Fast Facts: 2021 Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event

Fast Facts: 2021 Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event

Apr 21, 2021

Fast Facts: 2021 Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event

Leslie Mintz - USEA Staff By

While the Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event presented by MARS Equestrian will look very different this year with spectators not allowed under the USEF COVID-19 Action Plan, fans will still be able to tune into every minute of action via the live stream and wall-to-wall coverage on the USEA’s website and social media. The 2021 LRK3DE gets underway this afternoon at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, Ky.

Here’s what you need to know:

The CCI5*-L Field:

63 horses are set to present at the first horse inspection this afternoon – 23 more than came forward in 2019.

Eight countries are represented this year with pairs from Australia, Brazil, Canada, Great Britain, Germany, Mexico, New Zealand, and the U.S.

U.S. riders make up 62% of the field, but we haven’t had a home-side victory since 2008. Do you think this is the year that the title will stay in America?

There are four previous Kentucky winners entered this year: Oliver Townend, Phillip Dutton, William Fox-Pitt, and Clayton Fredericks. Fox-Pitt has won the event three times (2010, 2012, and 2014) and Townend is looking to match that figure as he brought back his two-time winner Cooley Master Class.

There are six riders making their five-star debut: Emily Hamel, Michael Pendleton, Fylicia Barr, Zoe Crawford, Valerie Vizcarrondo Pride, and Ema Klugman.

The ages of the CCI5*-L Horses.

The average age of the 2021 Kentucky field is 39 with Phillip Dutton the oldest at 57 and Ema Klugman the youngest at 23.

A female rider hasn’t stood atop the podium since 2011 when Mary King won with Kings Temptress. With 22 males and 27 females entered, will a woman best the boys this year?

Germany and Ireland tied for breeding the most horses with 14 each and the U.S. with 13.

There are nine mares entered this year: Stella Artois, Jollybo, On Cue, Classic Moet, K.E.C. Zara, RF Scandalous, Galloway Sunrise, Cecelia, and Grappa Nera.

There are 10 Thoroughbreds in the field hailing from six different countries: U.S., New Zealand, Australia, France, Great Britain, and Canada.

The most popular breed in the field is the Irish Sport Horse.

44% of the horses competing this weekend are making their five-star debuts.

This is the first year that Kentucky is offering a CCI4*-S to run alongside the CCI5*-L and 49 pairs are entered in the inaugural class.

The Facts:

Gretchen Butts is the technical delegate for the CCI5*-L and Andrew Temkin is the technical delegate for the CCI4*-S. They will be assisted by Karen Winn.

Christina Klingspor is the president of the CCI5*-L ground jury along with members Robert Stevenson and Peter Gray. Mark Weissbecker will preside over the CCI4*-S with Helen Brettell as member.

The cross-country course is designed by Derek di Grazia.

The show jumping course will be designed by Steve Stephens.

How To Watch:

Within North America, the event is streaming on the USEF Network. You can sign up for a free US Equestrian Fan Membership to watch using the promo code “LRK3DE21” by clicking here. The live stream will be available here starting at 7:45 a.m. ET on Thursday morning. Find the full schedule here.

Outside of North America, the event is streaming on Horse & Country TV+. A subscription is required.

The event will be broadcast on NBC on Sunday, May 2 from 12:30 – 1:30 p.m. ET and on NBCSN on Saturday, May 15 from 1:00 – 2:00 p.m. ET.

The horse inspections will be broadcast on Facebook live on the Kentucky event page.

Missing out on the Kentucky shopping experience? Be sure to head over to www.shopUSEA.com to stock up on your U.S. eventing gear!

Competition Schedule

Wednesday, April 21

3:00 p.m. – First Horse Inspection (CCI5*-L only) – High Hope Inspection Lane

Thursday, April 22

7:15 a.m. – Dressage Test Ride — Rolex Stadium

7:45 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. – CCI4*-S Dressage Tests — Rolex Stadium

1:30 – 6:00 p.m. – CCI5*-L Dressage Tests — Rolex Stadium

Friday, April 23

7:45 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. – CCI4*-S Dressage Tests Resume — Rolex Stadium

1:00 – 5:30 p.m. – CCI5*-L Dressage Tests Resume — Rolex Stadium

Saturday

8:30 – 11:30 a.m. – CCI4*-S Cross-Country

12:45 – 4:45 p.m. – CCI5*-L Cross-Country

Sunday

7:30 a.m. – CCI4*-S and CCI5*-L Horse Inspection — High Hope Inspection Lane

10:15 – 11:15 a.m. – CCI4*-S Jumping Test first group; reverse order of placing – Rolex Stadium

11:30 – 12:30 p.m. – CCI4*-S Jumping Test second group; reverse order of placing; awards immediately after – Rolex Stadium

1:30 p.m. – CCI5*-L Course Open to Competitors – Rolex Stadium

2:15 – 3:15 p.m. – CCI5*-L Jumping Test first group; reverse order of placing – Rolex Stadium

3:30 – 5:00 p.m. – CCI5*-L Jumping Test second group; reverse order of placing; awards immediately after – Rolex Stadium

Did you miss our 2021 #LRK3DE Rider Roster on Monday? Click to take a look at all of the CCI5*-L competitors!

