David Doel moved up to fourth place overall as the leading British rider following the cross-country phase at the Defender Kentucky Three-Day Event on April 25. Harry Meade climbed to eighth with Superstition after a dramatic save, while Tom McEwen dropped to sixth. Other British competitors showed mixed results on Derek di Grazia's challenging course.
David Doel rode Galileo Nieuwmoed, co-owned with Mary Fox and Gillian Jonas, to climb from 12th after dressage to fourth overnight. He navigated the course without major penalties despite a 20-minute hold due to a fall by US rider Mary Bess Davis at fence 16. 'He made me work today,' Doel said. 'He's a real galloping machine.' Doel opted for a safer route around the trees to the direct corner out of the Defender Head of the Lake after the horse tired slightly and lost a shoe. Galileo Nieuwmoed finished strongly down the final hill. Harry Meade produced a standout save on Superstition at the Spring Water fence (12abc), where the horse pecked on landing. 'I momentarily saw the fish looking up at me. I hate swimming, so I tried my hardest not to join them,' Meade recounted. He incurred six time-faults to rise from 10th to eighth, but slipped to equal 11th on Grafennacht with 11.6 time-penalties after losing shoes and taking long routes. Tom McEwen fell from third to sixth with eight time-faults on Brookfield Quality, citing challenges at early ditches. Rising star Isabelle Cook impressed with just 3.2 time-faults on Cymoon 'F' Z, the second-fastest round, advancing to eighth. Finn Healy suffered a fall at fence 4b, while Elizabeth Barratt added a run-out and 33.6 time-faults to lie 30th. Meade described di Grazia's track as the most 'stop-start and possibly trappy' he had ridden, with few direct lines maintaining pace. Four riders achieved the optimum time, testing the field effectively.
