Welcome to Defender Kentucky week! We’re suspiciously on time with our Form Guide this year, so why not drop it on Monday instead of Thursday??
Below, you’ll find a quick write-up on each pair in the 5* field’s recent form leading up to this weekend. If you click here, you can also view much more on each and every horse in the field if you really want to dig in. This way, you can still view the Form Guide somewhat in it’s traditional form, but if you’re a real rabbit hole diver, the opportunity is there.
The entries are listed in Draw Order (you can view ALL entries and their ride times here). Click on each horse and rider’s trading card to open their full profile.
As always, we really appreciate your feedback on our Form Guides as we continue to work to improve them! You can always send us your thoughts [email protected].
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#1: 🇺🇸 Boyd Martin & Miks Master C — WITHDRAWN 4/21
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Miks Master C made his CCI5* debut with Liz Halliday at Kentucky in 2023, taking the whole thing in his stride, adding just 1.6 cross country time to his score across the competition and firmly placing himself at the top of his sport with a podium placing in 3rd. Following Liz’s accident in 2024, Boyd Martin took over the reins and the smart gelding’s success continued, with the pair winning the US Open last year. He’s now back at Kentucky with Boyd looking to capitalize on his impressive form and potentially deliver the top-level win that we all know is on the cards for this talented horse.
We are very firmly in sub-30 territory in the first phase, in fact, this guy hasn’t had a score in the 30s since back in 2021. Think mid-20s guys, and almost certainly in the podium spots once dressage has had its say on the competition – he recently put down his best score yet with Boyd, 24.4 in the 4*-S at Carolina on his way to 5th place. And that’s not all. But for a missed flag penalty in 2022, this horse’s cross country jumping record has been faultless for the past four seasons and he’s got the speed to match his jumping ability. We don’t have a lot of long-format data for “Mikki” and Boyd as a pair, and Boyd obviously spent a couple of events getting to know the gelding, but what we do know is that they added just 2.8 time penalties in the 4*-L at Morven Park that won them the Open. He may not be the quickest horse in the field at Kentucky, but he has room to spare with his itty bitty dressage scores. So far he’s jumped clear in the show jumping phase at each of his events with Boyd, and he was clear on the Sunday at Kentucky with Liz in 2023 – there’s the odd pole on his record, but he’s mostly clean.
All of which makes him a triple threat in the eventing world. Watch this space. Kentucky, here he comes.
#3: 🇺🇸 Caroline Pamukcu & HSH Tolan King
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“Todd” made his CCI5* debut with Caroline Pamukcu at Maryland last season, alongside stablemate and fellow Kentucky competitor HSH Blake. He finished up in a respectable 11th place, having been one of many to pick up jumping penalties out on cross country, but a bunch of high profile combinations were forced to bow out of the competition out on course that day, so a completion even with penalties was an achievement, especially for a rookie horse.
We’re looking at mid-30s in terms of scores in the first phase, so he’s not likely to threaten the top of the chain after the dressage, but he’s a reliable cross country jumper with 16 clear rounds from 18 runs on his international record, so there’s room for a leaderboard climb on Saturday. He’s yet to come close to the time above the 3* level, but this is a young horse at 11 and is still gaining his feet at the upper end of the sport. In terms of the final phase, he’s tended to be a two or none kind of guy in recent seasons; he had two at Maryland. This week will be about getting some more miles under his cinch as he takes on Kentucky and continues his career at the top of his sport.
#4: 🇺🇸 Buck Davidson & Sorocaima
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OTTB Sorocaima has become a stalwart CCI5* campaigner for Buck Davidson, clocking up seven top-level completions in the past four years. His best result came at Maryland in 2024, where he finished just off the podium in 4th place; earlier that season he’d been 6th at Kentucky. Dressage scores tend swing back and to; he put down his best score at the level, 34, at Maryland on his way to that excellent result, and his highest was at the Horse Park last year when he scored 42.1. He hasn’t had a cross country jumping penalty since Kentucky in 2023, although he did pick up a flag penalty on his season opener in the 4*-S at TerraNova this spring, accruing the new 9 faults (reduced from 15 in the recent rule change). He was clear inside the time at Maryland in 2022 but the time proved to be gettable for a fair few that day; his next quickest round was at Kentucky in 2024 where he was 5 seconds over, the seventh best time of the day. This guy isn’t always the most careful in the final phase, although he did jump clear at Kentucky in 2024, the only time at the level he’s kept the poles in the cups. The one rail he had at the Horse Park last year showed a good improvement in his overall form though.
Whatever happens, this horse cuts a striking figure as he gallops round the cross country course and if he puts his best hoof forward in all three phases, he’s in with a shot for another good placing.
#5: 🇳🇿 Tim Price & Global Quest
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Global Quest made his CCI5* debut last season at Pau where he was given a sympathetic ride by Tim Price as he stepped up to the top level and delivered a solid top-25 result in a field of over 50. The pair had only been together for a short time, so it was a getting to know you exercise as well as an educational outing for this lovely gelding. He put down a mid-30s score in the dressage, just a smidge over what he’d been delivering at 4*, then popped neatly round the cross country for a handful of time penalties. Their final phase wasn’t ideal; first to go, quite unexpectedly Global Quest stopped in the middle of the double combination, snapping a pole in the process. That understandably shook things up a bit and he went on to knock two more rails, with Tim nursing the gelding along carefully to help rebuild his confidence and thus accumulating the amount of time penalties more than expected on cross country — but it’s good to have 5* experience under his cinch as he makes the trip across the Pond to take on the Bluegrass of Kentucky and honestly, you don’t fly a horse halfway across the world if you don’t think you’re in with a shot.