Helpful Links

Don’t forget to follow the USEA event coverage on social media!

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First Day of 2021 Land Rover Kentucky 3-Day Event in the Books

Competition heats up at the chilly Kentucky Horse Park.

The 2021 Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event, which was rescued by a swell of grassroots donations from a second-straight year of cancellation during the COVID pandemic, arrived with bone-chilling cold in the Blue Grass State. This year, the traditional CCI5* (five-star) star division will be run, as well as additional CCI4* (four-star) long “L” and short “S” divisions.

For the first time since the Kentucky Three-Day Event began in the late 1970s, snow made an appearance on the opening day of this now world-famous competition. Two inches of the white stuff blanketed golf carts and green pastures around the Kentucky Horse Park yesterday on Wednesday, the day of the first horse inspection for the CCI5* division. We humans are not amused, but the horses seemed to be invigorated.

By the time the inspection started most of the morning snow had melted, but a lone snowman stood sentinel over the Land Rover Kentucky Veterinary Committee’s tent as the horses jogged for soundness evaluation during the inspection. The diminutive iceman wore an event ball cap with the year 2020 crossed out and 2021 inked above it―a nod to last year’s cancellation.

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By the time the last horse trotted down the runway, all 63 CCI5* horses had been accepted on the first try, despite several brief recurrences of snow flurries.

Thursday it was on to dressage, with the first half of the entries in both the CCI4*-S and the CCI5*-L divisions competing, and the balance in each division on the docket for Friday.

The competition in the Rolex stadium brewed up another unique happenstance―a three-way tie for first in the CCI4* between Doug Payne riding the lovely bay mare Starr Witness, Elisabeth Halliday-Sharp riding the flashy true-black gelding Cooley Moonshine, and Tamra Smith’s copper-colored gelding Danito.

The CCI5* class was equally competitive, with Marilyn Little leading the pack. She and long-time partner, the bay mare RF Scandalous, laid down a sizzling test that scored a 21.7, a score not seen since 2009 (when converting the old scoring system to the one in use today).

The winners of the 2019 and 2018 Land Rover Kentucky Event, Oliver Townend and the rangy bay Cooley Master Class of Great Britain, are back again this year looking for a three-peat, and are behind by only 2.4 points after day one of dressage.

A small gap of 3.8 separates Townend from fellow Brit William Fox-Pitt, who is riding the black bay gelding Oratorio. This is Fox-Pitt’s first time in Kentucky since he suffered a serious fall with head trauma in Europe a few years ago. It took him months to get back in the saddle, and it’s been six years since he stepped foot in the bluegrass. He has won the Kentucky Event three times thus far: in 2014 with Bay My Hero, 2012 with Parklane Hawk, and in 2010 with Cool Mountain.

Besides the lack of degrees on the thermometer this week, the biggest void is the lack of the tens of thousands of spectators that normally flock to this competition, dubbed “The Best Weekend All Year.” The group of determined competitors and supporters who donated over $500,000 in passionate support of saving the 2021 event were enough to convince the organizers that the 2021 event should go on, even with the required COVID restrictions.

The huge Rolex Stadium grandstands here at the Park normally hold over 7,300, with space for additional temporary stands that can hold 30,000 more. On Thursday, there were only a smattering of masked officials, volunteers, media, grooms and horse owners, and a couple hundred cardboard cutout “fans,” watching from the socially distanced seating.

Some of the riders commented on the lack of extreme “atmosphere” in the arena without all of the people. I have been covering this event since 1982, so it was easy to close my eyes and relive the deafening cheers in my mind’s eye. Next year!

I hope you’ve enjoyed a few of my husband Allen’s favorite photos from the day with short commentary by him. Friday will bring more dancing in the sand for the final groups in each division, and Saturday will be the heart of the event—cross-country, where the horses will run and jump over hill and dale. On Sunday, it’s back to the stadium for show jumping and final placings.

