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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.
Lexington, Ky., April 25, 2026 Fresh off his win in the show jumping World Cup Final, world #2 Kent Farrington continued his winning ways by streaking home fastest in the jump-off with Descartes SR at the Kentucky International CSI5* $340,000 1.60m Grand Prix presented by Hagyard Equine Medical Institute part of the Defender Kentucky Three-Day Event presented by MARS Equestrian (K3DE), the penultimate stop on the Major League Show Jumping tour. Mclain Ward and High Star Hero put in a strong performance to stop the clock in 40.42 but couldn’t quite catch Farrington’s time of 39.92. Shane Sweetnam of Ireland and James Kann Cruz chased them both, but his time of 40.71 was only good enough for third. “I’m really excited about this horse,” Farrington said. “He’s just 9 and this is his first five-star, and we started it the right way. He has an incredible stride like a racehorse and I know he can eat up the ground.”
The Trewlany Trailblazers (Lillie Keenan/Chagrin D’Amour, Abdel Said/Max, Charlotte Jacobs/Rincoola Milsean) showed their grit and speed as they flew to the win in the $200,000 1.50m CSI5* MLSJ Team Competition, a popular new edition to the Kentucky International CSI5* Grand Prix presented by Hagyard Equine Medical Institute at the Defender Kentucky Three-Day Event presented by MARS Equestrian (K3DE). “We had a lot of fun tonight because we won,” Keenan joked as they waited for their prizes. The innovative design of the Major League Show Jumping’s team competition brings 8 teams of three riders together over a season. In the first round, all three riders jump a round, with their scores being combined. The top four teams after round one come back for round two, but this time, only two riders can compete. For the third and final round, all teams put forward their last rider (who cannot have competed in the second round) with the first-and second-placed teams’ riders jumping off for the gold and silver medals, with the 3 rd -and 4 th -placed teams’ riders jumping off for the bronze medal. In that final round, rails down add three seconds of time to their final time.
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Great Britain’s David Doel has steadily established himself as one of eventing’s most consistent competitors at the five-star level, building an impressive international record highlighted by podium finishes on both sides of the Atlantic. Doel’s eventing career began with the Avon Vale Pony Club, where he regularly competed on teams at the championship level. He went on to progress through the Junior and Young Rider ranks, earning team gold, silver and bronze medals, as well as an individual bronze. In 2014, he stepped onto the senior international stage with his Nations Cup debut and was awarded the Goldman Cup as the best Under-21 rider of the season. Doel made his five-star debut at Pau in 2018 and has remained a regular competitor at the level ever since. Much of that success has come alongside his longtime partner, Galileo Nieuwmoed . The pair made their Badminton Horse Trials debut in 2022, finishing sixth, before adding a fourth-place finish at Pau later that year. Since then, Doel and Galileo Nieuwmoed have continued to prove their consistency at the highest level, finishing inside the top ten at every five-star event they have completed together.
As the daughter of an Olympic eventer, Olivia Dutton grew up immersed in the sport of eventing. Now ranked No. 25 in the FEI Eventing U25 World Rankings, she has built an impressive résumé through consistent performances at the upper levels and successful partnerships with horses including Sea of Clouds and Jewelent. Throughout her career, Dutton has compiled an impressive list of accomplishments, including a team silver medal at the 2025 Bicton CCIO4*NC-S, a NAJYRC CCIOY3*S Team Gold Medal in 2018, and a third-place finish in the $20,000 Indoor Eventing Challenge at Toronto's Royal Agricultural Winter Fair in 2023. Riding the 15-year-old Thoroughbred Sea of Clouds, Dutton has become a familiar face at the Kentucky Three-Day Event, making three consecutive appearances in the Cosequin Lexington CCI4* from 2024–2026. Together, the pair has continued to climb the international ranks, contesting multiple CCI4* events, including Bromont International and Military Boekelo-Enschede, before capturing a standout CCI4*-S victory at the Morven Park Fall International and Horse Trials in 2025.
Tommy Greengard has steadily established himself as one of the rising names in the sport, with a growing résumé of competitive results at the CCI4* level and beyond. A member of the USEF Eventing Emerging Athletes Program from 2022 through 2024, Greengard has progressed through the eventing pathway while building an impressive string of horses capable of competing on both the national and international stage. That depth was on full display at the 2025 Cosequin Lexington CCI4*, where Greengard brought two horses to compete: That's Me Z and Joshuay MBF. Aboard That's Me Z, he produced a strong performance throughout the competition, finishing inside the top 20 and continuing the partnership's upward trajectory at the level. Greengard returned to the Cosequin Lexington CCI4* in 2026 with another two-horse campaign, this time riding That's Me Z and Balladeer Kilbrackens Lad. He improved upon the previous year's result by guiding That's Me Z to a top-15 finish while also successfully completing the CCI4* aboard Balladeer Kilbrackens Lad. These performances reflected the continued development of Greengard's string and carried that momentum into a successful international campaign throughout the spring season.
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