#6: 🇺🇸 Mary Bess Davis & Imperio Magic
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Imperio Magic’s back for a second spin round Kentucky after making his debut in the Bluegrass with Mary Bess Davis last year. They finished up in 16th place after picking up a green 20 out on cross country when “McCall” decided the big Leaf Pit style drop off the bank wasn’t for him. Jumping yes, stop and drop down, not so much. Some steps back cost them those penalties but Mary Bess managed to cajole him to take a leap of faith in the end and they continued the round as it had started, with the horse traveling well and really taking on his step up to the level. Maryland in the fall wasn’t as happy a hunting ground, with a sticky start to the round and the gelding jumping so big Mary Bess could have done with a parachute. Eventually things came to a head and she put her hand up after running into problems about halfway round. So this is a redemption run, really, and a chance to get a clear 5* cross country jumping round on this enthusiastic horse’s card.
They won’t be in the mix after the dressage, with scores trending in the mid- to high-30s, and Mary Bess will be focusing on a solid clear round come Saturday, and probably the time needed to produce that. But Sunday is where this guy will really come into his own. He’s on a streak of 11 clear rounds in the show jumping phase, including at the Horse Park last year. We’ll be rooting for this combination to get to show that talent off and add a second 5* completion to their record.
#7: 🇦🇺 Sophia Hill & Humble Glory
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Sophia Hill’s fresh off a flight from her native Down Under, where she’s been busy at Adelaide Eventing Festival contesting the CCI4*-S. Humble Glory stayed in the US after Maryland last fall, and whilst Sophia’s been back home, Kiwi eventer and fellow Kentucky competitor Monica Spencer has been keeping the Thoroughbred going, with Sophia clocking up the air miles traveling back and to for prep events.
“Hughie” may not have been the most successful racehorse on the track during his previous career (he ran eight times and won 570 AU$ in total), not being much of a stayer or particularly quick, but he’s sure turned out to be a great event horse. He podiumed in his first ever 5* at Adelaide in 2023, finishing on his dressage score and putting in the quickest round of the field on cross country day. He was on track to replicate that feat in 2025, and primed to win the whole dang thing, when an error of course in the final phase turned the dream into a nightmare. Putting that one under her belt as an experience not to repeat, Sophia and “Hughie” shipped over to the US and took on Maryland in the fall, where redemption was the name of the game with another FOD showing for 6th place. In between all that they spent a season over in the UK where they completed just outside the top 20 at Burghley in 2024, a frangible device penalty out on cross country keeping them from being any higher. And now here they are in the Bluegrass for their fourth 5* start.
There’s no pretending that “Hughie” is going to win the dressage, although he did put down a very respectable 36.9 in the first phase at Burghley, a massive career-best at the level, but more generally speaking he has a toe, or two, in the 40s. But then he leaves the start box and this guy genuinely does shine like an eventing star. He has over 30 international clear jumping rounds on his card and he’s fairly swift to boot; time penalties, when he gets them, are very much in the single figures. Add to that his reliability on the final day, he hasn’t had a show jumping pole at any level since 2022, and we have surely got a leaderboard climber on our hands.
#8: 🇬🇧 David Doel & Galileo Nieuwmoed
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With twelve CCI5* starts to his name, spanning six of the world’s seven top-level events – at which he’s had top-10 results across the board, the only horse on record to do so – including seven clears inside the time, Galileo Nieuwmoed has been a force at the pinnacle of the sport since he almost won Pau on only his second start at the level in 2021, and is arguably one of the best horses not to have topped the podium, yet that is. He made his 5* debut following/during the Covid hiatus at the pop-up event at Bicton and the scenes out on course when he was pulled up by David Doel after tiring suddenly, with spectators, volunteers and riders alike piling in to help cool the horse down with water from their drinking bottles, whilst Spencer Sturmey in the commentary box failed to contain the tears at such an emotional sight, surely is one of the most memorable and iconic moments to sum up the eventing community. Chill bumps, for sure, just thinking about it.
He came back out refreshed that fall at Pau and truly showed his mettle as a top class horse with a sub-30 dressage and a clear inside the time on cross country day putting him in the lead and on track to win the whole dang thing. Sadly, a couple of very expensive poles in the final phase dropped him to 15th, but really took nothing away from the exquisite performance from a horse new to the level. The following year, the pair burst onto the Badminton leaderboard, finishing 6th with David the highest-placed Badminton first-timer. It was jumping clear all the way, adding just 1.2 cross country time faults to their dressage of 32.4. Later that season they returned to Pau for another clear inside the time, and only dropping one pole on the final day saw them tantalizingly close to the 5* podium in fourth. And then began a run of five consecutive events where he finished on his dressage score, including at Kentucky in 2023, where he was 8th, and Burghley that fall, where he stepped up to the podium in runner-up spot, just 0.7 penalties behind the leader. He was 9th at Luhmühlen in 2024 and then made the trip to Maryland, where he added a second 5* podium to his record, finishing 3rd after adding just a single show jumping rail to his score across the competition.
And then came a blip. He fell agonizingly close to home at Badminton in 2025, and then again at Burghley that year after scoring sub-30 in the dressage for the first time since 2021. The mistake came early enough on course for a reroute to Pau, where things were back on track and he added yet another 5* clear inside the time on cross country day to his record and finished 9th.
For a horse that at 15 is in his prime, he hasn’t half clocked up the miles and it’s hard not to think that the best could still be to come and there’ll be that elusive and well-deserved 5* win on his card before much longer. Will it be in the Bluegrass this time around? Maybe.
