Flashback Friday Video from World Equestrian Brands: USA on Top at Kentucky

Phillip Dutton and Connaught claim Kentucky CCI4* for the stars and stripes in 2008. Photo courtesy of Phillip Dutton Eventing.

It’s been two days of seriously exciting competition so far at the Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event, with reigning King of Lexington Michael Jung usurped from his comfortable throne at this early stage by Marilyn Little-Meredith and RF Scandalous. Their flowing, elegant test earned them a 4* PB of 24.8, putting them into a comfortable 2.3 point lead. While it’s early days yet, and there’s still a few little logs to pop over, a U.S. lead after the first phase is definitely worth celebrating, particularly as 2018 marks the 10th anniversary of the last time a home rider won the event.

That rider was the maestro himself, Phillip Dutton, who currently sits in =13th place (I’m Sew Ready) and 16th place (Z). In 2008, he piloted the great Irish Sport Horse Connaught — with whom he would go on to finish 7th at the Beijing Olympics — to the top of the leaderboard, giving a masterclass in each phase. The year prior, the combination had finished second, winning the national championship, and, in their long and storied career together, they never lowered a single pole at the venue. That’s what we call consistency.

Will we see another American winner, ten years on from the last? With RF Scandalous on top and the likes of Cooley Cross BorderDonner and Covert Rights in the top ten, we could indeed. Expect dramatic shifts across the leaderboard tomorrow, incredible feats of human and equine athleticism, and hopefully a bit of the grit, trust and fairy dust that helps make a win like this…

#LRK3DE Links: WebsiteRide TimesScheduleLive StreamLive ScoresCourse PreviewEN’s CoverageEN’s Ultimate GuideEN’s InstagramEN’s Twitter