Michael Jung and fischerChipmunk FRH. Photo by Tilly Berendt.
We were treated to yet another record set by German Olympic champion Michael Jung much earlier than usual in the drawn order on Thursday at Defender Kentucky. While his record-setting (again!) 18.6 earned with fischerChipmunk FRH (Contendro I – Havanna, by Heraldik, owned by Deutsches Olympiade-Komitee für Reiterei e.V., Klaus & Sabine Fischer, & Joachim Jung) now might leave some of the competitors yet to come feeling like they’re riding for second, there is just something special about witnessing a once-in-a-lifetime combination — who really don’t campaign heavily and certainly don’t do a ton of 5*s, particularly during a major championship cycle.
Believe it or not, the test wasn’t the world record beater — the top two scores currently stand from the Paris Olympics, where Michael actually earned one of those with this horse (a 17.8). The record currently belongs to Great Britain’s Laura Collett and London 52, who also laid down a teens score in Paris with a stunning 17.3.
But back to Kentucky and today. This score will go down as the third lowest 5* score on record (since tracking begin in 2008) and also the new lowest score at Kentucky (beating, lol, himself), and for his part Michael was, naturally, pleased with the 17-year-old Hanoverian gelding. This winter, he prepped a little differently than he ordinarily would, traveling to Italy to do some CSI1* show jumping competition rather than campaigning him at events.
“Normally I’d have more prep events, but there weren’t many good options near home, and we had a dry spring,” Michael elaborated. “So I focused on training and galloping at home. I trust Chipmunk — he doesn’t need a lot of competition to be ready. He had a longer break after Paris, and I started really focusing on his training again in February—building up his endurance and muscle. He’s in great shape now.”
Photo by Tilly Berendt.
At this point in their partnership, Michael and Chipmunk certainly know each other well, and that does shine through in these incredible scores they’re able to achieve together. “He’s the kind of horse you dream of having,” he said. “He’s lovely to ride in dressage, and at home he’s very uncomplicated — once you get to know him. He seems calm on the outside, but he’s actually quite sensitive inside. It took a while after I got him to build a real partnership. But once you understand him, he’s so easy and relaxed.”
That relaxation is key: among a total of five 10s earned from judges Christian Steiner at C, Anne-Mette Binder at E and Peter Gray at M, one of those came from Peter for the collective mark which judges the harmony between horse and rider. The pair also earned 10s, all from Christian Steiner at C, on the first movement (their entrance, halt, salute, and first collected trot), movement 14 (transition to collected trot, track right), movement 20 (serpentine of three loops with a flying change), and movement 24 (flying change). Interestingly, though, the judges were actually the most in “disagreement” on Michael’s score, to the tune of a spread of 12 percentage points between the highest and lowest total percentage score. Christian at C was the most generous with his marks, while Anne-Mette Binder was the lowest.
Clarke Johnstone and Menlo Park. Photo by Tilly Berendt.
Paris Olympian Clarke Johnstone (NZL) makes his return to Kentucky for the first time since the FEI World Equestrian Games in 2010, where he earned a team bronze medal for the Kiwis. He brings forward his Paris horse, Menlo Park (Berlin – Faerie Queen, by Rock King) and currently sits equal second with Tim Price (NZL) on a score of 28.4, a tick or two higher than the 25.7 earned in Paris and the 26.3 earned in the horse’s first 5* at Pau last fall, but certainly still well within their competitive average on the flat.
“It was a really solid test,” Clarke said of Menlo Park, who is owned by the rider and Jean & Rob Johnstone. “A couple of little things could have been better, but overall, ‘Jacko’ was really rideable and focused. I always say the bigger the stadium, the better he goes — and this is about as big as stadiums get. So I’m really proud of him. He was a good boy. I think this test was pretty comparable to the one in Paris. I made one mistake there, too, but Jacko was maybe a bit more energetic in that atmosphere. It was actually raining during our test in Paris, and that seemed to freshen him up. Today, I felt like I had to encourage him a bit more, which may be where we lost a few marks. But it was still a tidy test — and there’s a long way to go in the weekend.”
“It’s been 15 years since I was last here — at the World Championships in 2010,” Clarke said later in the press conference. “I’ve wanted to come back ever since. As [Michael] said, it’s a stunning venue, and everyone is so welcoming. It’s a real privilege to return after all these years.”
