The chestnut horse owned by Janette Chinn and The Sue Davies Fund passed when he was re-presented to the ground jury. The British world champions start as second favourites, with a 25% win chance according to data analytics experts EquiRatings.
One other horse was held at the Kentucky Three-Day Event first trot-up – Quantum Leap, owned by his rider Doug Payne and his wife Jessica. He too was accepted into the competition when re-presented.
New Zealand rider Matthew Grayling was a late withdrawal with Winky Foley’s Trudeau, leaving 35 horses to come before the ground jury, which consists of the USA’s Robert Stevenson (the president), Britain’s Judy Hancock and France’s Xavier Le Sauce.
Kentucky Three-Day Event first trot-up: eight European horses
As usual at Kentucky, for biosecurity reasons, all the horses who have flown in from Europe trotted up before those who live in North America.
Ireland fields one entry in Susie Berry with Clever Trick, while Germany has three – Malin Hansen-Hotepp (Carlitos Quidditch K), Christoph Wahler (D’Accord FRH) and Calvin Böckmann (The Phantom Of The Opera).
Horse & Hound Newsletter
Never miss out on the latest happenings in the equestrian world
Home side rider Will Faudree caused a stir by trotting up Mama’s Magic Way in a bright pink suit. The best dressed prizes are awarded at a reception tonight, so fans will have to wait until then to see if it met the style police’s approval.
Enjoy the best of Kentucky with Horse & Hound
To ensure you keep up to date with all the breaking news, behind the scenes insight, and the best of the action throughout Kentucky Three-Day Event with no limits on how much you can read, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website from £1 a week in the UK or less than $2 a week in the US. Sign up now. And don’t miss our Kentucky Three-Day Event magazine report in the issue of Horse & Hound dated 3 May.
Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now
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.