#9: 🇺🇸 Will Coleman & Diabolo
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In an exciting debut, Diabolo — last year’s CCI4*-S winner — is making his step up with Will Coleman this week. In a superb showing from start to finish, this pair added nothing to their dressage score across the 4* competition last season to finish on their dressage score of 29.9. That’s got to have Will feeling good about his chances, despite it being the horse’s first time at the level.
This is a horse that’s been consistently improving in the first phase as he’s matured, with scores now consistently in the 20s at 4*, with a 24.1 at his season opener in the 4*-S at Carolina this season, where he finished 4th. His cross country jumping record with Will is impeccable, with not a single penalty showing on his card. He’s only done one long-format event with Will, back in 2023 at TerraNova, so it’s hard to judge how quick he may potentially be, but he was close that day and he certainly seems to have the class for it, along with a rider who’s a technician across the country, so everything’s in his favor. His show jumping form is impressively clean, a pole here and there, and interestingly, some time too, which ordinarily we wouldn’t be involving ourselves with when we’re considering a rookie horse at the level, but this is no ordinary first-timer.
Will Will play it safe and go for a steady, solid completion? Or will he be up at the business end of proceedings on Sunday and going for a top placing? Anything’s possible when you’re talking about talent such as this. Watch this space.
#10: 🇦🇺 Ryan Wood & Cooley Flight
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This 14-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding has been gaining ground at the CCI4* level over the last few years and now makes his step up to the top of the sport at Kentucky after two solid runs in the 4*-S division at the Horse Park. He’s a mid-30s kind of guy in the first phase and a reliable cross country jumper, having a clean sheet across 18 international competitions. We can certainly expect some time penalties, particularly given it’s his first 5*, as well as the fact that he has only beaten the clock once, back in 2022 in the 4*-L at Morven Park, where he finished on his dressage and came 5th, his best result at a long-format event and second-best in his career. He’s likely to have a pole in the final phase on Sunday, maybe two, but for a debut at the level Ryan Wood will be looking for a confidence-building completion for this guy as he takes his place at the pinnacle of his sport.
#11: 🇺🇸 Karen O Neal & Clooney 14
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Clooney 14 comes forward for his first CCI5* start at Kentucky with fellow rookie Karen O’Neal. This pair have had a string of great results together, with a win in the 4*-L at Galway Downs, 2nd place at Aspen Farms in the 4*-S and 4th in the 4*-S at Twin Rivers all on their card last season. This year hasn’t gone exactly to plan so far, however, with Karen opting to put her hand up after picking up 20 penalties out on course in the 4*-S at TerraNova in their season opener.
Their first phase scores are a little unpredictable, mostly in the low- to mid-30s, but then there’s a couple of sub-30s in the mix too at 4*. Their cross country form is similar; some great clears but then a mistake here and there. They certainly won’t be troubling the clock on Saturday but very few rookie combinations would be. The gelding tends to have a pole on the final day at long-format events, but really, just being there at the end will be a win for this pair as they set out on their top-level career together.
#12: 🇺🇸 Phillip Dutton & Possante
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Former Emily King ride Possante makes his CCI5* debut with Phillip Dutton at Kentucky this time around after a superb 2nd place in the 4*-S division last year. He showed his potential between the white boards early on, with sub-30 marks at the 4* level sneaking in right from the start, specifically in the prestigious 4*-S for 8- and 9-year old horses at Blenheim in 2022, where he put down a 25.2 with Emily and went on to finish 5th. More recently he’s been consistently in the 20s with Phillip and there’s no reason to think he’ll be much more than a hoofprint in the 30s at most as he enters the ring for the 5* test this week. He’s also shown his quality out on course, with a clean sweep of clear rounds with Phillip in 15 international events, bar one mistake last year in the 4*-L at TerraNova. They do have a tendency to go steady, their fastest round at a long-format event came over in the Netherlands at Boekelo in 2024, where they added 6 time penalties on a day where the majority of the field had quick runs. There’s been a little inconsistency in the show jumping ring for the gelding, with at least one pole in each of his long-format runs with Phillip, sometimes two, but that’s all academic at this stage with a solid completion being first and foremost in Phillip’s mind as the horse takes his place at the top of the sport.
#14: 🇬🇧 Tom Jackson & Plot Twist B
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This talented gelding made his CCI5* debut at Pau in 2024 and banked a solid completion. The following year Tom Jackson opted to take the then 10-year-old over to Germany for Luhmühlen, but a green error mid-way round the cross country, where the horse just didn’t lock on to a jump positioned on an island in the middle of the water complex, culminated in Tom deciding to put his hand up and hack home. An uncharacteristically high dressage score of 41 to start the competition suggests that “Blue” just wasn’t really feeling it that week. Experience gained and homework done, the pair went to Pau last year and this exciting young horse put two and two together and came up with 2nd place on the podium and a fabulous finish on his dressage score. Are we excited to see what he’ll pull out of the bag in the Bluegrass? Not half!
We’re looking at a low-30s score in the first phase which should keep him in sight of the leading pack after the dressage. He’s generally been a very reliable cross country jumper, with just that error at Luhmühlen marring his card in recent years, a blip for sure. He’s certainly got the turn of foot to keep time penalties at a minimum, or even none – he was one of only six horses from 53 to beat the clock at Pau last year. Up until this season, his form over the colored poles was as clean as his cross country record, however a recent trip to Kronenberg in the Netherlands for the popular 4*-S event saw him rack up 12 penalties in the show jumping. Hopefully we can put that down to coming back after the long winter and Tom’ll have ironed out any kinks before he enters the stadium at Kentucky Horse Park on Sunday.
