Seven-time Olympian and eventing legend Phillip Dutton (USA) and 10-year-old Holsteiner gelding Denim delivered one of their best-ever dressage performances in the Rolex Stadium during the first day of dressage competition at the 2025 Cosequin CCI4*-S Defender Kentucky Three-Day Event. The pair, who are fairly new eventing partners, left the ring on a score of 25.6, which secured their overnight lead following Thursday’s four-star competition.

“I couldn’t be prouder of him. He’s really stepped up and is a great competitor and probably goes better at the shows than he does at home,” Dutton said about Denim and their near flawless dressage performance today. “He’s also just loving life right now and being the center of attention.”

Dutton noted that Denim hasn’t hit his pique physical maturity at only 10, but dressage comes easy for the gelding due to his high level of athleticism. “In another two years, I think he’ll only be that much stronger and able to handle it all easily,” Dutton said. “Today, I just tried to finesse things to make it look nice and easy.”

Despite the fact that he and Denim completed two European four-stars, Dutton decided he didn’t want to introduce the eventing youngster to a five-star quite yet, especially early in the 2025 competition season. And after getting a firsthand look at this year’s five-star cross-country course, Dutton quipped that he was happy with his decision.

“He’s traveled a lot in his short career and is decently experienced, but he’s still regarded as a bit of a baby in our family,” he said. “The five-star here is a bloody hard five-star. So I think doing the four-star with him on Saturday will be ideal for him right now. In another couple of years, he’ll be much more seasoned. I’m really excited about his future. The best is still to come.”

Duda and Disco Traveler Make Dynamite Kentucky Comeback

Molly Duda (USA) and Oldenburg gelding Disco Traveler had a remarkable first-day Kentucky comeback, coming in second overnight on a score of 27.7 after the first day of CCI4*-S dressage competition. After their disappointing Kentucky four-star debut last year, where she took an unexpected dismount and ended up in the ditch of the coffin, Duda admitted she might have been overly ambitious at the time.

“Coming here last year was a big step. Maybe I was a little too confident. But I was very humbled, and I’m hoping for redemption this year,” she said. “Disco is an incredible horse. He’s my heart horse and is just one in a million. Nothing ever rattles him. Even after our fall at the coffin last year, he came right back out here. He’s gotten stronger and more confident. And I’ve gained an enormous amount of experience in the past year and learned from my mistakes. So I’m feeling ready and really excited.”

Duda ended up partnering with Disco by accident while one of her other eventing mounts was recovering from an injury. She picked up him as a lease and was only planning on riding him for about six months.

“There was just something about him. We clicked right off the bat and moved up the levels,” Duda said. “I’ve always felt so confident on him. He doesn’t have the most flash or natural talent necessarily, but he has so much heart and I think that’s what makes him so special.”

Pamukcu and Blake Secure Third While Enjoying the Sport

Olympian and five-star eventer Caroline Pamukcu and her Paris Olympic partner HSH Blake landed in third overnight on a score of 27.9, after not having competed in dressage since the 2024 Paris Olympics last summer. Since the Olympics, she said they’ve been working on polishing up his changes and getting him physically stronger.

“Blake is fabulous. He’s my best friend and he’s such a partner,” she said. “He’s such a workman and the big atmosphere here doesn’t bother him.”

Before their dressage test this morning, Pamukcu took Blake for a stretch and only warmed up for about 15 minutes before going into the ring. “He’s 10 this year and has already done so much that I thought it was important for us to just to have fun this season and take the pressure off,” she said. “This year we don’t have to hunt for a team, so it’s nice to just enjoy everything.”

When it comes to dressage training for eventers aspiring to move up the levels, Pamukcu’s key piece of advice is to get out of the arena.

“Dressage training isn’t just drilling shoulder-in and half-passes,” she noted. “Every time you get on your horse, make sure you stretch him properly, go up and down hills and simply focus on getting him strong and fit—and then he’ll find the dressage work easy.”

For more of our coverage of the 2025 Defender Kentucky Three-Day Event, click here.

Thanks to Kent Nutrition Group and Blue Seal for our coverage of the 2025 Defender Kentucky Three-Day Event. It includes lead-up events, rider interviews, competition reports, horse spotlights, photos, videos and more.