They call it “the best weekend all year,” and one of the things that makes the Defender Kentucky
Three-Day Event live up to that title is, of course, the horses and riders that will be competing in Lexington next month.
Plenty of big names are signed up for the 5-star, including world champion Yasmin Ingham of Great Britain with Banzai du Loir and world number one Oliver Townend, another Brit, with his newest star Cooley Rosalent.
Oliver Townend and Cooley Rosalent. (Photo © 2023 by Lawrence J. Nagy)
But that mare is also cross-entered at Britain’s 5-star, the MARS Badminton Horse Trials competition, to be held in May, a week later than Kentucky. That’s the same tactic that is being used by, among others, the USA’s Boyd Martin, the world number three who has Tsetserleg and On Cue slated for both. (Obviously these double-entered folks have to make a choice of one event or the other.)
One you’ll want to watch in the 5-star is David O’Connor’s Phelps, an off-the-track thoroughbred (remember when they dominated eventing?) who was a sensation last year at the MARS Maryland 5-star. He will be ridden by Mia Farley.
A number of U.S. riders are playing it cool, opting for the 4-star that runs with the 5-star. They include last year’s Kentucky 5-star winner, Tamie Smith with Mai Baum, and Will Coleman, who has Off the Record and Chin Tonic going.
With the Paris Olympics coming up just three months after Kentucky, it’s important to know that cross-country there will be at the 4-star level. That means some riders don’t feel the need to test their horses in a 5-star before such an important competition.
Click here to see Badminton entries, and here to see who’s lined up for the Kentucky 5-star. To find out about Kentucky 4-star entries, click on this link.