It would be foolish to rule this pair out of another great finish if all goes their way this week.
#15: 🇺🇸 Shannon Lilley & Eindhoven Garette
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Eindhoven Garette and Shannon Lilley made their CCI5* debut at Kentucky in 2025 and finished 17th, the second-best placed rookie pair in the field. They went on to contest Maryland in the fall and came 12th, despite picking up 20 penalties when a bounce stride in a combination came up a bit short for them, but it was a day when penalties were many across the field and the tough track saw off some very high profile combinations, so to complete was a feat in itself. They come back to the Bluegrass with those two solid results under their cinch and surely an eye for moving even further up the order in their second 5* season together.
This horse has a serious work ethic and tries his best in all three phases, and although dressage isn’t his natural strength, with scores lying in the mid- high-30s range, he’s got an eventing heart and gets on with the job in hand best he can. Come cross country day and you really see that dig deep attitude come into play. There’s a couple of jumping penalties on his record, but they came as part of the step up to the 4* level, and since then, bar the mishap at Maryland, he’s proved to be a dependable partner to Shannon. He’s not the quickest, he added 30.8 time penalties last year at Kentucky, the slowest clear of the day, but we can forgive him that because he’s just such a nice guy. He had two poles at the Horse park on the final day last time, one at Maryland, but there are plenty of clears at long-format events on his record which suggests that a double clear jumping isn’t out of reach at the top level.
No matter where they end up in the order, Shannon’s sure to have a blast with her pal and we’ll enjoy watching a true event horse loving his job.
#16: 🇺🇸 Boyd Martin & Cooley Nutcracker
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Boyd Martin and Cooley Nutcracker have had a full season together now, and what a season it was. Amongst other solid results, they won the CCI4*-S at Carolina after finishing on their dressage score and then made the trip over to France in the fall for Pau and secured a superb podium placing. Prior to Boyd taking over the reins, “Bali” made his 5* debut with Liz Halliday at Kentucky in 2024 and finished 8th.
Consistently sub-30 in the dressage in recent form, we can expect this exciting gelding to be in the chase after the first phase. An exceptional cross country jumper, he’s got just a couple of frangible penalties and a missed flag on his card in 28 international completions. We perhaps haven’t yet seen him at his quickest across the country, so watch this space in terms of time, but at Pau last year he added just 3.6 penalties. He jumped clear in the final phase in France, albeit with one second of time, but he does have a tendency to take a pole on occasion, more often at short-format events though.
Whatever happens, the crowd are sure to be behind this popular combination and if they are up there after all’s said and done, well that’ll surely be an emotional result.
#17: 🇬🇧 Harry Meade & Superstition
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This striking 17-year-old gelding has flown a little under the radar, what with some incredibly successful breakout stars as stablemates back home in Harry Meade’s herd and having been lightly run over the years. But he’s really come into his own of late, with a convincing clear inside the time on cross country day at Badminton last year earning him 6th place. Interestingly, that was his only international run last year, with Harry opting to bring the gelding out fresh thinking it would suit the horse to run cold; clearly Harry knows best. His best CCI5* result came at Kentucky back in 2021 on his debut at the level, where a sub-30 dressage score and a clear inside the time set him up nicely for a 5th place finish. If you’re noticing a pattern emerging, you’re not wrong. In five 5* starts, this guy’s beat the clock on four occasions, the anomaly being Burghley in 2024, understandable after having spent the whole of the 2023 season on the sidelines.
Although he has produced a couple of sub-30 scores in the first phase (the other being at Maryland in 2021), more recent form suggests we can expect something in the low-30s. But absolutely we can be looking for a clear and quick round come Saturday, which should see him climb the leaderboard some. He has an impeccable international cross country record with Harry, with 12 clears from 12 starts. He’s not immune to a pole or two in the show jumping phase, which may cost him a couple of places. He had two at Badminton last year, one rail and one jump he inexplicably opted to go through rather than over in a bit of a yikes moment for Harry, but he has jumped clear at the level in the past. It’s a bit of a will he won’t he situation really, based on the fact that his form’s so spread out over a number of seasons, but it’ll keep us guessing right ‘til the end and we eventers do tend to enjoy edge of the seat kinda stuff.
Whatever happens, it’s very cool to see this guy over in the States for a fourth time competing on US soil.
#18: 🇺🇸 Caroline Pamukcu & She’s The One
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“Jemma” made her first CCI5* start with Caroline Pamukcu at Kentucky last year but had to wait ‘til Maryland in the fall for the chance to see it through after being withdrawn before cross country on her debut. Sadly, it wasn’t meant to be that time around either, when the mare just didn’t read one of the trickiest fences on the course and took a tumble on what was a tough day at the office for a number of competitors, including some very experienced combinations. So she starts Kentucky this week, looking for her third time lucky moment.
We’re expecting a low-30s mark in the first phase; she scored 31.4 at Maryland and has been going sub-30 at the 4* level. Aside from the green error there, her cross country jumping record had been clean for two full seasons. She hasn’t yet had the chance to show how speedy she could be across the country, and Caroline will be going for a confidence-building clear round on Saturday, so we’re unlikely to really see what she’s made of in terms of the time until later events. Should she enter the ring on Sunday, it’s a bit of a guessing game over whether she’ll keep the poles up, sometimes she does, sometimes she has one, or three. Fingers crossed this is the event where we’ll get to find out.
#19: 🇺🇸 Emily Hamel & Corvett
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An icon of top-level eventing, “Barry” aka “Corvett Airlines” has been a warhorse of a campaigner in recent history for Emily Hamel, delivering her dream of completing at all six of the world’s CCI5* events in a career that’s seen him fly into the hearts of eventing fans across the US and Europe.
