The Defender Kentucky Three-Day Event will take place this week without its 2023 five-star winner. Tamie Smith announced on her social media Sunday, April 21, that Mai Baum did not travel to the Bluegrass State due to a minor injury.

The 18-year-old German Sport Horse (Loredano 2—Ramira, Rike) owned by Alex Ahearn, Ellen Ahearn and Eric Markell, was not entered in the five-star. Instead, he was to compete in the accompanying Cosequin Lexington CCI4*-S, along with other veteran five-star horses seeking spots on the team for the Paris Olympics this summer.

“Sadly, Mai Baum will be sitting out this Kentucky 4S and resting up for an exciting summer,” Smith wrote. “They say timing is everything and while I was away competing some of my other horses last weekend, Lexus was a bit wild & feeling exuberant and pulled away from his handler and tweaked himself. He wasn’t a 100 percent in time to make the trip across the country to Kentucky and we have elected to withdraw him from the Defender 3-Day Event.

“It can be difficult to withdraw your horse from a key competition, especially leading up to this summer, however, this decision is in his long-term best interest and the one thing we’ve never wavered from is our commitment not to compromise the well-being of any horse,” she continued.

Smith has no horses in this year’s five-star, after withdrawing Elliot V from what would’ve been the gelding’s first attempt at the level. She will compete two horses in the four-star, Danito and Kynan.

The Chronicle is on-site at the Kentucky Horse Park with two reporters to bring you everything you need to know at coth.com, so you don’t have to miss a minute of the action. You can find all of our coverage from the week here. You can also follow along on Instagram and Facebook. Be sure to read our May 20 issue for more in-depth coverage and analysis of the event.