LEXINGTON, Ky.--The standings in the four star at the Kentucky Three-Day Event are very tight , with the top six separated by less than four faults, or one rail down.

Elisabeth Halliday on Miks Master C (Photo by Sarah E. Miller for MacMillan Photograph) With the exception of only one of those riders, the other five are all vying for a spot on the Paris Olympics Eventing team, as the four star is a selection site for the Games.

Elisabeth Halliday on Miks Master C and Great Britain’s Lucienne Bellissimo riding Dryi are tied for the lead on a penalty score of 26. 

Pan American gold medalist Caroline Pamucku on HSH Blake is third on 27.3, with Boyd Martin on Commando 3 fourth on 28.9, Halliday also fifth on Cooley Quicksilver, and Will Coleman on  Diabolo sixth on 29.9.

Coleman is also seventh on Off the Record on 30.1, but he suffered a blow to his Olympic plans when he withdrew his third horse in the class, Chin Tonic HS, who had been a strong favorite for a top placing.

Following Coleman, there are eight riders ranging from 31,2 to 31.9, including Sue Holberg on Carsonstown on 31.2, Phillip Dutton on Jewelent on 31.3 and Tamra  Smith on Kynan on 31.7

 

HALLIDAY was happy with her ride on “Mickey,” even though her test didn’t go completely as planned with a significant error in the flying changes toward the end of the test as Mickey got keener as the test went on.

Lucienne Bellissimo on Dyri (Photo by Sarah E. Miller for MacMillan Photography) “I was pleased with Mickey, but he knows where he is this week,” Halliday said. “He remembers the 5*, and he is keen and ready to go, but he’s so professional now and a horse with so much power. He was a bit excitable today, so I just tried to keep him calm in warmup. That last flying change was definitely a little expensive. I think he was thinking about cross-country tomorrow for a brief moment, but for the rest of it, I was really pleased with him.”

Bellissimo rides under the British flag but is married to an American and lives here in the U.S.

Dyri has been in her barn for about four years.

“I was absolutely thrilled with Dyri,” she said. “He’s a little bit introverted, and at home I feel like he’d score an 8 or 9, but when I go up the centerline I feel like I lose a bit of confidence with him. Today was the first time he let me really ride him in all his work and changes. He finished in a confident fashion, which is what I wanted.”

Pamukcu and “Blake” are a well-known pair after their gold medal performance at the Pan American Games in 2023, so it can be difficult to remember that the horse is relatively young at 9 years old.

Caroline Pamukcu on HSH Blake (Photo by Sarah E. Miller for MacMillan Photography)“I’ll be honest, I tried not to cry because I’m so proud of my horse,” she said. “He’s only 9, and he’s still weak, and we are growing together. I’m over the moon with him.”

Everyone’s focus now turns to the cross-country portion, which all the riders are calling a “4-and-a-half star.”

“I absolutely love the course and the ground feels amazing,” Bellissimo said of di Grazia’s track. “There’s a tough bit with fence 4, the water, and 6, the coffin. It’s unforgiving but well built. You’re going to get in and ride well, or you’ll be riding a circle. I’m interested to see how he reads it.”

Cross-country starts on Saturday with the CCI4*-S at 9 a.m. ET and the CCI5*-L at 1 p.m. ET.

The competition then culminates on Sunday with the show jumping phase to determine the winners.

In the five star, a British rider leads, though it was a different one than had led the competition on Thursday.

Tom McEwen on JL Dublin scored 24.6 to move ahead of overnight leader Yasmin Ingham on Banzai Du Loir, who scored 26.

Tied for third with a score of 30.6 are Halliday on Cooley Nutcracker and Lauren Nicholson on Vermiculus.

“We feel super lucky to be here and it’s all thanks to the owners,” McEwen said. “‘Dubs’ been on amazing form all year, and today’s test really showed that. We have produced a little better scores in the past, but if you can perform on not-so-great days and still come out like that, you’re good.”

Dubs is famously the previous mount of British team rider Nicola Wilson, who suffered a career-ending injury in 2022 and passed the ride on to McEwen, who is quick to give all credit for their top performances to Wilson.

“For sure it’s all down to Nicola; she’s done all the work for me,” he said. “I’m really lucky and fortunate to have a 5* horse after all the hard work and training has been put in, and I get to play and tinker around with the movements to get the scores. But it takes hours of work no one ever sees so you can perform on a stage like this.”

The two Americans tied for third are in very different places of their mounts’ careers, but they are equally pleased with their horse’s performance.

Cooley Nutcracker is only 10, and is at the beginning of his 5* career, while Vermiculus, who is competing at his seventh 5*, is closer to the end of his career at 17.

“I was really thrilled with him,” Halliday said of Cooley Nutcracker. “He’s young horse very much in the making still, so for him to be in the top three with what I wouldn’t consider the ‘finished product’ sort of test, I’m really thrilled.

“He definitely noticed the cameras,” she said. “And I was glad I went after the break because he definitely noticed the crowd cheering earlier in warmup. He’s a horse I believe so much in and I’m absolutely thrilled with him today.”

Vermiculus sat out much of last year, and Nicholson said he was excited to be back at the Kentucky Horse Park.

“He’s let us know how pleased he is to be here," she said. "He’s actually been the wildest he has ever been. I’m thankful for Sally, my groom, because he’s not the type where you can ride him until he’s obedient; he’s got quite the personality and only tolerates so much drilling and training. So, it’s a collaborative effort getting the right amount of schooling and keeping him happy. It’s taking him out all the time for grass and a lot of groundwork with him, which keeps him interested and busy without drilling him on the flat.

Also in the five star the standings heading into Saturday’s cross-country are incredibly close, with only five points separating the top 10 and 10 points separating the top 15.

Fifth-placed Sharon White ons Claus 64 stand only 0.1 behind Nicholson on Halliday.

Course designer Derek di Grazia is known for building tracks that are tough but fair, and the tight scores after the first phase guarantee that the competition is far from over.

“The first time I walked it, I was worried because I wasn’t worried, and Derek is rarely that simple,” Nicholson said. “He rewards good riding and doesn’t punish horses — if you make a mistake, they don’t leave with their egos busted. It’s a different sort of Derek track than we typically see, but it’s on the same theme of ride well, and it will ride well.”