Lexington, Ky.—April 27

At the end of the press conference for the Defender Kentucky CCI5*-L, British rider Harry Meade interrupted the journalists who were preparing to leave to speak.

“I’m a little bit of a geek in the sport,” said Meade. “[Press officer Marty Bauman] said that [Michael Jung] will be remembered as one of the greats. I’ve followed the sport from like the ‘50s, ‘60s, ‘70s, before I was even born. And I think Michi is—hands down, without a doubt—the greatest event rider that has ever been. I don’t think there will ever be anyone better. And I think we’re living in the moment of an extraordinary thing. Often when it’s happening at the time, we won’t appreciate it, but I think [he] will be remembered in 50 years’ time as the best there ever was.”

It’s been a weekend of records for Jung and FischerChipmunk FRH: First they scored the lowest dressage mark ever at the Kentucky Three-Day Event (18.6), then they finished cross-country day leading by the biggest margin in five-star history (11.8 points), and now Jung has become the first rider to win Kentucky five times, finishing this time on a score of 25.0.

The Kentucky Horse Park has long been a auspicious venue for the German, who first came here in 2010 for the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games, where he won individual gold.

“I have so many big memories here,” Jung said. “I think for me and my horses this is really a special place, a lucky place.”

His last five-star win with FischerChipmunk was here, too, topping the 2022 edition of the event with the 17-year-old Hanoverian (Contendro I—Havanna, Heraldic).

“I’m very thankful for my super, super owners, for family Fischer and the Fischer group—without them I would not have a horse to be here, so a really big thank you to them,” he said. “I’m very proud of the people that are working at home with all the horses in the background. They do a wonderful job, and I’m very happy to have my family and friends here. Thank you very much. It’s a beautiful place, to ride in this arena with all of you.”

Jung came into show jumping with two rails and 3.8 time penalties in hand—more than enough padding for the one rail FischerChipmunk had at Fence 3.

“The warm-up was nice; I had a really good feeling,” said Jung, 42. “He was soft, and jumping really well. I didn’t jump too much. And the preparation went really well.”

They finished ahead of Boyd Martin and Commando 3, who finished second and won the USEF Five-Star National Championship after a double-clear show jumping round (32.8).

“I came in with three great horses, and you know, they all did their very best,” said Martin, who took sixth with Fedarman B and seventh with Luke 140. “We had three good dressage tests, and a challenging day yesterday, and then they came out, prancing out of the stable this morning, and they jumped well.”

Martin jumped double clear on Commando 3 and Luke 140, and picked up just 0.4 time faults on Fedarman B. But he was most proud of Commando 3.

“I wasn’t sure what I was in for this weekend,” said Martin, Cochranville, Pennsylvania. “Last year, he was sort of my backup horse for the Olympics, and he didn’t do a long-format three-day then, and I questioned if he had the guts and the heart to get through any competition like this. After going through this event, I think he could be a career-changing horse. He’s got such quality. He’s beautifully bred with plenty of Thoroughbred, and he’s strong in all phases.”

Meade finished third and fourth with Et Hop Du Matz and Grafennacht, both of whom rocketed up the standings as the only horses and rider to make time on cross-country Saturday.

“I’m thrilled at their very good performances, and particularly for the younger horse, [Et Hop Du Matz] who finished third,” said Meade. “He tried his heart out. The reason why we’re all here is the horses, and it’s a wonderful feeling when they go really well, aside from the fact that it’s great competition in public eye. It’s really about the horses.”

Full results

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 23 issue for more in-depth coverage and analysis of the event.