With no fewer than ten 5* starts to his name, all of them completions, this horse knows a thing or two about getting the job done at a big event. His best result came at Maryland in 2024, where he finished 7th despite picking up a 20 out on cross country when his exuberance got the better of him, causing a drive by at the final element of a combination late on course, but it was a track that got the better of some very high profile competitors and getting round even with penalties was a feat in itself. He was top ten at Kentucky in 2023 where he came tantalizingly close to finishing on his dressage score, just two seconds of time in the stadium on the Sunday stopping him from keeping a clean sheet. Over on the other side of the Pond, he was 20th at Burghley in 2022 and 15th at Luhmühlen in 2024, capping off his campaign to complete all the Northern Hemisphere 5*s at Pau last season with 14th place.
He’s likely to be somewhere in the middle of the pack after the dressage phase, with scores trending in the mid-30s, but this guy is absolutely in this game for the jumping. Does he have a completely clean record across the country? Not quite, but that doesn’t take away from the experience of watching him jump into the stratosphere as he leaves us in no doubt about his joy for the job. All that air time does mean he’s not as speedy as he perhaps could be, with time penalties likely to be added, but he’s nippy in his approach and opens out in between and makes up as many seconds lost to the atmosphere as possible. His performance in the show jumping ring is almost flawless, unless that boundless bounce jumps him into a spot of bother, as it did at Kentucky last year, when the inevitable gasps from the crowd followed him over each fence as Barry let rip – and then came the most enormous jump from the then 18-year-old game gelding, think Puissance wall height. Emily flew out of the tack, clinging on, Barry took the chance to have a gallop, Emily’s yoga core saved the day and she managed to sit up, but sadly tracks were crossed and they were given 4 penalties as well as accruing a fair few time penalties. Barry sure personifies the adage that you’re only as old as you feel.
The now 19-year-old is surely evergreen as he lines up to take his spot on the Kentucky roster this spring, and he’s come out this season in fine form, adding just a single second of time to his score in the 4*-S at Stable View on his way to 4th place.
In the back of our minds we’ve got to prepare ourselves for the day when this iconic gelding will bow out of the big time. Until then, let’s enjoy the spectacle that is Corvett Airlines as he hops, skips and and flies his way round yet another mammoth track, giving the fences on both Saturday and Sunday miles of air as he jumps for joy. We salute you Barry.
#20: 🇺🇸 Alex Conrad & Malibu Preacher
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This wonderfully wild Thoroughbred makes the step up to CCI5* at Kentucky with Alex Conrad in what’ll be an exciting day on the jog strip if his past antics are anything to go by. He’s familiar with the Horse Park having contested the 4*-S last year and gaining a top-25 placing, putting him just over halfway up the field. His dressage scores are typically mid-30s, however, if he’s feeling the atmosphere he can have a hoof in the 40s, as he did in the 4*-S at TerraNova in the winter and in the 4*-L at Rebecca Farm last summer. His cross country jumping record is clean enough, bar a couple of green 20s, but he does tend to accrue a bit of time out on course. Alex won’t be thinking too much of the clock on Saturday though, most important will be a confidence-building run for the gelding’s first time at the top level. He’s likely to have a pole, maybe two in the show jumping phase, and maybe a little time too, but should he be there and completing, that’ll be a win for this lovely horse as he forges his career at the very top of his game.
#21: 🇺🇸 Woodge Fulton & Cash Point
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Cash Point comes forward for his first CCI5* start at Kentucky with experienced 5* rider Savannah Fulton. The pair have competed in the 4*-S at the Horse Park twice before, coming 24th last year and 33rd in 2024. Alongside that they had a great result in the 4*-L at Bromont last season, where they finished in the money in 5th place. This 11-year-old gelding is still gaining strength in the first phase and scores tend to be in the mid- to high-30s at 4*. He’s a reliable cross country jumper with just the one 20 on his international card, but he’s not the swiftest horse in the field, with time penalties racking up to double figures and sometimes into the twenties. But that’s irrelevant for this trip, which will be all about building this young horse’s confidence for the future. His show jumping form is a little unpredictable with clears coming at both long- and short-format events, but also poles, sometimes two or three. But if he’s there at the end of this weekend, no matter what happens along the way, it’ll be a great start to this guy’s career at the top of his sport and good experience to build from for what’s to come.
#22: 🇳🇿 Monica Spencer & Artist
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Artist’s CCI5* career didn’t get off to the kind of start that would have been expected given his record over the season prior, what with never being outside the top 4 at each of his Australian events. After a stunning performance as a late call-up for the Kiwi team at the World Championships in Pratoni where he contributed to the team Bronze medal, hopes were high for his debut at the top level at Adelaide in 2023. Alas, it wasn’t to be. After leading the dressage, an uncharacteristic tumble from owner-rider Monica Spencer out on cross country saw them bow out of the competition early. But they sure have put that right since.
A relocation to the States saw them on the Maryland roster later that year, where they were 7th, then a classy quick round – just two seconds over the time and fifth fastest of the finishers – the following spring at Kentucky delivered another 7th place. A hop over to Burghley for a result just outside the top 10 in the fall really proved their mettle on the world stage and all this culminated in a superb 2nd place on the podium at Maryland in 2025.
