Title: "Derek Di Grazia’s Innovative Course Design for the 2025 Defender Kentucky Three-Day Event"

While scores of children, rightfully, have pictures of their favorite riders adorning their walls, if I could redecorate my childhood room I imagine I would adorn it with pictures of Derek Di Grazia.

It’s not creepy. I promise. I just have a healthy respect for his ethos around course design.

Derek has been course designing at Kentucky since 2011, so what has he come up with this year to keep things fresh (and sufficiently intimidating)?

For the course this year, Derek is incorporating more twists and turns into his usual flowing course design in a track designed to keep riders on their toes until the very last fence. Just don’t get lost!

But who cares what I think, what do the riders think?

You can view much more, including embedded course maps, in our full preview here.

Defender Kentucky (KY):

Michael Jung: 1st (18.6)
“He’s a big horse with a big stride, so for sure it’s better for him to gallop more straight and open. I walked the course twice—it’s really important to find good lines through the turns so you don’t have to slow down too much. You need to keep a steady rhythm and take good lines to avoid losing time. You have to trust your horse and maintain that rhythm. You can’t ride everything 100% safe, or you’ll be too slow. So yes, it’s about finding that balance — trusting your horse, keeping the rhythm, and taking a bit of risk. I think it’s a tough course, but it’s really nice and straightforward.”

Boyd Martin
2nd – Commando 3 (26.2)
6th – Luke 140 (27.9)
11th – Fedarman B (29.8)
“It’s pretty juicy—quite challenging. It’s a big course, and it’s relentless from start to finish. There are a couple of alternate routes that won’t cost too much time, so I think strategy might play a role in how it all pans out.”

Tom McEwen: 3rd – Brookfield Quality (26.2)
“It’s a fantastic course. It might look easy, but as we know, it’s never straightforward. There are plenty of places to be caught out, like that bounce step up to the hedge, which is a really tough question. These courses often feature big drops and technical combinations, so it’s as much a test of the rider as the horse. Overall, it feels like a true championship challenge.”

Libussa Lübekke: 4th – Caramia 34 (27.1)
“It looks amazing. We’re very motivated—and I think [Saturday] will be a really fun day.”

Tim Price
5th – Falco (27.8)
=7th – Jarillo (28.4)
9th – Happy Boy (29.1)
“It’s definitely a proper five-star course—big and relentless. I’ve only had one casual walk so far. I’ve got three horses here, and I defaulted to thinking like I would with Falco, who’s more experienced. But this is a whole different challenge, with undulation and technical questions everywhere. I’m actually happy to take Jarillo out first—he’s a bit of an unknown, but I hope he stays with me and keeps his focus out there.”

Clark Johnstone: =7th – Menlo Park (28.4)
“It’s definitely the biggest track I’ve jumped in a while. It’s beautiful but demanding. My horse is a great jumper and easy to ride, so I’m hopeful we’ll handle it well.”

Monica Spencer: 10th – Artist (29.3)
“There’s a lot to do out there. We’ll need to stay switched on throughout, but we’re looking forward to the challenge. The course has changed a lot since last year—there are more twists and turns. The time will be tough to make with all the bendy lines, but there’s still plenty of room to gallop, and we’ll make the most of that.”

Jonelle Price: 12th – Hiarado (30.0)
“It’s the first five-star of the year, and it definitely feels like a ‘Welcome back to five-star’ kind of track. At first glance, it looked quite busy and a bit twistier than usual. You’ve got that early ebb and flow across the coffin line, and I think time will be really influential this year. Historically, galloping horses have really thrived here, but this year you might need something a bit more economical on the turns. That said, it’s a really good track, and the park looks magnificent. I’m looking forward to seeing what we can do out there.”

Calvin Böckmann: 13th – The Phantom of the Opera (30.2)
“You can’t really compare it to last year—there are quite a few tough combinations. It’s going to be exciting, for sure.”

Sharon White: 14th – Claus 63 (32.3)
“As usual, I love Derek’s courses. It looks amazing—there’s a lot to do. You definitely get that nervous, stomach-drop feeling like, “Oh God, I hope we can do this! But I can see how everything could work. I just hope I’m one of the riders who makes it all happen smoothly. That’s the plan.”

