Lexington, Ky. - It was no surprise that after the first day of dressage, reigning champion of the Kentucky Three-Day Event, Michael Jung of Germany and fischerRocana FST were sitting comfortably in first place. However, the second day of dressage did hold some surprises, as American combination Marilyn Little and RF Scandalous took control by turning in a personal best to grab the lead with a 24.8, more than 2 points ahead of Jung's 27.1. Australia's Christopher Burton and Nobilis 18 are keeping pace in third with a 27.9.

In addition to her top placement on the international leaderboard, Little (Frederick, Md.) is also currently leading the Land Rover/USEF CCI4* Eventing National Championship. Her stunning score is believed to be the lowest in the history of the Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event.

"She gave me a great ride today," said Little. "She was a little bit excited with the Friday afternoon atmosphere, which we are familiar with at Kentucky. I was excited to go on Friday afternoon and knew she could handle it well. She was very businesslike, and it was a great ride. She was looking to please and she did her job."

Little calls the 13-year-old Oldenburg mare owned by Jacqueline Mars, and Phoebe and Michael Manders, "Kitty.” Kitty served as Little’s mount for the Pan American Games in 2015, where the pair brought home two gold medals.

"She's been with me for a while, but she's changed so much," Little said. "I knew she was capable of putting in a great test today. She's been steadily improving. We haven't competed much because we've been focusing on training, but I thought if she had a personal best she could be on top today." 

See Little and RF Scandalous’s leading ride here.

Kim Severson (Charlottesville, Va.) and Cooley Cross Border, an 11-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding owned by The Cross Syndicate, sit in second in the Land Rover/USEF CCI4* Eventing National Championship on a score of 28.3. Boyd Martin (Cochranville, Pa.) and Tsetserleg, the 11-year-old Trakehner gelding owned by Christine Turner, and Lauren Kieffer (The Plains, Va.) and Vermiculus, Jacqueline Mars’s 11-year-old Anglo-Arabian gelding are tied for third on a score of 31.2.

Full results for the Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event can be found here.

The 11,794 spectators who turned out to watch the final day of dressage appreciated the near-perfect weather at the Kentucky Horse Park. Cross-country kicks off tomorrow morning at 11:00 a.m. EST. Please note this is a change to the start time.

For more information about the Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event, visit kentuckythreedayevent.com.

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