Victory in the Cosequin 4-Star Short was well-deserved for Tamie Smith on Sunday at the Kentucky Horse Park, where she was the lone competitor among 31 starters to go clear in the show jumping phase and clinch the title after leading through every segment of the event.
The Californian became the only rider ever to win both the 4- and 5-Star on what is known as “The best weekend all year,” having topped the 5-Star in 2023 with the now-retired Mai Baum. Tamie has had only one rail down in 23 show jumping starts with Lillet 3, the lone horse to make the elusive 75-second time allowed on the course designed by Guillherme Jorge in the Rolex Arena.
Tamie didn’t think the time was achievable, but she and her coach, Scott Keach, were inspired to go for it. Then Lillet beat the clock.
“She was super I couldn’t have asked for her to be better, ” said Tamie, who ended on Saturday’s cross-country score of 31.3 penalties. Will Coleman moved up with only 1.6 time penalties on Very Dignified to be second with 37.4 time penalties. Next-best timewise, with only 0.4 penalties against the clock was Mia Farley and Invictus, owned by eventing legends Karen and David O’Connor. Invictus had a 38.3 total.
The show jumping was a milestone for Mia, who often has had trouble in that phase.
“I felt normal today,” said Mia,
“I just decided I wanted to ride the best I could. Sammy answered everything, he jumped really well and high. I was impressed with him. It was also nice to hear myself also answer those questions.”
Of Lillet, Tamie noted, “She didn’t get too tense or tight. She just keeps going from strength to strength she was so rideable and tried her heart out I don’t think she touched a rail, she jumped so well.”
What’s next for Lillet, the Holsteiner who came from Germany more than two years ago as an 8-year-old from Andreas Dibowski?
As Tamie noted about the Kentucky 4-star, “everyone considers it like a 5 (Star) Short (format). She’s already done two four longs (4-Star Longs) so i think she’s ready for a 5-star.”
A 5-star certainly looks like the natural step up for the mare, owned by Molly Duda.
After dressage, Tamie led with the 17-yeer-old Danito, but retired him on the cross-country course Saturday when things didn’t go as planned at the fifteenth fence. But Lillet moved right into the top spot after cross-country to take her stablemate’s place on the leaderboard.
Tamie was emotional when fellow eventer and friend Liz Halliday came out to the ring to present an award to her for being the top-placed U.S. competitor in the 4-Star division.
“We always had this thing, we were going to win medals together on teams,” Tamie recounted wistfully about the 2024 Olympian who suffered a traumatic brain injury in an August 2024 fall in Kentucky and has been dedicated to recovering ever since.
“It really was awesome to see how far she’s come. It’s virtually a miracle,” Tamie said.
Liz already has her sights set on competing in Para Dressage, but as Tamie noted “it’s bittersweet,” thinking what might have been.
