Horse Illustrated Magazine

Catch up on the action from the 2023 Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event. See a recap from each day of the competition below, and follow links to the full stories.

2023 Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event Wrap-Up

Under threatening skies, 23,576 fans flocked to the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, Ky., as the worst of the winds and rains held off to witness the grand finale of the 2023 Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event.

It was a nail-biter to the very end after overnight 2nd place Tom McEwen of Great Britain jumped double clear in the show jumping phase on JL Dublin. Overnight 1st place Tamra Smith of California and longtime partner Mai Baum cantered into the stadium with not a rail to spare. 

Since international competitors have won every year since Phillip Dutton’s victory in 2008, local fans have eagerly cheered for an American to win the event for 15 years now. Some very close calls and last-second rails down have dashed hopes time after time.

The crowd held its collective breath during Smith’s round. Despite a couple of light taps, all the rails stayed in their cups, and the pair came in under the time for a beautiful double-clear round. As soon as the last jump was cleared, the crowd burst into a deafening roar—Smith had finally gotten one for America. (She was also the first woman to win in 12 years, the last being Mary King of Great Britain.)

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Cross-Country Day is Complete at the Land Rover Kentucky 3-Day Event

Cloudy gray skies and sprinkles of rain dotted the landscape at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, Ky., for cross-country day at the Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event.

Hailed by fans as the “best weekend all year”—and the best day of the best weekend—34,298 people streamed through the gates to catch a glimpse of the amazing equine athletes and their riders.

After an unfortunate runout at the skinny C element on the Park Question (jump 6), overnight leader Yasmin Ingham of Great Britain was knocked out of contention for a top finish.

West Coast rider Tamra Smith and her long-time partner Mai Baum ran double-clear on cross-country, moving from 3rd place up to 1st, poised to try to become the first American winner of the event since Phillip Dutton in 2008—assuming she has a near-perfect stadium jumping round tomorrow.

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Second Day of Dressage is Complete at the Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event

Under a darkly clouded sky that occasionally gave way to peeks of sun, 13,252 spectators streamed into the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, Ky., to watch the second day of dressage at the Land Rover Kentucky Three Day Event. Notably, this was the best Friday attendance since 2017, pre-pandemic.

In the CCI5*, the leaderboard saw a notable reshuffle of the first-place spot on the final day of dressage. To no one’s surprise, 25-year-old Yasmin Ingham of Great Britain dropped a beautiful, accurate test aboard Banzai Du Loir to post a 22.1, good enough to keep the lead after the day was said and done.

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First Day of Dressage is Complete at the Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event

At the end of the first day of dressage at the 2023 Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event CCI5*-L, the leaderboard is competitively stacked, with only 12 points between first place and tenth. 

Tom McEwen (GBR), aboard JL Dublin, is sitting in first on a 22.6. Tamra Smith (USA) and Mai Baum trail closely behind on a 24.2, and Elisabeth Halliday-Sharp (USA) and Deniro Z received a 29, putting them in third. 

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