Stunning on the flat, easily and consistently delivering mid-20s scores in the dressage phase, his best coming at Maryland last season in the form of a 23.7, this Thoroughbred matches that style between the boards out on course, with clear round after clear round running all through his international record. He’s perhaps not as quick as you’d expect a blood horse to be, generally adding a few time penalties to his score, but he did go clear inside the time at Maryland last season on a day when the Thoroughbreds really stood out from the crowd in terms of the clock. The chink in his armor is a big one though – those colored poles. They were in the lead at Maryland going into the final phase, but two poles down opened the door and dropped them, thankfully not too far this time, into 2nd. Kentucky 2024 was a similar story, a few places lost as the poles fell. They generally keep it to two, but there’s been at least one at every 5* they’ve contested and it’s a bit of a pattern at long-format. If they can iron out the final phase, or be so far out in front they’ve got a buffer, this pair will certainly be seeing many more top level podiums.
#23: 🇺🇸 Braden Speck & BSF Liam
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BSF Liam makes his CCI5* debut with fellow rookie Braden Speck at Kentucky this week. They’ve had two seasons at the 4* level in preparation, with seven international completions from seven starts, and now feel ready to test their mettle at the top of the sport. This pair are unlikely to be troubling the top of the leaderboard after dressage, with typical scores coming in the high-30s to a toe in the 40s, but cross country day is what they’re in this game for. There’s not a single jumping penalty on his FEI record of 20 runs — no flags, no frangible devices, nothing at all. There are time penalties, often a fair few, but for this combination this week, a confidence-building start to their time at the top of the sport is all that matters, so the clock really won’t come into play. If they’re still in the game on Sunday, they’re likely to add a pole or two to their score, plus some time, but, as with all the 5* first-timers in the field, this week is all about that completion — no matter where they end up, it’s something to build from for their future.
[Click here to read Braden’s Kentucky rookie profile]
#24: 🇺🇸 Arden Wildasin & Sunday Times
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“Mumbles” made his CCI5* debut with Arden Wildasin at Kentucky last year and pulled in a top-20 result. He picked up 20 jumping penalties in the cross country phase, but plenty did that day. The pair banked the experience and took it to Maryland later in the season where they finished 10th, despite a clear cross country round eluding them once again, although, as at Kentucky, the track proved to be tricky for most and a fair few high profile combinations failed to get round. So this guy’s proved he’s got what it takes around some very tough courses and no doubt that clear’ll come before much longer.
What we know for sure is that this gelding is unlikely to win the dressage. We are almost certainly looking at a score in the 40s. It just ain’t his thang. However, eventing is not a dressage competition and this is the kind of horse we love to see: a leaderboard climber. He went into cross country last year with the second-worst score in the field, and then delivered the second-quickest of the rounds with penalties. This is a horse whose heart is out on the track and not only is he a generally reliable jumper, he’s quick with it. We haven’t had the chance to see how fast he can be at 5* when he jumps clear, but on his season opener in the 4*-S at Carolina this spring, he was joint fourth-fastest in the field. He does tend to add a pole or two in the final phase, he kept it to one at the Horse Park last year, but has jumped clear at a long-format events in the past, not least in the 4*-L at Morven Park in 2024, where he finished on his dressage score in 4th place.
Where will this combination end up this week? Time will tell. But Arden’s goal will surely be to get that clear cross country round in the bag, anything else will be the cherry on top.
#25: 🇺🇸 Jennie Brannigan & FE Lifestyle
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“Foxy” has taken on Kentucky CCI5* on five occasions, bettering his placing on each attempt, from 24th on his debut at the level in 2021, through 16th and 12th place, to top 10 in 2025. But there was disappointment on his fifth time contesting the big one at the Horse Park – after what was shaping up to be a superb start to the round, this usually reliable cross country horse picked up a really unfortunate 20 at fence 12. He’d been cross entered for Badminton the following week and Jennie Brannigan had been in two minds where to take him. She quickly put her hand up, walked off course, and prepared for a flight to the UK to reroute. Sadly, “Foxy” had a trailering accident which meant he couldn’t take up his place on the Badminton start list. After the rest of the season on rest and rehab, he came back out at Maryland in the fall and achieved his best ever 5* result, 5th place.
Generally we’re looking at low- mid-30s scores in the first phase, although some of his best scores have come at 5*, with a 31.1 at Burghley in 2023 and a 32.8 at Maryland last year. In his season opener this year at Carolina, he went sub-30 for the first time in his career, albeit at the 4* level. Super reliable across the country, there’s just two jumping penalties on his card from 39 international competitions, one at his first ever 5* and then that anomaly at Kentucky last year. “Foxy” is jumper-bred and he’s only about 37% blood, but Jennie describes the horse as having “no bottom” when it comes to tough cross country tracks. He can be pretty nifty on his day, coming home just one second over the time at Kentucky in 2024, the joint-fourth best time of the finishers. At Maryland last year he took a little more time though, so we’ll just have to wait and see on the day. He does tend to take a rail in the final phase at 5*, but ordinarily he keeps it to just the one. He’s come out in great form this season, taking 3rd place in the 4*-S at Stable View where he added just a smidge of time to his score across the competition.
If everything goes to plan, it would be really cool to see this combination duking it out at the business end of the leaderboard this week and there’s every chance they will be.
#27: 🇮🇪 Padraig McCarthy & Pomp N Circumstance
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This 12-year-old gelding has made his way over from Ireland to step up to CCI5* at Kentucky after spending three seasons honing his craft at the 4* level. Along the way he’s represented his country at the 4*-L Nations Cup event at Boekelo in 2024, where he finished 10th individually and was part of the gold medal winning Irish team. His efforts led to him being selected for the European Championships last year, where he put in another solid performance for Team Ireland, coming 12th individually and securing a team silver medal for Padraig McCarthy’s bling cabinet. So he comes to his first 5* decorated with some impressive metalwork to his name.
