Tom McEwen pulled off a mistake-free test with JL Dublin today in the Defender Kentucky Three-Day Event dressage to take the lead at the conclusion of this phase.
“I’m delighted. He put everything into it. It wasn’t our best test for me – I think we can be softer, better, but we went in there and nailed what we had on the day,” said Tom after scoring 24.6 to edge 1.4 penalties ahead of the overnight leaders, fellow Brits Yasmin Ingham and Banzai Du Loir.
Tom and JL Dublin were second here last year. The horse is owned by Jo and James Lambert and Deirdre Johnston and was the 2021 European champion with Nicola Wilson before the ride moved to Tom after Nicola’s accident.
The Olympic double medallist paid tribute to Nicola, saying: “Nicola has done all the work and I’ve been lucky to have a five-star horse after all the hard work and training is done, all the hours have been put in. I get to tinker around and finalise small details to get the scores we’re now getting.”
Kentucky Three-Day Event dressage: bird of prey
Asked to elaborate on what could have been better today in the Kentucky Three-Day Event dressage, Tom said: “It’s just some days it’s not always there, same as us we’re not always there and actually the bits of work he did were absolutely stunning. If he’d been just a little bit more fluid through his body, we’d have been well in the lead. But if we can perform like that on not so great days, it’s pretty fantastic.”
During Tom’s test, a bird of prey was circling above the arena and stands, which caused the crowd to stir, but the rider said he didn’t notice.
A bird of prey appeared over the arena during Tom McEwen’s Kentucky test. Credit: Amy Dragoo
Talking about the decision to return to Kentucky as he bids for selection for Paris 2024, Tom commented: “We’ve got a hugely strong British pack as per usual. Everyone is entitled to go their own way on what they what they feel and for me I felt that this was the way to go. We had a brilliant Kentucky last year. For me, he’s fit, he’s well, he’s ready to come to a five-star. I don’t want to hide away, I want to show what we can do and really put us on the front foot.”
Tom will run across country at 3.34pm tomorrow (8.34pm British time) over Derek di Grazia’s course.
“His courses are always incredible, beautifully designed and Kentucky has the best flower arrangement by far – it’s pretty epic to look at,” said Tom. “But I think it’s a really clever course. It’s not for the faint-hearted. It’s a true five-star track, there are open and closed distances, you’ve got to make up your mind and be reactive at the same time.”
Behind Tom, Yasmin sits second and a pair of US riders are tied in third on 30.6 – Liz Halliday with the rising star Cooley Nutcracker and Lauren Nicholson with the veteran Vermiculus.
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