LEXINGTON, Ky.--Great Britain’s Yasmin Ingham on Banzai Du Loir leads in the CCI5*-L at the Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event on April 21 after the dressage phase.
Yasmine Ingham on Banzai Du Loir (Photo by Sarah Miller)Ingham had a great year in 2022, and she’s looking to do it again as she rode before a crowd of 13,252, the largest Friday crowd since 2017.
“He was incredible out there,” Ingham said of the test which scored 22.1. “I’m so proud of him. He did everything I asked, and he just really did focus in there.”
Ingham and Banzai finished second in Kentucky in 2022, and then went on to win the Eventing World Championships in Italy later in the summer.
It was an incredible year for a young lady from the Isle of Man who was a relative newcomer to the top levels of the sport.
“This event was an amazing setup for our success at the World Championships (in Pratoni, Italy) last summer, so the thought process was to come back here and have a great ride to hopefully set us up again,” Ingham said. “It’s an awesome event. I feel very lucky to be here and just want to give it my best shot and stay as close to my dressage score as possible."
THURSDAY'S leader, Great Britain’s Tom McEwen on JL Dublin, also of Great Britain, is second on his overnight score of 22.6.
William Coleman on Chin Tonic (Photo by Sarah Miller)With only a single cross-country time penalty separating them, their performance on cross-country tomorrow will be critical.
Tamra Smith on Mai Baum, on a score of 24.2, also moved down one place to stand third, just ahead of Will Coleman on the young Chin Tonic, who is right behind them with a score of 25.0.
Elizabeth Halliday-Sharp on Miks Master C is fifth on 26.9, eith Boyd Martin on Tsetserleg TSF sixth on 28.3.
As the highest-placed American, Smith currently leads the USEF CCI5*-L Eventing National Championship.
Coleman riding Chin Tonic has been winning with top dressage scores as he’s come up the levels, but he’s new to the 5* level, and Coleman thinks he needs a little more time and strength to reach his full potential.
Boyd Marti on Tsetserleg (Photo by Sarah Miller)“It’s a much higher level of technicality at the 5* and he still has room to improve in that department,” Coleman said. “Everything comes very quick in this test, and he needs to be a little better, a little sharper, and be available a little bit quicker.”
In the Nations Team Challenge, Team Great Britain (Yasmin Ingham/Banzai Du Loir, Tom McEwen/JL Dublin, Kristy Chabert/Classic VI, and David Doel/Galileo Nieuwmoed) leads the way with a team score of 75.5.
Team USA (Tamra Smith/Mai Baum, William Coleman/Chin Tonic, Boyd Martin/Tsetserleg TSF, and Phillip Dutton/Z) trails by only two points with a team score of 77.5.
The combined team of Germany, France and Canada (Sandra Auffarth/Viamant Du Matz, Alina Dibowski/Barbados 26, Maxime Livio/Carouzo Bois Marotin, and Jessica Phoenix/Wabbit) are third with 96.6.
Liz Halliday-Sharp and Smith are dominating the first phases in the Lexington CCI4*-S, sharing the top four places between them.
Liz Halliday Sharp on Cooley Be Cool (Photo by Allen MacMillan)Halliday-Sharp stands first and second, retaining her top spot from Thursday with Cooley Nutcracker on a score of 24.5, and taking over second with Cooley Be Cool on a score of 25.5.
Smith on Solaguayre California stands third on 27.6, and she shares fourth place on Elliott V with Sara Kozumplik on Rock Phantom, both scoring 28.4.
“I was really thrilled with Cooley Be Cool," said Halliday-Sharp. "I thought he was very professional and stayed with me the whole way.”
“I was thrilled with both of them,” she said. “They are both younger horses, and by far that was the best test both of them have done. They were so professional in that big atmosphere. It gave me a glimmer of what their big futures will be. I think they’re both future team horses and future 5* horses. It’s so great to be able to showcase them in this 4*.”
Saturday’s cross-country now looms large in riders’ minds as they switch gears for the test which is the heart of the sport.
“The course looks incredible,” Ingham said of the CCI5*-L. “(Course designer) Derek di Grazia’s use of undulations in the ground is amazing. I’m really looking forward to getting out there and hope we can come home without any penalties."
“I love the terrain here,” she said. “Banzai’s got such a huge stride and covers the ground really well. Last year I felt like I was never upsetting his rhythm, and I felt like I wasn’t interfering with the way he was going. There’s some hard combinations out there, but it looks amazing. I’m really looking forward to giving it a go tomorrow.”
“It’s typical of Derek’s courses to have not one big complex or question that sticks out as a danger,” Coleman said. “It’s got places around the whole track where a little moment where you don’t react or respond well could lead to a run out."
“The key for my two horses will be keeping them attentive and in a good balance all the way around,” he said. “And the stamina question is biggest for those horses, as they are not thoroughbreds. From start to finish, there’s problems that could pop up anywhere; I don’t have one thing that sticks out. I think I’ll have to ride for 11 minutes and 26 seconds and try to keep them between the flags.”