Clarke has also changed up his prep a little this year, having been pleased with the 15-year-old British Sport Horse’s performance at Paris. Like Michael, he also spent some time show jumping in the off-season, traveling to Spain to compete on the Sunshine Tour (a path often taken by Tim and Jonelle Price, as well as others). “I was pleased with Paris overall — great dressage and cross country, though I had a rail in show jumping,” Clarke mused. “Since then, I did a month of show jumping in Spain and had a couple of Intermediate runs and a four-short in England. It’s been a dry spring, which suits my horse; he prefers firm ground. He’s not the fastest but has good stamina, so I’ve focused on getting him as fit as possible for Saturday’s long, hilly cross country.”
Tim Price and Jarillo. Photo by Tilly Berendt.
Tim Price is well-sat to make a strong run this week with three horses, two of which sit in the top five after today’s competition. The 11-year-old KWPN Jarillo (Dantos – Fiorilla, by Alicante), owned by Lucy Allison, Francis Stead, and James and Rachel Good, is the highest-placed today, sitting equal second on a score of 28.4. It’s a little above the 27.2 this horse earned in his 5* debut at Pau, where he went on to finish ninth despite the horrendous weather conditions, but Tim was pleased with the horse’s development as he steps up to an arguably tougher, in some ways, second 5*.
“That day was really tough,” Tim said. “But I was impressed with how well he coped. He did feel tired at the end, but sometimes horses need to experience that to build stamina. He’s come out this year stronger and more established. I just need to feel my way around and give him a smart ride — hopefully Pau set him up well for this weekend.”
“This is a young horse — green and unpredictable — but super talented,” Tim said of his test today with Jarillo. “For him to go in there, focus on me, stay on the job, and even have an element of relaxation — I was really happy with that. He can be easily distracted. I stopped to take his boots off and he was staring off at a golf cart way in the distance. He’s a bit of a skylark, but in the arena today, he really tuned in.”
Tim Price and Happy Boy. Photo by Tilly Berendt.
Happy Boy (Indoctro – W. Amelusina 17, by Odermus R), a 13-year-old KWPN gelding owned by Tim alongside Susan Lamb and Therese Miller, is seeking his first 5* completion after withdrawing from competition at his two starts in 2023 (Luhmühlen and Pau). He’s had another year of experience in the time since, culminating in a win at the Blenheim 4*-L, which is a truly challenging 4*-L that really sets the mark of whether a horse shows the mettle for the 5* level. He squeaked in under the 30 mark with a 29.1, an improvement over his Pau score of 32.9, to sit fourth overnight.
Boyd Martin and Fedarman B. Photo by Tilly Berendt.
Boyd Martin will be the best-placed U.S. rider going into Friday, riding his first of three rides, the Annie Goodwin Syndicate’s Fedarman B (Eurocommerce Washington – Paulien B, by Fedor), early in the day to the tune of a 29.8 to round out the early top five. It’s not quite a personal best for “Bruno”, who’s starting his fourth 5* this week and first one at Kentucky, but just a hair-breadth over the 29.5 he earned at Pau last fall and also a shade lower than his Paris Olympics score of 30.5.
“Bruno went really well,” Boyd said. “I was really pleased with him. He’s such a nice, quiet, laid-back horse, and I thought the energy in the ring today was just right. It was one of our better tests. Still a few little things to tidy up, but overall I was really happy. He’s a pretty laid-back character, and he’s a bit of a veteran now, so he knows the drill. He understands when to hold it together and when he can breathe a bit. He kind of knows the test at this point, so he’s a pleasure to ride.”
We’ll now look ahead to the second half of the field tomorrow, which for the 5* will kick off at 1:00 p.m. ET with Boyd Martin and Luke 140. Other “ones to watch” tomorrow (though no one is highly likely to threaten Michael’s record today) include Monica Spencer and Artist, potentials to at least take over the second spot, Tom McEwen and Brookfield Quality, Lucienne Bellissimo and Dyri, Harry Meade and Graffenacht, and Boyd again with Commando 3. You can see who goes when here. Stay tuned for our live blog coming at the start of the 5*, and catch up on today’s blog here.
Don’t forget to look for our utterly ridiculous Chinch in a backpack starting tomorrow for our Chase the Chinch challenge if you’re here on site! Learn more about it here.
As always, Go Eventing!
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