Lexington, Ky.—April 28

Twenty-six horses crossed the finish line Saturday in the Defender Kentucky CCI5*-L, a combination of old campaigners, first-timers and those in between. We talked to their jockeys as they were coming off the course. Here are a few of their best fresh takes of the day.

Jennie Brannigan: “Vettings Don’t Matter; Heart Does”

Jennie Brannigan was the first rider to successfully complete the five-star cross-country course, and she did it on Tim and Nina Gardner’s homebred Thoroughbred, Twilightslastgleam. Brannigan has produced the 14-year-old gelding up the levels and been with him through a number of health issues, including OCD in his stifle, a fused back, a battle with Lyme disease and, most recently, foot issues that nearly derailed his trip to Kentucky. Coming across the finish clean and with just 1.2 time penalties, which ultimately would prove one of the faster rounds of the day, Brannigan was choked up about her longtime partner’s sheer heart. “Vettings don’t matter,” she said. “Heart does.”

Ema Klugman: Minting A New Five-Star Horse With A Nod To The Old One

Ema Klugman completed her first five-star at Kentucky in 2021 riding her Saddlebred-Thoroughbred cross Bendigo. While that horse died earlier this year, Klugman is building a string of promising young horses she hopes will follow in his footsteps. First among those is Bronte Beach, the mare she rode Saturday in her five-star debut. Not only did the pair come through the finish flags without jumping penalties, Klugman shared a moment in the warm-up that made her feel connected to her old partner “Ben”.

Sharon White: “He’s Not A Fan Of Crowds”

Sharon White’s Claus 63 has been qualified to run a CCI5* for several years now, but she has waited patiently to move him up to this level until this weekend, when she felt sure the notably emotional gelding was mature enough and ready. When the pair started off on course, with its sea of spectators around each fence, White tried to reassure her partner by downplaying the situation: “It’s just Rocking Horse [Horse Trials (Florida)] with crowds,” she reassured him.

Malin Hansen-Hotopp: “With Sandra Auffarth Or Michi Jung, He’d Win Everything”

Germany’s Malin Hansen-Hotopp was thrilled with Carlitos Quidditch K after the clean, fast cross-country round that left them in 10th place. It was her first five-star cross-country completion, and the 12-year-old Holsteiner gelding’s first attempt at the level. He proved himself to be a proper five-star horse with the way he tackled the course, she said. The self-professed “semi-professional rider,” who keeps her horses on her family’s crop farm, both credited her seven-year partnership with “Schimmi” for their success and suggested that, with a more experienced jockey, he could be one of the best in the sport—not that she’s planning to give him up.

Oliver Townend: “I Thought She’d Pulled Enough Out Of The Bag Today For Me”

Six months after impressing audiences at the Mars Maryland 5 Star at Fair Hill with skills beyond her years, young Cooley Rosalent was back on U.S. soil to turn in another spectacular cross-country performance with Oliver Townend. The pair flew around the course, finishing just 1 second over optimum time for the third fastest round of the day, despite Townend opting to go the long route at the tricky Park Question at 23ABCDE. He talked about why decided to bypass the technical offset brushes coming out of the coffin aboard the 10-year-old mare.

Liz Halliday: “I Learned He Is Even Better Than I Thought He Was”

Liz Halliday crossed the finish line on the fourth and last of the horses she rode Saturday feeling a bit overwhelmed. At 10 years old, Cooley Nutcracker had just completed his first five-star cross-country, and made it feel easier than Halliday ever imagined it could. While she went out letting him set his own pace and hoping to give him a run that would imbue him with confidence, the Irish Sport Horse executed every fence exactly to plan and jumped, she thought, even better at the five-star level than he had at the four-star. “He needed bigger fences,” she said. And for as much as his first five-star track was a learning experience for the gelding, it also was a learning experience for Halliday.

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.