clean and just a bit over the time. They added just 6.8 time penalties to her dressage score.

#27 | Pomp N Circumstance gave Irish rider Padraig McCarthy all his effort around the course today. McCarthy opted to take the alternate routes in Spring Water and the Head Of The Lake to set him up for success. The pair unfortunately incurred one refusal at D element of the Cosequin Cove (23) and 22-time penalties as they nursed their way through the finish.

#28 | Gabby Dickerson and Traditionally Fernhill set out on their first five-star with a successful jaunt around the first half of the course. The pair encountered a challenge at the Head Of The Lake when they knocked a flag at the A element, opting to take the alternate route, then incurring one refusal at 19B before successfully approaching a second time and moving on to the next question. Dickerson and Traditionally Fernhill came home in 12 minutes and 47 seconds with no further issue.

#29 | Tom McEwen and Brookfield Quality never seemed to hit the speed they needed to catch the optimum time today. While they had a positive, fault-free jumping round, they came through the finish flag at 11:25, adding 8 time penalties to his dressage score. An uncharacteristic result for this seasoned pair.

#30 | Ema Klugman and Chiraz had a positive run around the first half of the course, but ran into trouble at the C element of the Normandy Bank (21), where she was held by the veterinary staff to check a suspected blood spot before proceeding. They incurred one more refusal at 23C, the Cosequin Cove, before making it through the finish flags safely.

#32 | After activating a frangible pin with his first mount, Tim Price set out on Vitali with a fire in his eyes trying to chase leaders Monica Spencer and Artist. They had a fantastic ride across the country, but the heat seemed to get to Vitali as he fatigued on the latter half of the course, coming home with 9.2 time penalties.

#33 | Boyd Martin and Commando 3 opted to take the alternate route at the Defender Head Of The Lake, wasting valuable time to get Connor’s focus back in the race to the finish flags. There was a question on the commentary whether the pair would incur a refusal for presenting to the big wedge corner before opting for the alternate route, but the penalty was not accessed. Without further issue, they came home in 11 minutes and 20 seconds.

#34 | Harry Meade had a consistent ride around the Bluegrass on his second mount, Grafennacht, but unfortunately, was still unable to make the optimum time on his final attempt of the day. The pair came through the finish flags without any jumping penalties but added 6 time penalties to their dressage score to fall out of the top-three.

#35 | Caroline Pamukcu and her YEH Champion and WEG and Olympic mount, HSH Blake, set out last to complete the five-star cross-country at the Defender Kentucky Three-Day Event for 2026. After a cracking first half, Blake seemed to get away from Pamukcu at the exit of the Spring Water, incurring a flag penalty at 12B that was later taken away, but she quickly regained control and marched on to Pete’s Hollow. Blake was full of run to the very end, coming through the finish flags just shy of the optimum time at 11 minutes and 10 seconds.

The USEA wishes all the competitors a safe and successful final day of competition tomorrow in Rolex Arena!

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