True to his style, Michael Jung (GER) delivered a textbook cross-country round with fischerChipmunk FRH on Saturday at the 2025 Defender Kentucky Three-Day Event. They easily cruised around Dererk di Grazia’s CCI5*-L course, adding just 2.4 time penalties to their dressage score. They head into Sunday’s stadium jumping phase on a score of 21.0.
“I am very thankful and very happy,” said Jung. “I had a great day with a super ride with fischerChipmunk FRH. He is an amazing horse.”
Boyd Martin (USA) and Commando 3 were the last pair out of the start box on Saturday, delivering an excellent round. They tallied 6.8 time penalties to their dressage score to sit on second place on a score of 32.8.
Harry Meade (GBR) had a fabulous day with the only two double-clear cross-country rounds with his two mounts, Et Hop du Matz and Grafennacht. He climbed up the leaderboard from 17th to third on a score of 34.2 with Et Hop du Matz. Meade and his newer mount Grafennacht moved up from 18th to fourth on a score of 35.2.
A field of 33 combinations contested Saturday’s cross-country phase. Sixteen of the day’s riders rode the course with just time penalties added. Three were eliminated, four retired on course and one was withdrawn before the start of cross country. Competition for the CCI5*-L, as well as the Cosequin® Lexington CCI4*-S, concludes Sunday with the stadium jumping phase at 2:30 p.m.
Jung and fischerChipmunk FRH Continue Their Dominant Performance in Kentucky
Though fischerChipmunk FRH is calm and relaxed for the dressage phase, Jung said of the 2008 Hanoverian gelding. “It still gets better and better with him together,” Jung explained. “He’s full of energy, he’s very well galloping,” Jung said. “He has very big strides. He’s very honest, very with me and I really can trust him.”
Jung and fischerChipmunk FRH have had a long partnership together, dating back to 2019. Even though it has been six years, Jung believes he continues to learn more about the horse. “It still gets better and better with him together,” Jung explained. “[We are] still learning, but I think we are a great partnership and that’s very important for the cross country.”
While galloping around the cross-country course, Jung felt fischerChipmunk FRH tire slightly, so he was less concerned about making the time and instead having a strong finish to the course.
Martin and Commando 3 Hold on to Second Place
In addition to riding Commando 3, the 2013 Holsteiner gelding, to a second place on the leaderboard, Martin rode solid rounds with two other mounts: Fedarman B (seventh) and Luke 140 (ninth). Martin said Fedarman B tired on course, so he coasted home and was subsequently a bit conservative in his next round with Luke 140. However, he attacked his final ride of the day. “I went pretty quick on ‘Conner,’” Martin said of his round with Commando 3. “He’s young and a fit Holsteiner and he gave me a great round.”
Martin explained that riding multiple horses gives him insight into the cross-country course. “I was wanting to get through the fast way at the Head of the Lake, but I changed my plan for my other two horses to go the long way,” Martin said. “The ground gets a little more chopped up as the day goes on.”
He pointed out that three horses also means three unique individuals and types of rides. “They have got different lengths of stride,” said Martin. “If you are nervous on the first horse, then you get through the ride and stop being nervous and stay focused and positive as the day goes on.”
Meade in Fine Form With Et Hop du Matz and Grafennacht
It was quite a feat for Meade to have both of the double-clear rounds on Saturday, and he chocked it up to his preparation. “I was confident that they were fit, so I figured that I would get out there and see how they felt,” Meade said. “He was great, very adjustable. He has quite a long stride, but he can shorten and adjust as well.”
Meade felt his longtime partnership with Et Hop du Matz, a 2014 Selle Français gelding, served him well as they tackled the course. “I always hoped he would be good cross-country horse and a good five-star horse,” Meade said. “He was great, very adjustable. He has quite a long stride, but he can shorten and adjust as well.”
On the opposite end of the spectrum, Meade is still getting to know Grafennacht, a 2012 Oldenburg mare, having taken over the ride from William Fox-Pitt last year. After having a light season due to wet then too dry conditions at home in England, their Kentucky cross-country round served as another opportunity to get to know one another. “I thought I would learn just as much as I could about her on the way round,” Meade said. “One thing I knew is that she doesn’t like getting close to fences, so I had to keep her from standing off fences and getting her plenty straight, but she was really cool.”
Derek di Grazia Satisfied With Saturday’s Results
Cross-country course designer Derek di Grazia said he was pleased with how the day’s competition unfolded on Saturday. “You never know until the end of the day what is going to happen,” di Grazia said. “You put together a course and you hope it is going to provide a good competition.”
Di Grazia praised the combinations for how the navigated the course, especially the top three riders. “It is really enjoyable to watch,” he said. “For me, it was amazing to watch them go around and you don’t think they are going fast but their time management is so good on course. At the end, you look and they are right there where they need to be.”
The Mental Toughness of Eventing
Eventing, like any equestrian discipline, requires mental toughness to go through the highs and lows. The top three riders on the leaderboard agreed that enjoying what you do plays a role.
Meade noted that he is living the dream that he had as a little boy riding at the top level of the sport. “It’s about enjoying and really savoring these weeks,” Meade said of competitions and results like at Kentucky thus far. “These occasions don’t come that often, so it’s about really enjoying them.”
For Jung, the day-to-day training is what drives him. “For me, I really love riding the horses. I really every day riding the horses, training the horses, going to many, many competitions,” said Jung.
However, he knows that things can go wrong with horses, and it takes perseverance. “Try to go out and do your best, take care of your horse. If it went wrong, OK it can happen and be prepared for the next day. That’s how I try to be prepared as much as possible and then do the best as I can.”
Martin admitted that going at the end of the day when the going could be tough weighed on him the night before cross country. “You sort of make a deal with yourself that you’re going to have a crack at it because it is pretty easy to talk yourself out if it,” he said.
He even has a bit of an internal conversation before cross country at events such as Kentucky. “Leading up to the cross country, I’m always saying, ‘What the hell am I doing this for?’ And then when you finish you’re like, ‘Alright, when is the next one?’ It’s an emotional roller coaster.”
As a final thought, Martin advised that equestrians are going to run into hardships. “You’ve got to become a good loser in the sport because you you’ll lose a lot more times than you win,” he said. “We probably get into sport because we love horses.”
For complete results of the 2025 Defender Kentucky Three-Day Event CCI5*-L, click here.
Read more about the CCI5*-L here:
First Horse Inspection
Sneak Peek: CCI5*-L Cross-Country Course
Read more about the Cosequin® Lexington CCI4*-S 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.
