Lexington, Ky.—April 27

The first fourth of the Rolex Kentucky field did their dressage this morning, with Katie Ruppel taking the lead (46.0) on Houdini. We checked in with the top-placed riders so far about their tests:

Katie Ruppel on Houdini—1^st on 46.0 penalties

Katie Ruppel on Houdini. Photo by Lindsay Berreth.

“It’s a little bit windy, so not really the best conditions for Houdini. He’s a Thoroughbred, and he’s 13 going on 3,” she said. “Flapping tents and cameras and people getting up and down, all that really affects him. But he’s a trier, and he tried really hard for me despite the conditions today.”

Phillip Dutton on I’m Sew Ready—2^nd on 46.1 penalties

Phillip Dutton and I’m Sew Ready. Photo by Lindsay Berreth.

“I was pleased he didn’t get worried about the atmosphere,” he said. “I could have gotten him a little better in his trot; he’s got a great trot, but he didn’t quite get over his back enough. Then he cantered better than he’s ever cantered and made up for it. It was his debut four-star test; it could have been a lot worse.”

Dutton jogged his three mounts (I’m Sew Ready, Fernhill Fugitive and Mr. Medicott) in a #TeamLeeLee hat for his stepdaughter, Lee Lee Jones, who suffered a severe head injury late last year. Other riders here are sporting the hats or #LeeLeeStrong bracelets.

“I was saying to somebody last night that you become a bit of a family actually,” Dutton said. “You come into this because of the love of the horses, and you get to meet more people than you would in your everyday life. Because you’re competing every weekend, you become close through association. I think it says a lot about Lee Lee that she’s such a kind person and never said a bad word about anybody. Everybody likes her, from grooms to riders to officials. They’re all behind her.”

Will Coleman on OBOS O’Reilly—3^rd (tie) on 48.6 penalties

Will Coleman and OBOS O’Reilly. Photo by Lindsay Berreth.

“I was hoping by the time he would get to 14 years old he might settle down a little, but he’s just a nervous nelly in the dressage,” said Coleman. “I don’t really know why, but he really held it together in there, and his work has been really good. Its just a matter of controlling his nerves, and he did the best test he could have done today, so I was just really happy.”

Boyd Martin on Crackerjack—3^rd (tie) on 48.6 penalties

Boyd Martin and Crackerjack. Photo by Lindsay Berreth.

“Crackers I thought did a good test,” said Martin. “Dressage wouldn’t be his favorite thing. I’ve changed his training up a bit to not drill him too much this week. I was trying to do all different activities to take the energy out, and it seemed to work. He doesn’t have the best wind, so I’ve been galloping him a lot. He’s a Thoroughbred horse, so it sort of balances out in the end. He’s done five four-stars, but I still walked the track yesterday and was quiet for an hour or two afterwards.”

Martin is also riding Steady Eddie this weekend, and they’re doing their test tomorrow afternoon.

“These two horses I have here I’ve been with a long time,” he said. “If we fail, I can’t really blame anyone else’s training. It’s been all me. But they’re up to the task. If I ride them well, I think they should have a good trip around.”

This afternoon France’s Maxime Livio on Qalao des Mers will do his test, as will Canada’s Jessica Phoenix on Pavarotti, and either of those pairs could challenge for the lead. See full scores and times.