Yasmin Ingham and Banzai du Loir. Photo by Tilly Berendt.
We’re always pleased to welcome a healthy contingent of international entries here to the Defender Kentucky Three-Day Event, presented by MARS Equestrian, but the risk we run is that they’ll run the gamut on the dressage leaderboard. Today proved that point, as we’re looking at a top five comprised entirely of horses who’ve come from the UK and Europe for this weekend’s competitions. No complaints here, though — what a treat to get a glimpse of some of these top talents that we don’t often get to see on this side of the Atlantic!
Great Britain’s Yasmin Ingham set sail with Janette Chin’s and the Sue Davies Fund’s Banzai du Loir (Nouma D’Auzay – Gerboise du Cochet, by Livarot), scoring a 25.3 before the score was eventually adjusted to a 26.0 to take a healthy lead on day one of dressage competition. The reigning World Champion after winning individual gold in Pratoni in 2022, Yasmin’s well-known for her icy veins, and her longstanding partnership with “Banzai” has boosted the pair to international fame on the back of multiple competitive results dating back to their junior squad days. The pair competed here at Kentucky last year, but a frustrating and disappointing drive-by late on course saw their hope of a podium finish evaporate in a matter of seconds. This year, Yasmin’s got a clean slate and has set herself in prime position to make a bid for her first 5* win.
Yasmin Ingham and Banzai du Loir. Photo by Tilly Berendt.
“He felt really good today,” Yasmin commented. “It’s just such a treat to be back here and to be able to perform dressage in the Rolex stadium is very, very special. So incredibly grateful to be here and he’s feeling really good and produced a brilliant score, and now I’m very excited for Saturday to tackle the cross country.”
One tiny bobble on the first centerline earned them the lowest marks of the test — a 5.0 at the lowest from judge at C Robert Stevenson — but they’d trend upward for the remainder to earn the sole sub-30 mark of the first day. “[We] just very slightly had a bit of a waver on the centerline, which is unlike him, but obviously we have to forget about that movement and focus on the rest of the test,” Yasmin said. “So I tried to put that behind me very quickly and just focus on the rest of the test, but he was very obedient and he was super expressive and he’s just a joy to ride. I really enjoy riding him on the flat.”
Kirsty Chabert and Classic VI. Photo by Tilly Berendt.
Fellow Brit Kirsty Chabert also hit the top portion of the leaderboard today with the 15-year-old Anglo European mare Classic VI (Calvaro F.C. – India Summer, by unknown), earning a 31.0 to sit second after the first day. Kirsty also came to Kentucky last year, and while she didn’t quite have the result she would’ve wanted, she followed that trip up with a solid sixth place finish at Pau and will be looking to build on that here in Kentucky. She’s put herself into an even better place here, shaving 2.6 penalties off her most recent 5* score with Classic VI, who is owned by Carole Somers, John Johnston, Kate Ward.
Despite some congestion at the end of the ramp that caused a bit of an adrenaline spike for the mare, Kirsty said she was pleased with the test she was able to produce. Kirsty also lamented the poor weather in England that seems to annually push back riders’ various preparations for the spring 5* season. “In England, we’ve had dire weather,” she said “So our run up to this has been very interesting. I did manage to get to Kronenberg, which was fantastic. So she’s had a really great two runs, but two runs that was it!”
Malin Hansen-Hotopp and Carlitos Quidditch K. Photo by Tilly Berendt.
Germany slots into third and fourth position overnight thanks to the efforts of Malin Hansen-Hotopp and Bodil Ipsen’s Carlitos Quidditch K (Quiwi Dream – Amsterdam, by San Patrignano Cassini), who scored a 31.1 for third, and Calvin Böckmann riding the Böckmann family’s The Phantom of the Opera (Quo Vados – M-Bunt Jack, by Peking Opera xx) to a 31.4 in their 5* debut for fourth place.
