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‘He couldn’t have given me more’: Brit on Kentucky five-star podium after dressage

Pippa Roome Pippa Roome

    • Britain’s Tom McEwen holds third at the conclusion of the Defender Kentucky Three-Day Event dressage in the five-star class after scoring 25.1 today (24 April).

    Tom punched in a fluent, consistent test with Brookfield Quality, who is owned by John and Chloe Perry and Alison Swinburn and who was fifth here last year.

    Tom McEwen on Kentucky Three-Day Event dressage: “He felt fresh”

    “‘Norris’ always does everything he can and he formed another pretty much foot-perfect clear round,” said Tom McEwen after his Kentucky Three-Day Event dressage test. “I’m so delighted, I thought we put everything out there. He couldn’t have given me more.

    “He knows absolutely everything, so it’s just to get it right on the day. He’s feeling really good, probably the fittest he ever been so he was a little bit different this morning to how he can be on dressage morning – fresh, brighter, which was very nice.

    “Once he gets in there, he’s an old boy who knows exactly what he’s up to. So it’s just for me to try and get the rhythm, the balance and to try and show as good a performance as possible.”

    Looking ahead to tomorrow’s cross-country over Derek di Grazia’s track, Tom said: “I’ve been really lucky to come here for the past four years and Kentucky is never to be underestimated; Derek is never to be underestimated.

    “There are going to be combinations that look impossibly tough and then the same combinations will look incredibly easy for different horses and riders. I really do believe it’s a true five-star test.”

    Monica Spencer now holds the lead on the thoroughbred Artist, with Tim Price second on Vitali.

    Two in top 10 for Harry Meade

    Harry Meade was Britain’s other performer in the five-star today, with his second horse, Amanda Gould’s Grafennacht.

    The pair put in a good test with plenty of eights on the scoreboard, marred only slightly by the mare putting her head up in the third flying change, for which they scored three 6.5s.

    Their final mark of 28.9 left them eighth, with Harry’s other ride Superstition in 10th.

    The other Brits who did their tests yesterday were David Doel with Galileo Nieuwmoed, who now sit 12th, and Tom Jackson with Plot Twist B, who now hold equal 23rd place.

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    Pippa Roome
    Pippa Roome

    H&H magazine editor and eventing editor
    Pippa is a true eventing geek and has been H&H’s eventing editor since 2005. She has first-hand experience of competing up to British Eventing intermediate and international CCI2*-L level, and has worked in the industry on a top event yard. Pippa enjoys nothing more than immersing herself in the sport at the highest level, reporting from the five-stars and international championships, including the Olympics.
    Pippa Roome

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