Oliver Townend was all smiles as he received the keys to his new Land
Rover Discovery from Land Rover USA’s Deb Sandford. (c) Michelle Dunn
Photo
Lexington, Ky., April 29, 2018-In a nail-biting finish filled with gasps and
thrills, Oliver Townend of Great Britain did the seemingly impossible: he beat
Germany’s three-time defending champion Michael Jung at the Land Rover
Kentucky Three-Day Event.
Standing in third overnight, Townend jumped a gorgeous fault-free show jumping
round aboard Cooley Master Class, finishing on his dressage score of 28.7
penalties and setting up the showdown with overnight leader Jung on
Fischerrocana FST. When the German pair dropped a rail at fence 5, the victory
was Townend’s. Jung would finish second (31.5).
“Obviously it’s a fantastic feeling,” Townend, 35, Shropshire, England, said.
“I had to do a bit of arm-twisting to get the horses here as there was no
funding from Britain to come here this year. The owners gambled on me to win
their money back, and I’m pleased the horses have come through with great
results and that I’ve repaid the owners’ gamble on me.”
Want to see Oliver Townend’s Show Jumping Round? Click Here.
American pair Marilyn Little and RF Scandalous also put in a double-clear show
jumping round to move up into third overall, and to win the Land Rover/USEF
National CCI**** Championship as the highest-placed Americans with a score of
32.8.
“She is a diva and is notoriously a terror in the stable,” Little, 36,
Frederick, Md., said of “Kitty” a 13-year-old Oldenburg. “But she knows
her people. Her groom is with her at all times, and she’s very trusting. She
has an incredible sense of the moment and loves performing for a crowd. She’s
a real princess, which was a concern early on, as we wondered was she too
delicate and fragile and careful for eventing? But she’s become a courageous
horse, and she gives you 150 percent of all she has.”
Marilyn Little and RF Scandalous finished third overall, but took home
the Roger Haller Trophy for the Land Rover/USEF National CCI****
Championship. (c) Michelle Dunn Photo
The morning started with a dramatic turn when Fischerrocana was sent to the
holding box during the final horse inspection, as was second-placed
Christopher Burton of Australia with Nobilis 18. As the crowd held their
breath, the ground jury accepted both horses upon re-presentation.
Early on in the show jumping, rails fell, but it was also clear that course
designer Richard Jeffrey had measured the course tightly, and even horses who
were jumping clean were having multiple time penalties.
The first to post a double-clear round was Kim Severson and Cooley Cross
Boarder (21st/55.9) and the crowd roared their approval. As the top horses
came in one by one, the tension ratcheted up. In the end, only seven would
complete the show jumping with no jumping or time penalties, and those that
could climbed up the order.