“It was stupid at the beginning. He was a little bit nervous and then I just rode in and tried to relax really and he just started to trot. Ugh, how could that happen at Kentucky!” Malin chuckled in the mixed zone after her test. “But it’s okay, I really took a breath and said, ‘Okay, I would just give my best and stay relaxed and ride and just try to get every point that I can get.’ And I think we did that.”
The result is still a score they can build on as they look for a competitive finish here, “Schimmi’s” debut at the level. “I was really happy that we just brought it together in the end.”
This trip to the U.S. is special for both Malin and Calvin. Malin actually spent some time here in Wisconsin with a host family during an exchange trip following university, and she’d made it a goal to trek over here so that the family, who are in their 80s, could come and see her compete. “It was my biggest dream just to go, and everything fit well with this horse just right because they can join me here,” she said.
Calvin Böckmann and The Phantom of the Opera. Photo by Tilly Berendt.
As for Calvin, who’s also making a debut at the level alongside The Phantom of the Opera, and will also turn 23 on the day of cross country this weekend (happy early birthday, Calvin!), coming to Kentucky has been a dream of his since his junior years watching on the live stream. As he puts it, “it took me about three days to realize I was finally here!”, describing the grounds as even more lovely than the live stream could ever do justice. “Literally two days ago, driving from the hotel to here was like the first morning where I was like, ‘I’m actually here.’ And I actually get goosebumps again when I think about that. So it’s just incredible. The country is so beautiful. You don’t really see that on video. Just being here now feels quite unreal.”
Calvin may be making his debut here, but he’s quite experienced for his young age: he’s competed for Germany on, count ’em, nine European Championships teams for both show jumping and eventing as a junior/Young Rider. He’s also a member of the German federation’s Warendorf training program — hence the military uniform he’s worn in competition — which provides access to training with riders such as reigning Olympic gold medalist Julia Krajewski.
Monica Spencer and Artist. Photo by Tilly Berendt.
Rounding out the top five is New Zealand’s Monica Spencer (but we’re claiming her as our own for at least the next three years, honestly, despite the fact she loves marmite so much she’d eat it for the rest of her life) and her off-track Thoroughbred Artist (Guillotine – Maxamore, by Satin Blush). This pair scored a 31.9 to hold their own despite, as Monica puts it, the difficulty of having to follow the flashy test of Yasmin Ingham.
“He was a really good boy…he stayed with me, which was nice,” Monica commented. “Obviously Yasmin was a hard act to follow, but I’m really happy with it. He’s always been a beautiful mover, especially for a Thoroughbred but he’s definitely getting more trained as he gets older and all the buttons get smaller and the little details and everything. So I think he’s still got more in there and we’ll just keep working away. I’m just happy how he is in the brain that he can go in there when it’s a big atmosphere, and he’s still listening to me.”
Hannah Sue Hollberg finds herself in a somewhat familiar place today as the top-placed U.S. rider (she was also the top U.S. finisher at the Maryland 5 Star last fall). She’ll be in sixth place after the first day with Christa Schmidt’s Capitol H I M (who’s actually named after a line in Lady Gaga’s “Born This Way”, fun fact I only just learned today) with a score of 33.0.
“How long do you think I’ll stay in the lead?” Hannah joked in the mixed zone during what turned out to be a highly entertaining interview (see below).
Hannah has been working on the flat with international Grand Prix rider and well-respected coach Nicholas Fyffe, and she said that practice has really helped her and “Chito”, who is 17 this year, put the pieces together in this phase. “I worked with [Nicholas] before Fair Hill, and then over the winter,” she elaborated. “He made a huge difference in my horse really quickly before Fair Hill. And he had like the best test he has ever had. And I was like, ‘oh, that’s something.’ So I’ve been working with him and I brought him here this week. He’s so good at just pushing me enough but not boiling the horse over. I thought it went better than it’s ever been. So I’m really happy with him.”
Today was a big day for debut horses: we saw seven horses dance down centerline for the first time at this level and will see a handful more tomorrow.
