Lexington, Ky., April 26, 2026

Despite it being an American event, American champions have been hard to come by over the last 18 years in the CCI5*-L at the Defender Kentucky Three-Day Event presented by MARS Equestrian (K3DE), with only Tamie Smith’s 2023 win standing out in a sea of foreign victories. But Will Coleman has entered his name into the record books as just the second American in nearly two decades to take home the top prize. He and Diabolo added just 0.8 time penalties in the final phase to finish on a score of 28.1 and take home the trophy.

Double-clear show jumping rounds propelled Caroline Pamukcu and HSH Blake (28.6) and Great Britain’s David Doel on Galileo Neiuwmoed (30.8) to 2^nd and 3^rd respectively. Overnight leader, New Zealand’s Monica Spencer and Artist, dropped three rails to fall to 7^th.

“I probably can’t put it into words,” he said of his victory abord the Diabolo Group’s Holsteiner gelding. “It’s a surreal feeling; it’s something we all dream about. Winning (a five-star) is the hardest thing to do in equestrian sports, and I feel like (all the riders) deserve the win. It’s such a hard game, it takes so long to get good enough at it to contend at this level.

“I have so much respect for the sport, and the horses and riders, so it feels like it’s unfair that I’m the only one that gets to take home the win,” he continued. “But I’m overjoyed for the horse and all who are involved in his journey — the owners, my family, my coaches, and our staff at home. I wake up most days feeling like the luckiest guy in the world and today I feel extremely lucky.”

As the highest-placed American, Coleman is also the winner of the Defender/USEF CCI5*-L Eventing National Championship presented by MARS Equestrian for the U.S. riders.

Photo by AK Dragoo Photography

Coleman added another milestone to his résumé with this victory, as he and Diabolo become one of just two combinations—alongside Tamie Smith earlier in the day—to claim both the CCI4*-S and the CCI5*-L. While this marks Diabolo’s first win at the five-star level, Coleman has long believed in the horse’s ability to rise to the occasion.

“I always thought he would get there,” Coleman said. “His route was unique — I did a four-long two years ago. But (my wife) Katie and I and our owners all sort of had a high opinion of this horse, and always thought he had a high ceiling.

“I thought he was a winner the first time I laid eyes on him,” he added. “He has an eagerness to him that we felt if we could channel the right way, he was capable of big things.”

Pamukcu chased the top placings all weekend — and had two other horses in the division to boot — but was thrilled with the horse she calls her “best friend.” She also finished 14^th with HSH Tolan King.

“I’m really proud of (all my) horses,” she said. “I’ve got incredible horses and I try every day to be the best person I can be. It’s the hardest sport, and I try to do the best I can for my horses, and today, (Blake) helped me out a lot. He’s such a special horse and he made up for everything that I lacked.”

Pamukcu starts every day with Blake and even named her daughter after him. He was originally purchased in Ireland for resale, but after three vettings where potential buyers backed out, she realized she would be genuinely sad to part with him, despite falling off of him in their first event together.

“I was able to keep the ride, I found an owner for him and it’s just one of those stories where we grew up together,” she said. “He’s been there through a lot of my milestones in life; competition milestones and the birth of my daughter. (Every) morning, I wake up and turn on the lights and say good morning to him. He’s a great person, and very spoiled, just like my child.”

Doel and Galileo Neiuwmoed were the only pair to finish on their dressage score, adding no penalties the entire weekend and slowly moving their way up from 12^th after dressage to 3^rd overall.

“I’m very lucky,” Doel said. “He’s a bit of an unreal horse. He’s now done every northern hemisphere 5-star and finished in the top ten in all of them . . . I had a super ride on all three days. It’s rare to get all phases right and he nailed it this weekend.”

Doel and his family own a dairy farm and ice cream business back in England and he said everyone had stayed up late to watch the performance and root for them. Though landing 12^th after dressage may have made some riders nervous, Doel had faith in his mount.

“I was feeling fantastic after dressage,” he said with a laugh. “The horses ahead of him moved better and went better, and I was thrilled with his test. The (dressage) scores have been coming slowly down, and we know he loves to gallop and jump and is an absolute athlete. You always need a little bit of luck, and on cross country he lost a shoe and bashed his stifle, so it’s a testament to him that he looked as good as he was today. I’m chuffed with him.”

The Event is produced by Equestrian Events, Inc. (EEI), a non-profit, charitable organization that supports the development of equestrian sports by staging sporting events at the highest level. EEI is dedicated to creating opportunities for riders, horses, and equine organizations while advancing the United States’ strength and competitiveness on the international stage.

K3DE features one of only seven annual 5* three-day events in the world. K3DE is the largest and longest-running Five Star event in the Americas, and as the United States’ premier event, it also serves as the Defender/USEF CCI5*-L Eventing National Championship presented by MARS Equestrian for the U.S. athletes. Known as “The Best Weekend All Year,” the event annually attracts over 90,000 spectators who also enjoy extensive shopping, a variety of hospitality experiences and a wide array of entertainment activities. Additionally, K3DE features the Cosequin^® Lexington CCI4*-S, a U.S. Equestrian Open of Eventing Series qualifying event, and the Kentucky International CSI5* Grand Prix presented by Hagyard Equine Medical Institute.