April 25, 2026 
It’s often said that eventing is “not a dressage competition.” But that’s precisely who’s in the lead of the CCI5*-L Defender Kentucky Three Day Event after cross country on Saturday.
The dressage leaders from the first two days of competition—Monica Spencer (NZL) with Artist and Will Coleman (USA) on Diabolo—gave a master class in cross country riding, jumping double clear to claim the top two positions on the leaderboard. Spencer holds onto her overnight lead, while Coleman moved up into second.
With 28 elements and 49 jumping efforts, a time of 11:05, and a distance of 6312 meters, Equiratings Prediction Centre crunched the numbers and forecast that 57% of horses (15–17 horses) would jump clear but only 9% would make the time (2–3). The stats held true. Of the 29 starters, 17 (58%) jumped clear and three made the time.
As is often the theme of a Derek di Grazia designed course, the problems that arise are always a little bit different than what you would expect.
“It was a very challenging track when I walked it,” Coleman remarked, sitting in second on the podium.
“I thought the time would be hard enough to get. To me, it rode how I envisioned it. The only thing [that] I thought the horses were having a little bit of a harder time reading was the coffin. Part of that [was that] the approach itself is a little bit discombobulating, coming around that hairpin turn, and it was very hard to get the horses to really settle on the line and the terrain there just takes you so hard left.
“But I thought [Diabolo] was just sensational. Couldn’t be prouder of him. I adore the horse, and I thought he was magic today.”
It’s familiar territory for Spencer. She and Artist held the lead in the Maryland Five Star last year after cross country and have finished top 11 in all but one of their six five-star starts. She reflected on her five-star journey with her “horse of a lifetime.”
“When I did my first five-star at Adelaide [in 2023], I think I was more focused on the time there, and we had a little blip in a combination. Got there a bit quick and had a mistake,” she said, crediting a growing maturity and experience for their consistency.
“Learning [that] on the approach the jumps, you think of the jumps, and on the landing of the jumps, you think of the time. I’m fortunate with him being such a good galloper that I can take my time setting up with the jumps and then push the button on landing and off he flies.
“It was very much there to be jumped [today], but it was challenging the whole way. The cumulative effect of all those different challenges, and in the time, was really challenging.”
Staying on her dressage score of 22.3, Spencer has a rail in hand to heading into show jumping and will likely need it. Artist is notorious for dropping poles in the show jumping. Equiratings Prediction Centre gives her a 46% chance of taking the win. Coleman (27.3) is close with a 35% win chance.
Third placed competitor, USA’s Caroline Pamucku (28.6) and her Paris Olympic partner HSH Blake, have a 17% chance for the top of the podium but a 79% for a top three finish.
“Having three in the class, I really didn’t have time to watch the other riders,” she commented. “But I have to say, Derek did, leading up to [Kentucky], give us a couple good runs. The double corners were the same at Carolina as they were here, just one less stride. Even last year Plantation’s [course], he’s was [hinting at] what he was going to design here.
“I thought that was extremely useful, but it’s hard. Five star is its own monster, in a way. You have to be so on it. If they make a mistake, or you make a mistake, your reactions have to be perfect.”
Competition heads into its final day and it will be a nail bitter all the way to the final horse on course. Guilherme Jorge, also designing for the CSI5* show jumping running concurrently with the eventing, will be setting the test.
Tune in at 2:15 EST on ClipMyHorse TV.