Sara Kozumplik and Rock Phantom. Photo by Tilly Berendt.
First in the ring this afternoon was Sara Kozumplik with the oh-so-snuggly Rock Phantom (Spirit House – Ballycroy Rose, by Clonakilty Hero), owned by Sara’s longtime and wonderful supporter Edy Rameika. Sara describes “Rocky” as the ultimate trier who she’s tried to be sensible with as she produced him to this debut. “His previous rider, Nilson Moreira da Silva, brought him up through the four-star level, he produced the horse to that level and did a great job. It takes a little bit of time getting to know the horses and things and I’ve had him for a little over two years now and we’ve just been working on our communication and connection and strength. We’ve done a few four-stars together and I feel that once horses have done those sorts of things, they have a really good solid base. But you know, I produce a lot of Thoroughbreds at this level, I have not produced… well, we call him our family horse, because there’s a lot of Rocky going on. But he is fit. So hopefully, it’ll all be fine. But yeah, I don’t do as many competitions as other people. I think once horses have gotten to that level, we tend to pick and choose what we need to do.”
Sara and Rocky earned a score of 35.3, a very respectable debut as they look ahead to Saturday.
Phillip Dutton and Quasi Cool. Photo by Tilly Berendt.
Quasi Cool (Quo Vados – B-Estelle, by Lord) is another debutant for Phillip, who’s probably lost count of how many horses he’s brought to Kentucky at this point (must be nice, Phil, jeez save some for the rest of us), scoring a 33.8 to sit in seventh overnight. Quasi Cool is owned by Caroline Moran.
“He’s coming back from an injury and I gave him plenty of time off,” Phillip said. “But he’s done two four-stars before, he won at Morven Park and then he placed at Bromont and they’re pretty big, strong four-star courses. I think he’s ready for it.”
Ema Klugman and Bronte Beach Z. Photo by Tilly Berendt.
Ema Klugman, who recently learned she’d passed the bar exam she took at the end of February (congratulations!), also debuted her second 5* horse, Bronte Beach Z, today, scoring a 36.6 for early 10th place. Bronte Beach Z is certainly not short on talent or movement, and Ema’s confident she can continue to shave points off in future endeavors.
“I was very pleased with Bronte,” Ema said. “This is her first five-star and first time at Kentucky in that big ring. She has a lot of self confidence, that horse, so she walked in and she’s like, ‘Yeah, it’s just another show.’ So she was super. The test was pretty complicated and wrapping my own head around it was something. I was really pleased. We had a couple of mistakes and things to clean up, but she’s still a young horse. And so, I think in a few years we could be ten points lower.”
“I would rather read Bronte in dressage than Bendigo!” Ema laughed, referencing her beloved first 5* horse, who was also half Saddlebred. “We were always worried that he was just gonna bolt out of the ring at one point or another. But it was a little bit emotional because the last time I was here, I was on him.”
Also making her 5* debut today is Wakita 54 (Plot Blue – Werusa, by Padinus), owned and piloted by Andrew McConnon, who’s had the mare since she was a five-year-old. “I’ve had her since she was a five-year-old and I’ve done everything with her, which has been fun,” Andrew reflected. “She’s had some good times. There’s been some tougher go’s. But she’s just a horse that tries so hard. Sometimes she tries a little too hard. And you think okay, you don’t need to try quite so much. She’s just been a great horse to have at this level.” Andrew and “Kiki” (do you love me?) scored a 41.5 for 15th place overnight.
We still have half the field yet to see tomorrow (Friday), and we’ll start the day off with Sharon White and another debutant horse, Claus 63 at 1:00 p.m. Heavy hitters such as D’Accord FRH, Cooley Rosalent, Vermiculus, Cooley Nutcracker, and JL Dublin are still yet to come, and we can expect to see a different looking leaderboard when the dressage dust settles.
We’ll be back tomorrow with more from Kentucky. Thank you as always for following along with us, and Go Eventing!
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