KENTUCKY PREVIEW
‘I FREELY ADMIT THAT THE BEST OF MY FUN I OWE IT TO HORSE AND HOUND’ - Whyte Melville
KENTUCKY has had a tumultuous build-up this year. After initially cancelling, the organisers were persuaded to go ahead with the event behind closed doors after a crowd-funding effort raised over $550,000 (about £400,000).
Seventy-five horses were entered from eight nations and even allowing for the natural wastage in the run-up to any five-star, this should yield a strong starting field for the only five-star of the 2021 spring season.
Oliver Townend has three entered and a chance to defend his title on the 2018 and 2019 winner, Cooley Master Class, while fellow fivestar winner Ballaghmor Class could equally grace the winners’ enclosure. The Brit starts as joint favourite with the home side’s biggest hope, Boyd Martin on Tsetserleg TSF. This pair were second to Oliver and Cooley Master Class in 2019 and a repeat battle will ensue.
Looking to Tokyo selection for the US team,
Boyd and Phillip Dutton should be shoe-ins, but the third space is wide open and as well as Lauren Nicholson, Liz Halliday-Sharp and Marilyn Little (see right), many others will hope to make a splash – in a good way, rather than by falling in the Head of the Lake. Keep an eye on Hannah Sue Burnett (Harbour Pilot), Will Coleman (Off The Record), Doug Payne (Vandiver) and Tamie Smith (Mai Baum).
This will be an important selection trial for the Canadians too, with six pairs entered, including three from the 2018 World Equestrian Games in Lisa Marie Fergusson (Honor Me), Hawley Bennett-Awad (Jollybo) and Colleen Loach (Qorry Blue D’Argouges), who was also at the Rio Olympics on the same horse.
Aside from Oliver’s entries, 11 other horses fly in from Europe to represent Britain, Australia, New Zealand and Germany. The retirement of Julia Krajewski’s Samourai Du Thot opens up the German Olympic selection and creates particular interest around Anna Siemer’s Kentucky result.
Don’t forget Britain’s 2004 Olympic champion Leslie Law, who has lived in the US since 2005. He is unlikely to trouble the dressage leaders, but jumped a double clear here for 10th with Voltaire De Tre’ in 2019 and was recently third in a CCI4*-S.