Paraphrasing a saying from the Eighteenth Century that referred to the dominant racehorse, Eclipse, you could sum up the results from day one of the Defender Kentucky 5-star three-day event by saying, “Michael Jung first, the rest nowhere.”
Michael Jung and fischerChipmunk FRH (Amy Dragoo photo)
The Olympic gold medalist and four-time Kentucky winner offered judges at the Kentucky Horse Park a superlative dressage test, with fischerChipmunk FRH moving as effortlessly as if he were controlled by telepathy, rather than anything Michi did from the saddle.
The judges paid tribute to the German rider’s excellence, scoring him with a mere18.6 penalties, nearly 10 penalties less than Tim Price (Jarillo) and Clarke Johnstone (Menlo Park), the pair of New Zealanders tied for second place on 28.4.
It’s the first time Clarke has been at Kentucky since 2010 when the FEI World Equestrian Games were held there. He described his horse, whom he rode in the world championships and Olympics, as ” just a lovely guy.”
Tim, ranked number two in the world, also is fourth on 29.1 penalties with Happy Boy, and Boyd Martin is the top contender for the home team in fifth place (29.8), riding his Olympic mount, Federman B.
Federman B and Boyd Martin had a test with some wonderful moments. (Photo courtesy Boyd Martin)
While it’s early days yet, with another afternoon of dressage scheduled for Friday (not to mention Saturday’s anything-can-happen cross-country and Sunday’s show jumping) Michi is very much at home in Kentucky, where he has won the 5-star four times. That bodes well for the prospect of having him set a possible new record for the number of victories one rider has scored at the event.
“I’m always quite a bit lucky here, so it’s a good place for me. This is a perfect place for competition,” he said.
“When I went in, I feel he was completely relaxed and calm and with me, and I could start riding forward and have really a test like I wished.”
Of the 17-year-old Chipmunk, Michi noted, “he’s in really great shape,” and thanked his team for keeping the horse that way.
“He’s getting older, but the feeling is, he’s getting stronger and stronger, and better and more muscle. And the body looks like he’s a young boy. A great horse.”
Michi already holds the world record for a 5-star of winning by finishing three phases on his dressage score of 20.1 penalties, which happened at Kentucky in 2022. If he does the same this weekend, that will be another world record score for the globe’s most successful eventer.
But of course it won’t be easy, even for Michi, with resident course designer Derek DiGrazia’s cross-country route posing its usual stern test.
“It’s pretty serious,” observed Boyd, who has two more horses to ride on Friday.
“It’s a good, strong course; challenging and there are a couple of alternative routes that aren’t that time-expensive. It’s going to be an exciting day.”
Tim, who also has three horses, will be riding his most experienced mount, Falco, on Friday.
But he was impressed by Jarillo, a Dutchbred chestnut 9-year-old with four white stockings. (Tim obviously didn’t pay attention to the old rhyme that says, “If you have a horse with four white legs, send him far away.”)
The flashy Jarillo and Tim Price.
Jarillo’s smitten rider definitely won’t be following that advice.
“He’s just so glamorous,” Tim pointed out as he outlined the horse’s other attributes.
“He’s quirky, he’s sexy. Good looking men, you know, they’ve definitely got an edge to them,” he continued, adding the horse is an “out-and-out talent. To bring him over here is a real treat.” Tim did mention that “he’s a little bit of a fiddle to ride,” saying that means “I need to hold his hand everywhere.”
As you may remember, I made New Zealand’s Monica Spencer my pick for best dressed during Wednesday’s horse inspection, citing her black leather pants and cape-like contrasting jacket.
Turns out I wasn’t alone in my choice. She won the official best-dressed award from Dubarry, as Danny Hulse presented her with a pair of boots,
Danny Hulse of Dubarry and Monica Spencer. (Amy Dragoo photo)
click here for 5-star results
In the 4-star that runs concurrently with the 5-star, the very veteran Phillip Dutton is first with Denim. He leads the top 22 entries, all of whom, like him, are from the USA.
Click here for the 4-star results
