Two horses held and one withdrawn at Kentucky final trot-up, plus two withdrawn before inspection including top-six contender
Three horses have left the five-star competition at or before the Defender Kentucky Three-Day Event final trot-up.
The most significant from the point of view of the top of the leaderboard is Jarillo, Tim Price’s ride who is owned by Lucy Allison, Frances Stead, James and Rachel Good and who lay in sixth place overnight after a clear with 11.6 time-faults yesterday. He was withdrawn before the inspection.
Kentucky Three-Day Event final trot-up: two held
It wasn’t Tim’s morning, as another of his rides, his own and Sue Benson’s Falco (15th overnight), was sent to the holding box and the New Zealander then elected to withdraw. This leaves Tim with just Happy Boy (now lying 21st) in the competition.
Germany’s Calvin Böckmann and The Phantom Of The Opera (14th overnight) – who belongs to the Böckmann family – were also sent to the holding box, but the horse passed when re-presented to the ground jury, consisting of Christian Steiner of Austria, Denmark’s Anne-Mette Binder and Canada’s Peter Gray.
US-based Australian Ema Klugman also withdrew the syndicate-owned Bronte Beach Z (18th overnight) before the Defender Kentucky Three-Day Event final trot-up.
Twenty-three horses remain in the five-star competition, with showjumping starting at 2.30pm local time (7.30pm British time).
Germany’s overnight leader Michael Jung has two fences in hand to win on his Olympic champion and 2022 Kentucky winner FischerChipmunk FRH, with US rider Boyd Martin sitting second on Commando 3.
Britain’s representatives are crowded in behind the leading pair, with Harry Meade third and fourth on Et Hop Du Matz and Grafennacht and world number one Tom McEwen fifth on Brookfield Quality. All three are within four faults – the equivalent of one showjump down – of Boyd so there is plenty of potential for movement in the final phase.
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