Irish rider Padraig McCarthy launched his Defender Kentucky Three-Day Event debut with a score of 33, securing 13th place after the dressage phase on Pomp N Circumstance. The pair, owned by McCarthy and sisters Rachel and Sarah Gough, impressed despite it being the horse's first five-star competition. McCarthy heads into cross-country optimistic about the horse's competitive spirit.
Padraig McCarthy rode his own and Rachel and Sarah Gough’s Pomp N Circumstance to a dressage score of 33 at the Defender Kentucky Three-Day Event, finishing 13th. “On the whole, I was very pleased. I would have taken that at the start of the week, for sure,” McCarthy said after the test in the atmospheric arena. He noted the horse's initial nerves but praised its recovery and quality work throughout the ride. The rider described Pomp N Circumstance as a “two-star horse with a six-star mentality,” explaining that the horse thrives in competition but feels ordinary at home. “When he really comes alive is in the competition phases and it’s like he becomes a different animal,” McCarthy said. He has partnered with the horse since it was three years old, and the pair earned 12th individually at last year’s Agria European Championships at Blenheim, contributing to Ireland’s team silver. Pomp N Circumstance has also notched 10 double clears at four-star level. The horse was bred by the Gough family, with its dam Bow House Mandalin competing at Badminton and Burghley, and its sire Pompadour at four-star. McCarthy and Pomp N Circumstance tackled cross-country over Derek di Grazia’s course at 3.15pm local time on Saturday.