He’s been posting low- to mid-30s scores in the first phase, so he won’t be at the business end of things after the dressage, but his cross country jumping record is impeccable, with nary a fault in 17 international competitions. He’s speedy to boot, and proved he can be quick round a meaty track when he finished on his dressage score in the 4*-L at Bramham last season. His performance in the final phase is equally impressive, with just one pole down since 2023 in what certainly looks to be a tiny blip, given it came in a 2*-S.
Watch this space for a leaderboard climb, and although it’s his first time at the top level, Padraig won’t have flown the horse halfway across the world if he didn’t think they were in with a good shot at a great finish this week.
#28: 🇺🇸 Gabby Dickerson & Traditionally Fernhill
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This 12-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding makes his CCI5* debut with Gabby Dickerson at Kentucky after a solid spin round the 4*-S division last year before spending some time over in the UK gaining experience on the international circuit at the 4* level. His first phase scores have been improving recently, dropping from the 40s to the mid-30s as he’s developed strength as he’s matured. He had been a reliably clear cross country jumper until last season, when he picked up his first ever 20 with Gabby in the 4*-S at Scone Palace in Scotland and a fall in the 4*-S at Aston Le Walls in England. He’s not historically been the speediest guy in the field and the clock certainly won’t come into play this week on his first time at the level, when Gabby will be hoping to bank a good experience for the gelding to set him up for the future. The show jumping is a little sticky, with only two clears on his card in 21 rounds, and plenty of occasions he’s added time penalties too, but again, the order of the day will be a completion this time out as he makes his debut at the pinnacle of his sport.
[Click here to read Gabby’s Kentucky rookie profile]
#29: 🇬🇧 Tom McEwen & Brookfield Quality
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“Nervous Norris” is back in the Bluegrass for another shot at the Kentucky crown having finished 5th last year. His CCI5* journey has been a game of two halves, really. He made his debut at Luhmühlen in 2024 and was sitting in 2nd after the first phase only for a freak storm to crash through the site during his cross country round. Tom McEwen took shelter with the gelding under a tree, but the necessary hold on course while flags were retrieved and signage was righted etc. obviously disrupted what had been shaping up to be a really strong round, and Tom opted to retire rather than restart once things got back underway. Undeterred, the pair made their way to Pau that fall and picked up a podium placing in 3rd. Then came that great Kentucky result before a return trip to the Pyrenees ended in disappointment. They were having a great spin, really positive and seeing some flyers, but “Norris” got perhaps a little too keen, which led to a couple of tricky strides in combinations and culminated in a broken frangible device at a C element, a 20 at the D, and Tom putting up his hand.
We can easily expect a sub-30 score in the dressage phase, probably around the mid-20s mark, and therefore this pair is likely to head into Saturday right up in the mix at the top of the pack. If “Norris” keeps his keenness under control, we absolutely should be looking at a clear round on cross country day. He’s unlikely to be the quickest round the track, but that first phase score should mean he doesn’t lose too much to time. This guy’s show jumping record is a thing of beauty. He had a rail at the Horse Park last year but that’s one in many, many clear rounds, although he did have one in his season opener in the 4*-S at Kronenberg this spring.
Can Tom take the Kentucky crown this time around? He was runner-up in 2023 and 2024 with JL Dublin, might “Norris” bring it home for him? He just might.
#30: 🇦🇺 Ema Klugman & Chiraz
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Chiraz steps up to the level at Kentucky with US-based Aussie Ema Klugman after picking up a 4th place finish in the CCI4*-L at TerraNova last winter and a trip over to the Netherlands for the 4*-L at Boekelo last fall. He’s not a newcomer to the Horse Park, having contested the 4*-S division last year and putting in a solid performance for 9th place. Typically mid-30s in the first phase, we shouldn’t expect this lovely gray gelding to be in the mix after the dressage, but this pair are a gutsy duo come cross country day. Their early time together did see them pick up some jumping penalties, but more recently Ema’s ironed out the kinks and she’s suitably excited to see how Chiraz does at the top level of the sport. Of course we can expect some time to be added, with it being his first go, and there may be a pole on Sunday, there generally is at long-format events, but a solid completion will be the order of this week and experience banked to take forward as this lovely horse progresses in his career.
#32: 🇳🇿 Tim Price & Vitali
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We all know what’s coming when we talk about Vitali. So many nearly wons. So many near podiums. So many poles down. This horse is so very, very talented on the flat – a record-holder in fact. In 2023 he strutted his way softly around the Burghley Main Arena and delivered the first sub-20 test in the history of the event – a remarkable 18.7. Surely the win was practically in the bag? Alas. He finished 4th after picking up 12 faults in the final phase. At Badminton in 2024 it was a battle between two greats – Tim went into the show jumping ring a hair ahead of William Fox-Pitt riding for his final time at the top level. The crowd would be celebrating whichever one of them held up the trophy. But no. The horses had other plans. William dropped right out of contention with six poles down. Surely Vitali could do it, what with the whopping buffer of 11.5 points between him and the combination now in 2nd. He could keep it to two and a couple of time faults. Five poles he took out. Five. And down the leaderboard he tumbled once more. He’s a heartbreaker this guy. That being said, he can keep it together, as he proved at Burghley in 2024, when just the one pole down kept his spot and he finished a respectable runner-up to Ros Canter and Lordships Graffalo.
However, all this isn’t to take anything away from a horse with a remarkable record. In eight 5* starts he hasn’t finished outside the top 10. Over three consecutive years he was 3rd, 4th and 2nd at Burghley. We can’t ignore this kind of consistency at the highest level of the sport. As well as his talent in the dressage ring, he’s reliable across the country, with nary a jumping penalty across his entire international career, but for his first ever event. He’s not super speedy and certainly in recent seasons he’s struggled to keep up with the quick kids on the block, but his first phase score keeps him there or thereabouts for a great top placing, if the poles stay in the cups.
