Spencer stays on top at the Defender Kentucky Three-Day Event presented by MARS Equestrian (K3DE)
New Zealand’s Monica Spencer and her Thoroughbred gelding Artist showed grit, speed and poise as they hung on to the top spot at the Defender Kentucky Three-Day Event presented by MARS Equestrian (K3DE) to sit in first in the CCI5*-L on a score of 22.3 after a double clear cross-country run.
“‘Max’ was a champion today,” Spencer said of the 15-year-old. “He ran and jumped the whole way to the end, and gave me a great ride.”
Will Coleman jumped up to second aboard Diabolo (27.3) after adding no additional penalties to his score, and Caroline Pamukcu and HSH Blake (28.6) slid into third after adding just two time penalties.
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.
Want to hear from the riders on how their day went today and what they think about the rest of the weekend? We have audio interviews of all the top riders from both divisions available:
CCI4*-S: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1h5J5vIGxLysPjApEItm8PYE1Kfi_XcEp?usp=sharing
CCI5*-L: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/15R0pA7Vw2Z_NGi5yxW3hXF02qa988oF8?usp=sharing
Spencer has owned Artist since he was a four-year-old, and has produced him to this level. She credits her own increased experience with their improved results and ability to make the time over a 5* course. “I just think I’ve matured and learned how to go out in the lead, which was where it fell apart a few years ago,” she said. “So just maturity on my behalf and learning on the approach to the jumps, to think of the jumps, and on the landing to think of time.
“He’s such a good galloper, I can take my time at the jumps and push the button on landing and off we go,” she concluded.
Of the 29 horses who started the cross-country phase, four came home double clear: Spencer, Coleman, David Doel on Galileo Neiuwmoed, and Sophia Hill with Humble Glory. There were 13 additional clean jumping rounds with only time added, and three others had no stops or refusals, but either popped a frangible pin or knocked down a flag resulting in additional penalties. Four riders retired on course, and there was one fall, but 24 pairs completed the phase.
Diabolo was contending his first CCI5*-L and Coleman, who also had two rides in the CCI4*-S, was thrilled with how he stepped up to the plate. “I had good rides on all three horses today,” he said. “Diabolo had the most challenging day with it being his first 5-star, but I thought he was just sensational. I couldn’t be prouder of him. I adore this horse and I’m so proud of him.”
Pamukcu was equally happy with her horse, who has competed with Pamukcu at both the Olympic and Pan American Games, where they won team silver and individual gold. “Blake is my best friend, so it’s great to go around another five star. He was perfect when I wasn’t and he took me around,” she said.
Pamukcu had three horses in the CCI5*. She was first out on HSH Tolan King and finished with a clean jumping round and 12.8 time penalties. Her second mount of the day was She’s The One, who struggled a bit before Pamukcu pulled her up. She then made it look easy aboard her veteran partner Blake. She survived a few tense moments on both Blake and Tolan King, when she was assessed penalties for dropping a flag, before a review by officials deemed the penalties incorrect.
“All three are very different,” she said. “Tolan King is amazing, but not super ridable. You have to be very natural with him and ride off of feel. She’s The One got a little careful, and I pulled her up but she’s an amazing mare. She tries so hard and it’s not her fault. On Tolan King I kicked a flag with my foot, and they put the penalties on. They then review and take them off if (there isn’t a violation) and then the same thing happened with Blake.”
You can watch every moment of the Defender Kentucky Three-Day Event presented by MARS Equestrian live for free on the USEF Network powered by ClipMyHorse.TV and on ESPN+.
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The event will also be broadcast on:
· ESPN 2 - Sunday, May 10 at 8:00-10:00 a.m. ET
· ESPNews – Friday May 22 at 6:00-8:00 p.m. ET
The Kentucky International CSI5* Grand Prix will be shown on ESPNews on Sunday, May 3 at 7:00 a.m. ET.
With cross country behind them, the riders focus now turns to the final phase of competition, the show jumping. Spencer has a rail in hand, but no more cushion than that. All three riders said their first priority is the rest and recovery of their horses and the veterinary inspection in the morning, before they start considering performance in the show jumping.
“We don’t get to celebrate for very long in this sport,” Coleman said with a laugh. “There’s always a trot up or another phase, so you just to take it one step at a time. Tomorrow’s another day, but for now I’m thankful to be here. This is an awesome event. The whole weekend is fabulous, this is a fantastic sport and we saw it today, it was a fantastic day of competition.”
Smith retains the top spot in the CCI4*-S, but on a different horse
Tamie Smith’s day didn’t exactly go to plan. First, she withdrew Kynan before the start of cross country and then had a rough ride with overnight leader Danito, leading her to retire at fence 11. But she came out of the start box determined on Molly Duda’s Lillet 3, and she added just 1.6 time penalties to stay on top in the Cosequin® Lexington CCI4*-S.
