You have to go back to 2008 to find the last US winner of this event in the record books. Tamie Smith became emotional talking about what this victory means, not just for her personally but the sport of Eventing in the USA.
Tamie Smith and her horse Mai Baum were on the silver medal winning World Championship team in Italy last September, and made the long, 40 plus hour road trip from their home base in California to Kentucky to compete here.
Smith was lying in 3rd place after the first phase, the dressage, behind the reigning individual World Champion, Great Britain’s Yasmin Ingram, and Team GB’s Olympic Gold medalist Tom McEwen. When Ingham made a mistake on the cross country Saturday, and McEwen added time penalties to his score, Smith was able to capitalize on her fast clean
round to move into the lead going into Sunday afternoon’s finale in the stadium. With less than a rail in hand to clinch the win, Smith was cool under pressure leaving all the fences up in style. She was quick to credit the partnership she’s forged with her horse, who she’s ridden since 2015.
About 80,000 people attended the Land Rover Kentucky Three Day Event over the course of the weekend. At the Kentucky Horse Park.
