The ‘Best Weekend All Year’ Is Nearly Here

An overview of the Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event!

Woodge Fulton and Captain Jack. Photo by Leslie Threlkeld.

The first CCI4* of 2018 is nearly upon us! In just a few days, the eyes of the horse world will be focused on Lexington at the Kentucky Horse Park for what is known as the “Best Weekend All Year” — the Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event. Thousands of fans are gathering for what promises to be a thrilling four days of competition (dressage is split across two days) along with a trade fair and demonstrations for all horse lovers.

Who: 53 entries on the start list from nine countries (as of April 18)

What: Arguably the most iconic three-day event in North America, featuring dressage, cross country and show jumping

When: April 26-29, 2018 (provisional schedule can be found here)

Where: Kentucky Horse Park, Lexington, Kentucky

How to watch: USEF Network will be live streaming the entire competition with a free fan membership (click here for the full details courtesy of Eventing Nation)

For more details, please visit the official Kentucky Three-Day Event website.

Our sister site Eventing Nation will be reporting live from Land Rover all week, so keep it locked on EN plus social media for up-to-the-minute details.

Here’s a sampling of pre-coverage courtesy of EN:

Kentucky Entry Updates: Weather and Injuries Trigger Withdrawals

“With the first horse inspection at the Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event just one week away, the number of starters has dropped from 60 at the closing date to 53 appearing on the most current entry list.

“Seemingly endless rain in England and Ireland has taken a toll, with numerous event abandonments leading to a dearth of critical prep runs for combinations aiming at spring four-stars.”

EN brings us the scoop on who’s planning to make the trip to Kentucky and which of our favorite combinations we may not see. Read the full article here.

Video: First Look at 2018 Kentucky CCI4* Cross Country Course

“The preview video for the cross country course at the 2018 Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event is here! Four-star eventer Lisa Barry, who recently relocated to Lexington, joins course designer Derek di Grazia to discuss the track, which runs in a reverse direction this year.”

Check out the video and a vibrant description of what we can expect to see on Saturday. Read the full article here.

Meet the Thoroughbreds of Kentucky CCI4*, 2018 Edition

“Of interest this year is that all but one of the Thoroughbreds were bred for racing, not for sport. Twelve of them actually did have racing careers, and not necessarily short ones — they have a combined 202 starts between them, with Boyd Martin’s mount Steady Eddie having the most (36).

“Other interesting tidbits: 

• Two of the Thoroughbred competitors were sired by Kentucky Derby winners: Kelecyn Cognac (by Fusaichi Pegasus) and Tactical Maneuver (by Thunder Gulch).
• The oldest Thoroughbred competitor is Sally Cousins’ Tsunami, who is 19 years old.
• The youngest Thoroughbred is 10 years old — Joe Meyer’s mount Johnny Royale.”

Eventing Nation teams up with the Retired Racehorse Project to spotlight in great detail the Thoroughbreds we can expect to see demonstrating their versatility and athleticism in Kentucky this year. Read the full article here.

Just a few days to go! Go eventing, and go riding.