Lucienne Bellissimo: 15th – Dyri (33.7)
“There’s definitely a lot for [Dyri] to do. I just have to ride it well and be realistic—if he starts to feel tired, I might need to take a few options. The weather could also play a role. He’s not a horse who tends to finish pulling, so I’ll need to really listen to him and manage him carefully around the course.”

Jessica Phoenix: 20th – Fluorescent Adolescent (36.8)
“It’s going to be a huge test—from the jumps themselves to how they’re situated on the terrain. And the fitness component is serious—we’re basically running uphill for six miles. It’s going to take real horsemanship to get it done well.”

Katherine Coleman: 22nd – Monbeg Senna (38.2)
“It looks good! Each jump and each combination look really good and really jumpable. Everything’s pretty straightforward, and it’s easy for the horses to read. I think the real test is that there are so many combinations, and it’s a really long, intense course. The horses are going to be physically and mentally exhausted by the end.”

Cassie Sanger: =23rd – Redfield Fyre (38.6)
“It looks doable from everything I’ve seen so far. I’m working on really establishing a solid plan tonight. I have ideas about the lines I want to take, and I’ll finalize them soon.”

Emily Hamel: =23rd – Corvett (38.6)
“There’s definitely a lot to do—it looks tough. I’ve only walked it once so far, but I’ll be going out again, obviously. I think if you hold your lines with bravery and commitment, you’re good to go.”

Ema Klugman: 25th – Bronte Beach (39.6)
“It’s definitely pretty different this year compared to last year, so it will have a different feel, but I think it’s fair. It’s big, but it’s exciting. I’m looking forward to it.”

Mary Bess Davis: =27th – Imperio Magic (39.8)
“I feel good. As good as you can, really. It’s a long course, so I just need to protect him early on and make sure we don’t run out of gas before the finish. But I feel like it’s well within his [Imperio Magic] capabilities—I just have to manage it right.”

Shannon Lilley: =27th – Eindhoven Garette (39.8)
“At first, honestly, the second fence looked huge! But I really like what Derek [di Grazia] did with the course. It’s tricky and hard, but very fair to the horses. Every question he asks gives the horse a way out if something goes wrong — it might not be the fastest way, but it’s safe and smart. It builds really well — the course starts nicely and keeps building in difficulty. Walking it, I thought, “We can do this. The big question now is whether we can do it all and still make the time!”

Rebecca Braitling: 20th – Caravaggio II (40.2)
“I’m excited! It still looks massive and long and terrifying, but he [Caravaggio II] loves it. He’s not the fastest horse in the world, but just being here is such an achievement. Having a horse at a five-star is so hard, so I’m just thrilled to have him here. I’m excited about what’s out there. Recently back home in California, we had some really good course design leading up to this event with similar types of questions, so I’m hoping that preparation will pay off tomorrow. Of course, the water complexes, like the angled brush into the water at the Hollow and at the Lake, are definitely on my mind!”

Matthew Brown: 30th – Alderwood (41.0)
“At first, there were a couple of things I thought were impossible. But now that I’ve walked it four times, it’s all starting to look pretty doable. Honestly, if I just trust him, we’ll be fine. It’s more about managing my own nerves.”

Arden Wildasin: 32nd – Sunday Times (43.3)
“Yeah, I walked it yesterday—and I actually love it. Derek Di Grazia does a fantastic job. From a perspective standpoint, the single fences look big—wide. But the faces look fantastic, and I know I can gallop down and see two strides out and feel confident. Still, I had to remind myself not [to] question it because I know he’s a great cross country horse. The width just makes you pause a bit. I even joked with [coach Heidi White] like, ‘Hey, can you talk to him about the width?’ And she was like, ‘If you jump well, have a good takeoff, he’ll clear it. He’s strong. You’ve prepared him for this.’”

EN’s coverage of Defender Kentucky is supported by Kentucky Performance Products. To learn more about Kentucky Performance Products’ science-backed nutritional support products, click here.