Marking his 100th CCI5*-L competition, Oliver Townend and mare Cooley Rosalent claimed top honours finishing with a score of 31.8 to take the Defender Kentucky Three-Day Event presented by MARS Equestrian on Sunday 28th April, 2024.
As the World #1 ranked rider, Great Britain’s Townend is no stranger to the CCI5*-L level, nor is he a stranger to winning at the Defender Kentucky Three-Day Event presented by MARS Equestrian™ (K3DE).
This year marked Townend’s eighth CCI5*-L win and his fourth victory in Kentucky.
“I can’t tell you how proud I am of this horse,” he said of the 10-year-old gray Irish Sporthorse mare owned by Paul and Diana Ridgeon. “Paul’s been a huge supporter to myself and Andrew Nicholson. He’s owned event horses for about 45 years and he just celebrated his 92ndbirthday, and this is his first win at the level, so thank you to Paul.
“I’m still able to cry at my age, and we’re just so proud of the team at home,” he continued. “I’m still in shock. This is just the most special event in the world and a special day in all of our lives.”
Fellow Brits Tom McEwen and JL Dublin (33.8) and Yasmin Ingham and Banzai Du Loir (35.6), both dropped rails to fall below Townend in the final standings to finish in second and third, respectively.
“‘Dubs’ has been amazing,” McEwen said of the 13-year-old bay Warmblood gelding owned by James and Jo Lambert and Deirdre Johnston. “I feel like this weekend has really cemented our partnership. He’s such a nice, polite kind of character, and we’ve just taken a bit of time to find our path.
“I thought he did the best dressage ever, and I was kind of gutted at the marks if I’m being honest,” he continued. “He was fast on cross-country, just had a few things which cost me seconds, and he’s a great jumper. Today is one of those things and I’m sure I’ll beat myself up about it, but he’s crazy special … I know on his day, he will wipe the floors clean. It’s exciting coming up to an Olympic year to have put ourselves in a great position. So, onwards and upwards.”
“Overall, I thought he jumped super today; he just had an unlucky rub on an oxer,” Ingham said of the Sue Davies Fund and Jannette Chinn’s 13-year-old chestnut Selle Français gelding. “These things happen for a reason, and I know we’ll come out stronger next time. I’m delighted with him; it’s exciting to be on the podium at a 5* and it’s a very important year. He’s feeling amazing, so we’ll go away and work even harder.”
Clean rounds were hard to come by over Steve Stephens’ course Sunday afternoon, with only Townend and eventual fourth-placed finisher Malin Hansen-Hotopp (GER) aboard Carlitos Quidditch K managing to go double-clear. An additional four pairs left all the jumps up but added a few time penalties, including Buck Davidson (USA) and Sorocaima (6th/41.8), James Alliston (USA) and Karma (12th/50.5), Joe Meyer (NZL) and Harbin (14th/50.8), and Susannah Berry (IRL) and Clever Trick (22nd/82.0).
Lauren Nicholson and Vermiculus (39.0) finished in fifth overall, but as the highest-placed American pair took home the Defender/USEF CCI5*-L Eventing National Championship presented by MARS Equestrian, with Davidson as the runner-up.
“We came in feeling a touch rusty because he hasn’t had a proper big outing since [the World Championships in 2022], but I wanted to come and be competitive,” Nicholson said of Jacqueline Mars’ bay 17 -year-old Anglo-Arabian gelding. “I would have liked to have beaten this lot, but I was very pleased for the fan following he has that I was able to deliver what he deserved to get on the day.”
