Under threatening skies that provided on and off downpours and even some lightning, nobody could catch Germany’s Michael Jung on the second day of dressage at the 2025 Defender Kentucky Three Day Event CCI5*-L at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, Ky.
Jung has four Olympic gold medals and four Kentucky 5* titles. He continued his almost super-human roll by breaking his own record yesterday with an all-time event low score of 18.6 in the dressage aboard FischerChipmunk FRH, his individual gold medal-winning 2024 Paris Olympics mount.
It was the last rider to go, Boyd Martin (USA) on Commando 3 who bore the brunt of a downpour that had held off for the rest of the 5* riders—yet he scored the best mark of the day from the judges, a 26.0, putting them into second place going into cross-country day.
“I glanced up at the skies in the warmup, and it wasn’t looking good,” said Martin at the press conference after his ride. “It was like a Louisiana typhoon!”
Admitting weather is something eventers have no control over, he thought the rain may have actually helped the horse keep his head low, even if it was an added distraction. When asked how he felt after his ride, he said, “Relieved that I could put some dry underwear on!”
All three of Martin’s 5* mounts had excellent scores below 30 (Luke 140 with 27.9 for sixth place, and Fedarman B with 29.8 for eleventh).
“I’ve been working hard with their dressage,” he said. “To have three horses in the 20s been a huge amount of work—not just for me, but my wife [dressage rider Silva Martin], who rides them when I’m away.”
In third place after a strong ride today going into cross-country was Great Britain’s Tom McEwen, who rode Brookfield Quality to a 26.2. McEwen won Olympic team gold medals at both Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024.
Kentucky first-timer Libussa Lübbeke (GER) finished fourth after dressage on Caramia 34 with a score of 27.1 on Friday.
“The horse is bred by my parents,” she said. “It was wonderful to ride in that arena. She was listening and trying her best.”
Cosequin® Lexington CCI4*-S
Sitting in the lead in the Cosequin® Lexington CCI4*-S after dressage is Will Coleman (USA) riding Off the Record, who scored a 21.8—a new Cosequin® Lexington CCI4*-S record.
“He’s at the tail end of his career at 16 years old,” said Coleman after the day wrapped. “He’s kind of like me—he thrives on progress and trying to get a little bit better. He still has remarkable work ethic and has proven to be a very trainable horse, even at this ‘old dog’ age.”
Coleman plans to see how he feels after this weekend with the possibility of targeting a 5* in the future.
In both second and third place after two days of dressage is Phillip Dutton (USA), who rode Possante today to a 23.1 and Denim yesterday to a 25.6.
“[Possante is] a pretty stunning horse to have,” said Dutton. “There’s not too much to do in the dressage; he does it all for me. I was pleased with the way he settled during the last few minutes of the warmup. He took a deep breath and held it all together. He has tons of potential for years to come.”
In fourth place going into cross-country is Chris Talley (USA) riding FE Marco Polo. The pair scored a 26.8, placing them above dozens of more experienced riders. Talley gives all the credit to this special horse.
“My horse is 9,” said Talley. “His owner sent him to me just over two years ago. He went from Training to 4* in just over a year. He’s incredibly special, [and also] kind of emotional like me. This is his first time at Kentucky, [although] I came in 2019. There’s a little bit of pressure with him being young. I was hoping he’d reward me, and he did. I wasn’t expecting to be sitting up here!”
2025 Defender Kentucky Three-Day Event CCI5*-L Standings After Dressage
1. Michael Jung (GER) and FischerChipmunk FRH (18.6)
2. Boyd Martin (USA) and Commando 3 (26.0)
3. Tom McEwen (GBR) and Brookfield Quality (26.2)
4. Libussa Lübbeke (GER) and Caramia 34 (27.1)
5. Tim Price (NZL) and Falco (27.8 )
6. Boyd Martin (USA) and Luke 140 (27.9)
=7. Clarke Johnstone (NZL) and Menlo Park (28.4)
=7. Tim Price (NZL) and Jarillo (28.4)
9. Tim Price (NZL) and Happy Boy (29.1)
10. Monica Spencer (NZL) and Artist (29.3)
2025 Cosequin® Lexington 4*-S Standings After Dressage
1. Will Coleman (USA) and Off The Record (21.8)
2. Phillip Dutton (USA) and Possante (23.1)3. Phillip Dutton (USA) and Denim (25.6)
4. Chris Talley (USA) and FE Marco Polo (26.8)
5. Ariel Grald (USA) and Diara (27.3)
6. Molly Duda (USA) and Disco Traveler (27.7)
7. Caroline Pamukcu (USA) and HSH Blake (27.9)
8. Will Coleman (USA) and Very Dignified (28.0)
9. Dana Cooke (CAN) and FE Quatro (28.3)
10. Sarah Kuhn (USA) and Mr. Cash van de Start (28.4)
For complete dressage scores and updates about the event, visit www.kentuckythreedayevent.com.
Find all of our coverage on our 2025 Defender Kentucky Three-Day Event landing page.
Thanks to CareCredit for our 2025 Defender Kentucky Three-Day Event coverage.