#33: 🇺🇸 Boyd Martin & Commando 3
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If we’re talking about potential winners, then this impressive gelding has got to be on our radar. He’s come out of the starting box in fine form this season, with a runner-up spot in the CCI4*-S at Bouckaert Farm despite having a planned steady run across the country. His 5* debut at Maryland with Boyd Martin in 2024 may not have gone to plan, with a fall very early on course coming as a surprise to everyone watching, and probably Boyd also, but he more than made up for that hiccup when he came back out at Kentucky last season and came 2nd on his first proper go at the level. He firmly cemented his place as a horse at the top of his game when he backed that podium up with another one at Maryland in the fall, where he was 3rd.
This guy has got sub-30 potential in the first phase written all over him, with a 28.5 on his debut and a 26 at Kentucky twelve months ago. He was a whisper in the 30s at Maryland last fall but that’s an anomaly on his recent record, really. He’s also as reliable as they come across the country, with just that one blip at Maryland marring an otherwise faultless record in 16 international competitions with Boyd. So far he hasn’t been the quickest round the track, but Boyd’s a smooth operator and knows how to gain ground without pushing his horses. He’s talented in the final phase too, with just the odd penalty creeping in here and there; he jumped clear at the Horse Park last time out though.
So, an eventing triple threat, not the only one in the barn for the lucky guy that is Boyd Martin, who’s surely got two or three hot chances for the podium (depending on whether he decides to take up his Badminton entry with Miks Master C), and potentially the win, at Kentucky this week.
#34: 🇬🇧 Harry Meade & Grafennacht
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This mare’s tough as they come and is back for another outing at Kentucky for the second year running after finishing just off the podium last season. She was fairly new to Harry Meade then, having started out her international career with William Fox-Pitt and successfully progressed to the top of the sport with the lanky Englishman in the saddle. Harry and “Lillie” gelled from the start though, taking the win in the CCI4*-L at Montellibretti in their first international outing together, before hopping on a flight to the States just over a month later and going clear inside the time in the Bluegrass. She proved her 5* mettle at the wet and wild edition of Badminton in 2023, where she stepped up and showed that she could slog it out with the best of ‘em in difficult conditions caused by the British weather and finished 14th. Later that season William took her to Maryland, where she really stamped her mark at the top of the sport with a superb runner-up finish. Badminton the following spring was William’s last time riding at the level and they went into the show jumping in 2nd. Alas, the poles came down, six in total, and with them a tumble right down the leaderboard to 13th place.
In her first couple of 5*s with William, she was consistently mid-20s in the first phase, however more recently those scores have crept up some; at Kentucky last year with Harry she scored 35.2. But Harry will have been applying his trademark precision to his training with the mare since then, and at 14 she’s really coming into her full strength and power, so we can probably expect a downwards trajectory, heading towards the kind of scores that’ll put her in the mix going into cross country day. They had a little practice in the 3*-S at Thoresby this spring and scored 29.5 before withdrawing to save the mare for the bigger things to come, and it’ll be interesting to see where they’re at when they come out of the dressage ring at the Horse Park.
What we can definitely say for sure is that this mare is reliably clear across the country. There’s just one jumping penalty on her international record, which came back in 2021. Time is a little trickier to predict, although she was quick enough to beat the clock last year and having flown half way across the world to compete at Kentucky, Harry won’t be in the mix just for funsies. And so it really all comes down to what happens on the last day. What we can say based on her form is that in all likelihood there will be a rail, maybe two, maybe more. She hasn’t jumped clear at a long-format event since the 4*-L Nations Cup event at Boekelo with William in 2021.
This is a lady who’ll keep us guessing, about where she’ll land in the pack after the first phase and then where she’ll end up after all’s said and done, with the bit in the middle promising to be a fun time watching a gritty mare who’s tough as old boots and gutsy as they come do what she does best.
#35: 🇺🇸 Caroline Pamukcu & HSH Blake
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Break-out star HSH Blake stepped up to the CCI5* level last season at Maryland in fine style with a 4th place finish, adding just cross country time penalties to his score across the competition. A real talent between the white boards, he’s consistently sub-30 in the first phase, with a 28.2 at Maryland putting him and Caroline Pamukcu in 2nd overnight, and he’s just as stylish across the country, with just a very uncharacteristic 20 at the Paris Olympics and a missed flag in the 4*-S at Kentucky last year marring an otherwise pristine international record of 29 starts and 29 completions. He showed he could beat the clock at the 4*-L level at Tryon in 2024, where he finished on his dressage score and took the win, but we haven’t seen that kind of speed since; at Maryland his was one of the slower rounds of the day, although the cross country track last year beat a fair few prolific competitors so a completion was a feat in itself, let alone coming home clear, albeit a little steady, and it was his first time at the level, after all. This young star is shaping up to be a bit of a triple threat, with relatively clean record in the show jumping phase too. There’s the odd pole dotted through his performances, but they are few and far between, and he jumped clear at Maryland so that’s a pretty good indication of what we can expect on Sunday.
He’s come out this season in fine form, taking the runner-up spot in the 4*-S at Carolina. He’ll certainly be in the mix after the dressage this week, and is likely to still be there or thereabouts after Saturday’s excitement. Wherever he lands after that will likely hold, or improve, depending on what happens to those combinations above him in the show jumping.
Might Blake be king of Kentucky? He might.
