Michael Jung stays the course

by | Apr 30, 2022 | On the rail, Previous Columns

Imagine being one of only three riders in a field of 43 at the Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event 5-star to make the optimum time over today’s multi-faceted cross-country course put together by designing genius Derek di Grazia.

Together with no jumping faults, that has boosted you from sixth place after dressage to second place going into the final phase tomorrow. Your horse is in the best shape ever, you’re riding great and all things being equal, you could be the first American to win the 5-star event since 2008.

Except all things are not equal.

What stands in your way is three-time Olympic gold medalist Michael Jung of Germany. And that’s why Boyd Martin isn’t counting on leading the victory gallop tomorrow at the Kentucky Horse Park with the valiant Trakehner, Tsetserleg.

Boyd Martin and Tsetserleg make a splash in the water at the Head of the Lake. (Photo © 2022 by Nancy Jaffer)

Michael will go into the show jumping with his marvelous dressage mark of 20.1 penalties. Like Michael, Boyd added no penalties today, but his dressage score was 29.3. With four penalties for a knockdown in show jumping, that gives Michael an edge of two rails, and he has a little leeway for time, though he likely won’t need it.

So Boyd accepts that the odds favor Michael and the celebrated Hanoverian, fischerChipmunk FRH.

“He’s by far the best horse in the field and probably the world’s greatest event rider,” Boyd acknowledged of his equine and human rivals.

“It’s a privilege standing next to him but he’s just in a different league.”

With that in mind, here’s how Boyd looks at it.

“To me, you’re against yourself in this contest; the best dressage you can do, clear cross-country and clear show jumping.”

After that, it’s up to fate.

Derek’s course was one major question after another, requiring not only technical skill and accuracy, but also endurance. There was plenty to see for the They needed all the help they could get.

The route took its toll. There were 32 finishers, and we likely won’t see all of them return for tomorrow’s competition finale. Seven horses were eliminated and four retired. Some of the horses looked understandably tired near the end of the route.

Chip, of course, was not one of them. He had the fastest round of the day, completing in 10 minutes, 53 seconds, while the optimum time was 11:04.

Michael Jung and fischerChipmunk FRH put on a show for the fans who flocked to see them. (Photo © 2022 by Nancy Jaffer)

It was his first 5-star, but that’s deceptive if you’re evaluating his experience, since he competed in the Olympics last year, though you may not know they aren’t held at the 5-star level.

So this could have been considered a challenge for Chip, if he hadn’t simply aced it.

“It was tricky everywhere, tough questions everywhere,” said Michael.

“I’m just very proud of my horse. A great horse, a lot of talent, super quality. He’s so powerful, he’s so fast running on the flat. Great jumping everywhere, with his brain always with me. It was a great feeling just to enjoy the 11 minutes.”

In third place is the event’s youngest rider, 24-year-old Yasmin Ingham, with the French-bred Banzai du Loir. Yasmin is right behind Boyd with 30.9 penalties, adding 2.8 time penalties to her dressage score of 28.1. It is Yasmin’s first appearance at the Kentucky Horse Park, and she really wasn’t expecting to be where she was at the end of today.

British visitor Yamin Ingham and Banzai du Loir stand third after cross-country. (Photo © 2022 by Nancy Jaffer)

“It’s his first time at this level and he was just brilliant at the combinations.”

After the coffin, which was challenging by being early on the course, “he just powered on and he’s just an incredible horse to ride. He really does have all of what it takes to be a top event horse. It’s a dream come true to come here.”

The other rider who made the time was, not surprisingly, Phillip Dutton, the American who last won Kentucky 14 years ago.

He went from a tie for 31st place after dressage to seventh with 38.8 penalties on Sea of Clouds.

Phillip Dutton and Sea of Clouds. (Photo © 2022 by Nancy Jaffer)

Doug Payne, Boyd and Phllip’s Tokyo Olympics teammate, nearly made the time, finishing with 1.2 penalties added on his score with Quantum Leap, bringing him up from 25th to a tie for fifth.

That was the best thing that happened to Doug today. The morning didn’t start well for the man who led the 4-Star Short competition after dressage when he had a fall at the troublesome Park Question triple obstacle, and took Starr Witness’ bridle with him in the process. She just nibbled grass until he got up and took custody of her.

A good number of horses weren’t ready for the Derek’s test.

Nine were eliminated and four retired. Dan Kreitl moved up from 11th to first with the Westphalian Carmango. He was the only one of the 30 riders who finished the course that did not accumulate time penalties.

Dan, who works in real estate, lived a nightmare with his wife, Alyssa, as she battled cancer last year and their infant daughter, Magnolia, struggled to survive. As a result, he had to rely on trainer Sharon White to keep his horse conditioned, since it was difficult for him to go from his Indiana home to Ocala to train. But though the situation wasn’t ideal, he rode as much as possible and today was the rainbow. Magnolia is doing well, though his wife is still undergoing chemo.

Liz Halliday-Sharp stands second, just 0.7 penalties back of Dan with a score of 29.7 on Cooley Quicksilver. Phillip is third with Quasi Cool (37.4), noting he benefited from riding an obstacle similar to the Park Question on a Derek-designed course at Fair Hill, Md., this month, although it had two strides between its elements, as opposed to the one-stride that stumped so many riders today.

Liz Halliday-Sharp, Dan Kreitl and Phillip Dutton, the top riders in the 4-star division greet Eleanor Suttle of Arkansas, a cancer survivor who idolizes eventers. The event organizers gave her a pinney of her own. (Photo © 2022 by Nancy Jaffer)

The rain that was predicted stayed away, but a damper was put on the day when two horses were injured.Ashlynn Meuchel’s lovely gray, Emporium, fell at a brush jump in the Head of the Lake, and briefly was thrashing around in the water until veterinary help sprang into action. He was sedated and put on a trailer to the Hagyard veterinary practice up the road from the horse park.

Also being evaluated tonight at Hagyard is Fleeceworks Royal, Tamie Smith’s ride, who led on the first day of 5-star dressage. She had an injury to her left front, and Tamie pulled her up at fence 11C, the third element of EEI’s Challenge Accepted obstacle.

For complete results, click here for the 4-star and here for the 5-star.