Lexington, Ky. — Cross-country got underway with a chilly start on Saturday morning at the Defender Kentucky Three-Day Event presented by MARS Equestrian (K3DE). Michael Jung (GER) and fischerChipmunk FRH continue to hold their lead in the CCI5*-L after a near flawless trip around the track, while Boyd Martin and Commando 3 remain in the lead of the Defender/USEF CCI5*-L Eventing National Championship presented by MARS Equestrian. In the Cosequin Lexington CCI4*-S, William Coleman and Off The Record remain atop the leaderboard, putting in the fastest completion across the country.

Defender Kentucky Three-Day Event CCI5*-L presented by MARS Equestrian

Derek di Grazia’s challenging course put the horse-and-athlete combinations to the test throughout the day, asking questions of rideability and fitness with the extensive track spanning 6460m (roughly four miles) of iconic Bluegrass terrain. Leading the charge, Jung (GER) piloted his longtime partner, fischerChipmunk FRH, who won individual gold at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, around the course with accuracy and precision, tackling familiar fan-favorite questions like the Head of the Lake and the Normandy Bank with confidence and ease. The pair finished adding 2.4-time faults to their dressage score of 18.6 to sit on an impressive 21.0 looking ahead to the final day of competition tomorrow.

"You never know how it’s going to go in the beginning,” said Course designer Derek di Grazia. “You hope it’s going to provide a new feeling for the competition, and I was happy that all horses and riders walked home safely and in good condition today. It was really enjoyable to watch.”

Martin (Cochranville, Pa.) and Commando 3, a 2013 Holsteiner gelding (Connor x R-Adelgunde) owned by Yankee Creek Ranch, were the last combination to take on the prestigious 5* track, while looking to secure Commando 3’s first cross-country finish at the level. With two earlier rides already under his belt, Martin and Commando 3 were poised to make a real go at the track in the hopes of delivering an exceptional performance around the winding hills of the Kentucky Horse Park. The pair crossed through the finish with 6.8-time faults to position them in second place on the leaderboard with a score of 32.8.

“I had a bloody tiring day,” said Martin. “But it was a good, strong day. I went pretty quick on Connor; he’s a young and fit Holsteiner. He gave me a great round. The course was challenging and I’m very pleased with him.”

Martin and Commando 3 maintain their lead in the Defender/USEF CCI5* Eventing National Championship presented by MARS going into show jumping day on Sunday, with Martin guiding all three of his CCI5*-L horses to maintain placings inside of the top ten. Martin occupies second and third in the National Championship with crowd-favorite Fedarman B (Eurocommerce Washington x Paulien B), a 2010 KWPN gelding owned by the Annie Goodwin Syndicate, moving to sixth place overall on a two-phase total of 40.2, while Luke 140 (Landos x Omega VI), a 2011 Holsteiner gelding owned by the Luke 140 Syndicate, sits in eighth on a 44.7.

The top five for the National Championship division saw a shake up after the cross-country phase with Emily Hamel (Aiken, S.C.) and Corvett (Corrido x Tina XII), a 2007 Holsteiner gelding owned by Black Flag Option, LLC., moving up to fourth place, sitting in tenth overall. James Alliston (San Ramon, Calif.) and Karma (Escudo II x Travita*), a 2014 Oldenburg mare owned by Alliston Equestrian, moved up to fifth place amongst the National Championship competitors and eleventh overall.

U.S. Development 25 Program athlete Cassie Sanger (Wilmington, Del.), the youngest athlete in the CCI5* field, aboard Redfield Fyre, her own 2013 KWPN gelding (Canabis Z x Tiona), earned their stars to complete the first CCI5*-L track of their career in impressive and confident fashion. The duo will look to finish their debut weekend at the level in top form after the final phase tomorrow.

Harry Meade (GBR) was the only athlete to finish inside the optimum time of 11 minutes and 20 seconds, which was a tremendous feat, but more impressively achieved it with both mounts Et Hop du Matz and Grafennacht.  
 
The Cosequin Lexington CCI4*-S

It was an influential morning for the combinations competing in the CCI4*-S, but William Coleman (Ocala, Fla.) and Off The Record, a 2009 Irish Sport Horse gelding (VDL Arkansas x Drumagoland Bay) owned by Off The Record Syndicate, held strong to the top of the leaderboard. They delivered an impressive trip around the course, crossing through the finish with the fastest time of the day, incurring 7.20 time penaltiesto finish the phase with a score of 29.0 in a strong showing for the duo.  
 
“It was a fantastic track, extremely challenging,” said Coleman, “I thought Off The Record [Timmy] did pretty well. I’m really tickled. When you have an older horse and they come out inspired to go out [on the course] and do it, it’s a rewarding feeling. It makes you feel satisfied. He gave me everything he could today. I have nothing but admiration for that horse and everything he stands for.” 
 
Event website | Schedule | Results 
 
Tune in to watch the final day of competition on USEF Network powered by ClipMyHorse.TV. Coverage begins at 10 a.m./ET. You can watch wall-to-wall coverage of K3DE for free with a USEF Fan account. 
 
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