Welcome back to the 2018 edition of the Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event! Yesterday and this morning we watched the standings take shape and this afternoon should shake them up quite a bit. Almost every test in the afternoon has the propensity to break 70% with at least a few projected to challenge for the lead. Click here to see the order of go with ride times and here for all the details on how to watch live.
In case you missed the action yesterday or this morning, here’s a quick recap. The competitors will be performing the 2017 FEI 4* Test B, which was brand new last year, but not in use. Kentucky will be the first four-star to utilize this test, putting old favorites and four-star rookies on a totally level playing field as they navigate through the test for the first time. Since Kentucky is the first four-star to be held each year, no one has yet seen how the test rides in competition yet. Check here for a summary in all the ways in which this new test differs from the old.
Another big chance for this year is the loss of the 1.5 multiplier on the penalty marks for dressage, making the scoring a straight conversion to penalty marks. An average of 70.0% from the ground jury will translate into 30.0 penalty points, instead of 45.0 as it would have in previous years. This will cluster the competitors closer together after the first phase, making the jumping phases more influential. Again, as the first four-star to run in the calendar year, Kentucky will be the first four-star to see how the new scoring system affects final placings.
Judging the competitors will be Christian Landolt of Switzerland, who presides over the ground jury. Sue Baxter of Great Britain and Jane Hamlin of the United States join him as members of the ground jury. Jane Hamlin will be a member of the ground jury for the World Equestrian Games later this spring, so her scoring will be of particular interest to riders trying to make a team.
FRIDAY, AFTERNOON SESSIONS
Marilyn Little (USA) and RF Scandalous: RF Scandalous has a long history of putting in scores well over 70% at the 3/4* levels, but she’s had a couple of blips on her record as well. Still, a personal best of 24.2 at the WEG Test event means this pair is coming into Kentucky on a hot streak.
Aiming for: Top of the leaderboard
Ride time: 1 p.m.
Pawel Spisak (POL) and Banderas: Banderas and Pawel have shown flashes of brilliance from the beginning of their 3* career but it’s only blossomed into consistency in the past eight months. They now have three consecutive scores breaking 70% at the 3* level, higher each outing, including a 28.9 (in today’s scoring system) at the European Championships at Strzegom last summer as well as a personal best of 26.9 in their last 3* outing at Pratoni del Vivaro.
Aiming for: Top 10
Ride time: 1:24 p.m.
Kim Severson (USA) and Cooley Cross Border: If you didn’t know that Cooley Cross Border was good on the flat, you haven’t been paying attention. This pair set a record this spring when they scored a 20.8 at Carolina, which is the lowest 3* score recorded on this continent in the last five years. That score also earned them the best recorded 3* score in the field this weekend, and while it’s a bit of an anomaly, this pair has hit 75% in their two 2018 outings.
Aiming for: Top of the leaderboard
Ride time: 1:32 p.
Colleen Rutledge (USA) and Covert Rights: Covert Rights will come right on the heels of Cooley Cross Border, so don’t get up from your seats. This horse reached some dizzying heights in the dressage phase last fall, clocking in a 22.2 (in today’s system) at Richland Park, which at the time was the second best score in five years on North American soil. That was knocked to third after Kim and Cooley Cross Border’s Carolina score this spring, but it doesn’t take away from the fact that Covert Rights scored over 73% in three of their four runs last fall. While this spring their scores haven’t been quite so strong, a recent mark breaking 70% at The Fork shows they may be on the rebound.
Aiming for: Top 10
Ride time: 1:40 p.m.
Lynn Symansky (USA) and Donner: Donner has been knocking on the door for a while, breaking the 70% mark on occasion at the 3* level and inching towards it at the 4* level. In their last 4* at Burghley last fall, they laid down a personal best 4* score just shy of 70%, and their recent score of 28.8 at Carolina came just short of their 3* personal best. Coming in on the heels of three top dressage horses before them and taking advantage of being in the final session, these two could finally crack the 70% mark.
Aiming for: Top 10
Ride time: 2:02 p.m.
Phillip Dutton (USA) and I’m Sew Ready: I’m Sew Ready is no stranger to the 70% mark, cracking it in his last three of four 3* starts. In fact, he smashed his own personal best at his last event, scoring a 26.4 at the WEG Test event. His only 4* start flirted with that score, as he and Phillip Dutton clocked in a 30.7 (in today’s scoring) last April.
Aiming for: Top 10
Ride time: 2:26 p.m.
Oliver Townend (GBR) and Cooley Master Class: Cooley Master Class is almost a lock to not only break the 70% mark but to crush it. He has only failed to hit that percentage once in 11 starts, and his worst score in 2017 was a 27.7. This is his first 4* though, and it’s rare to see a horse best their 3* personal best in their first 4* start. That doesn’t mean it doesn’t happen though, and Oliver Townend could be the one to take the lead as the next to last ride of the day.
Aiming for: Top Three
Ride time: 2:34 p.m.
OTHERS OF NOTE
Quite frankly, every horse in this afternoon session is worth watching, so make sure to hit the restroom before the rides start after lunch. Simply Priceless isn’t the highest scorer in the field but has a history of making 4* his moment, pulling a 4* average that is more than 4 points better than his 3* average. Paddy the Caddy has barely cracked the 70% level at the national level but has yet to do it at the international level. Copper Beach and The Apprentice have both put in big scores with their current riders while Landmark’s Monte Carlo should be a solid score to finish off the first phase, if not quite cracking the top 10.
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