Oliver Townend and Boyd Martin Take the Wins at the Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event and USEF CCI5*-L National Championship

By Leslie Potter

Lexington, Ky. – Oliver Townend completed a hat trick this year at the Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event presented by MARS Equestrian™, adding a third consecutive win at a venue that the British eventer describes as “the most special in the world.” In 2018 and 2019, Townend took the top spot in the CCI5*-L with Cooley Master Class, but this year it was Ballaghmor Class, the 14-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding owned by Karyn Shuter, Angela Hislop, and Val Ryan, taking the win.

A careful, quick round was a necessity today as the top seven were all within a single rail of each other heading into the final phase.

“What’s so special about our sport is that tense finish and there is no margin for error,” said Townend. “I think that’s what’s got everybody so excited—everybody that’s watched online and on TV. I don’t think between us we could have created a better finale. It’s been a wonderful day for all of us.”

In another echo from 2019, New Zealand’s Tim Price rode his way to a top spot on the leaderboard with Xavier Faer, his 15-year-old British Sport Horse gelding.