For complete results, schedule and ride times, visit https://kentuckythreedayevent.com/. You can also catch the event livestream or replay on the USEF Network by going to www.usef.org/network.

Historic score to open the Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event

LEXINGTON, Ky. (WTVQ) – Marilyn Little (USA) and RF Scandalous delivered a stunning performance Thursday, earning a 21.7 to lead the CCI5*-L at The Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event Presented by MARS Equestrian™ (LRK3DE) in Lexington.

Theirs is the best score earned at this event since 2009, when Bettina Hoy and Ringwood Cockatoo scored a 19.2 and Lucinda Fredericks and Headley Brittania earned a 21.5 (scores adjusted to the modern scoring system). It’s a great start for Little and RF Scandalous, the 2018 Land Rover/USEF CCI4* Eventing National Champions.

“It’s great to be back here in Kentucky. It’s a great gauge. The last time she was here she was on a 24.8 [after dressage]. She’s so much more mature and we’ve both learned so much,” Little said of the 16-year-old Oldenburg mare owned by Jacqueline Mars and Phoebe and Michael Manders. “Riding a horse like Scandalous here is also a privilege. She’s my horse of a lifetime. I’m acutely aware of that and trying to make sure I’m enjoying every moment with her.”

Like many horses, “Kitty” was “exhilarated by the cold,” requiring Little to adjust her warm-up plan. “I got a little bit defensive and conservative in the first few movements. All of a sudden I felt her maturity and professionalism come through,” Little said. “I got braver as the test was going and she got some sparkling marks at the end.”

Oliver Townend (GBR) and Angela Hislop’s Cooley Master Class are attempting to defend their 2018 and 2019 Kentucky titles this week. They’re off to a good start scoring a 24.1 to sit second after the first day of dressage. “I think that’s the best test he’s done at Kentucky. He’s on the same score as [2019] but it’s a different test which possibly doesn’t suit him quite as well,” Townend said of the 16-year-old Irish Sport Horse. “He felt very relaxed. He’s probably one that does miss the crowd a little bit because he is a very laid-back character, and it does him no harm to have a bit of atmosphere. “Of course, we miss the crowd, especially here in America because everyone is obviously so enthusiastic and it’s a very knowledgeable crowd. You can feel that you’ve done a good test without looking at the scoreboard. At the same time it’s still very much Kentucky. You’re still riding down the chute into that arena. In eventing there is no arena in the world like that and that’s why we keep coming back. We’re huge fans of the place.”

Three-time Kentucky champion William Fox-Pitt (GBR) echoed Townend’s sentiments, and he is making the most of his return to Kentucky for the first time since 2015. “It’s very nostalgic to be back here. Driving into the Park I felt quite emotional and excited. It’s great to feel like that. It’s been two very boring years [at home]. How lucky are we to have an exciting competition to attack?” Fox-Pitt said. Currently placed third with Oratorio on a 27.9, Fox-Pitt is hoping the 12-year-old gelding’s experience at the level will stand him in good stead given their less than ideal preparation due to COVID-19 related event cancellations. “In Europe we’re a bit behind [America] and a little bit less prepared,” Fox-Pitt said. “I’m rather hoping with his bit of experience and the fact he’s not a newbie he’ll remember what to do and to aim between those flags. I believe he’s fit and on the aids. Horses don’t forget. They’re amazing animals.” The CCI5*-L competition will resume Friday at 12:15 pm. Visit the Virtual Experience Webpage to find all the information you need for the 2021 LRK3DE.

Known as “The Best Weekend All Year,” the Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event Presented by MARS Equestrian™ (LRK3DE) hosts one of only seven annual Five Star three-day events in the world and is serving as a U.S. selection trial for this summer’s Tokyo Olympic Games. As the United States’ premier three-day event, LRK3DE serves as the Land Rover/USEF CCI-5*-L Eventing National Championship Presented by MARS Equestrian™ for U.S. athletes. A new partnership between EEI and the Kentucky Horse Park Foundation combined with the support of US Equestrian (USEF), longstanding sponsors Land Rover, MARS Equestrian™ and Rolex and many other valued event sponsors, plus the collective efforts of the many individuals who donated, ensured that the nation’s premier equestrian event will be held with its traditional CCI5*-L in the afternoons and a new CCI4*-S in the mornings. Although the event is being held without spectators, it can be seen live online on the USEF Network , free of charge with a USEF Fan Membership, which is available at no cost using the code LRK3DE21. The Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event Presented by MARS Equestrian™ is indebted to all of its sponsors for their support, without which the event could not be possible.