Her score of 31.3 has her handily ahead of second-placed Will Coleman and Very Dignified (35.8) and third-placed Mia Farley and Invictus (37.9). It gives her a rail in hand going into the show jumping phase tomorrow.
“She was super,” Smith said. “There was a lot of trouble out there and it’s always nerve wracking to see things not riding to plan, but she went out there and was a little race car.
“The way (course designer Derek di Grazia) has you turning, it’s really hard to get close to the time unless you are on a fast, fast horse. I added in some places and maybe could have been a little faster,” she concluded.
Time was the name of the game in CCI4*-S with none of the 42 pairs who tackled the course managing to come home inside the time. Smith was the fastest, with Great Britain’s Isabelle Cook and Cymoon “F” Z having the second fastest trip of the day to add just 2.3 time penalties, and Coleman and Very Dignified the third quickest of the day with 4.4.
Farley was quite pleased with her round on Invictus, a 10-year-old American warmblood owned by Karen O’Connor. “I think today I went out there with an open mindset,” she said. “I wanted to go fast but it was quite hard. I wish I was a little quicker everywhere, but I was super happy with him, he read everything and he came back in most places I asked him to.”
Sharon White and Claus 63, who stood second overnight, added 12 time penalties to drop to fifth, while Dan Kreitl and Carmango slotted in just ahead of them in 4th with 6.4 added.
Jumping faults were scattered throughout the course, though 10C, the corner out of the Defender Sunken Road, proved to be consistently tricky, with six pairs coming to grief there.
“She was awesome,” Coleman said of the 11-year-old Irish Sporthorse mare owned by Jerome Broussard, Beth Lendrum and Gloria Callen. “She’s a bit tricky in the warm ups so we tried to time it to just trot right in. She can be hard to get into (the start) box, and I got it wrong by about five seconds so was a bit late. This is actually her first advanced run of the year. I’ve been trying to build her up slowly as I’m not sure what I want to do with her this year. That’s another horse I really, really like. She’s a very strong-minded mare but I love her, she was super amazing today and gave me a great spin.”
The event concludes Sunday with the final phase of the competition, the show jumping phase.
Want to get a look behind the scenes with some of our riders and learn more about the sport of eventing? Check out Behind the Barn! Stream all episodes here: https://www.kentuckythreedayevent.com/behind-the-barn.
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Defender Kentucky Three-Day Event presented by MARS Equestrian
The Defender Kentucky Three-Day Event (K3DE) is a thrilling multi-day competition featuring Olympic-level riders and horses in what can best be described as an equestrian triathlon. Horse and rider pairs compete in three phases of the competition – Dressage, Cross-Country and Show Jumping – for $400,000 in prize money to those competing at the CCI5*-L level. 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. Rolex is the Official Timepiece and Event Partner.
Cosequin® Lexington CCI4*-S
Introduced in 2021, the Cosequin® Lexington 4*-S runs concurrently with the CCI5*-L competition, featuring the three phases of eventing – dressage, cross country and show jumping. The Cosequin® Lexington 4*-S is a U.S. Equestrian Open Eventing Series Qualifier and offers $50,000 prize money. Tickets for viewing the Cosequin® Lexington 4*-S are included when purchasing the K3DE tickets.
Kentucky International CSI5* presented by Hagyard Equine Medical Institute
Formerly known as the Kentucky Invitational, the Kentucky International made its debut at the 2018 Kentucky Three-Day Event as a CSI3* and was held as a CSI4* for the first time in 2024. After becoming a CSI5* in 2025, the international show jumping event makes EEI the only event organizer in the world to host both a CCI5*-L and CSI5* in the same week. More information on the Kentucky International CSI5* presented by Hagyard Equine Medical Institute can be found at https://www.kentuckythreedayevent.com/the-kentucky-international-csi5.
About Equestrian Events, Inc.
Equestrian Events, Inc. (EEI) is a non-profit charitable Kentucky corporation that was established initially to produce the 1978 World Three-Day Event Championships at the Kentucky Horse Park. Following the success of those championships, EEI established an annual event that evolved into the world-renowned Kentucky Three-Day Event, which draws nearly 90,000 spectators to the Kentucky Horse Park each year. EEI added the Kentucky CSI Invitational Grand Prix in 2018, which upgraded to the Kentucky International CSI5* for 2025, the Lexington CCI4*-S in 2021, and also produces other events. EEI is also hosting the United States Eventing Association (USEA) American Eventing Championships in 2026-2028. EEI supports several local and equine charities and over the last 20 years has donated more than $1.1 million to various charities. For more information, please visit www.eq-events.com.
For More Information:
Equestrian Events, Inc. – www.kentuckythreedayevent.com
Media Contact:
Marty Bauman, Press Chief, 508-878-2394, marty@classic-communications.com
