The Kentucky Derby, Kentucky Oaks, and a myriad of undercard stakes featuring top-level runners at Churchill Downs will dominate much of the attention in the coming weeks. But down the highway in Lexington, more Thoroughbreds also will be contesting the pinnacle of the sport in which they’ve found a home. The Defender Kentucky five-star and four-star three-day events begin Thursday at the Kentucky Horse Park, where a number of off-the-track Thoroughbreds are set to compete at both levels. International events are rated on a star system signifying levels of difficulty, with a five-star being the most challenging. There are only a handful of such events in the world, and the Kentucky event will be the only one held in North America this year, with the cancellation of a fall five-star at Fair Hill in Maryland. Merely completing a five-star three-phase event, in which horses are tested in dressage, cross country, and stadium jumping, is considered an accomplishment. The difference between a four-star, still a grueling task, and a five-star is most keenly felt in the cross-country phase, with a longer course and larger obstacles. Thoroughbreds are prized in eventing because their stamina and bravery can be showcased on these cross-country courses. Four full Thoroughbreds are set to contest this year’s five-star, with six currently entered in the four-star. The Thoroughbreds in the five-star, alphabetically, are Artist (officially in the registry as unnamed, by Guillotine), ridden by Monica Spencer of New Zealand; Humble Glory (registered as Camon Houdini, by Bernardini), ridden by Sophia Hill of Australia; Malibu Preacher (by Malibu Moon), ridden by Alexander Contrad of the United States; and Sorocaima (by Rock Hard Ten), ridden by Buck Davidson Jr. of the United States. :: Access the most trusted data and information in horse racing! DRF Past Performances and Picks are available now. The unraced Artist, foaled in New Zealand in October 2011, is considered one of the top contenders here off a stellar 2025 season at the five-star level. He and longtime partner Spencer finished eighth at Kentucky as the highest-placing Thoroughbred, then were second, again the top Thoroughbred, at the Fair Hill five-star in the fall. “I’ve had ‘Max’ since he was 4, so we’ve been together a little while now, and he’s just been such a great horse for me,” Spencer told The Chronicle of the Horse. “He’s taken me all over the world. We come to these big events, and I’m just thankful to be here. He just tries so hard. You know, he’s full Thoroughbred, and he’s just been so trainable for me.” Coming in sixth at that same Fair Hill five-star with a strong finish was Humble Glory, winless in three starts in Australia, with Hill. Familiar name Sorocaima was a warhorse on the racetrack, winning four times from 43 career starts, and has proven just as durable in his second career. The 15-year-old gelding has completed six five-stars to date. In 2024, he was sixth in Kentucky and then earned his best finish at the level when checking in fourth at Fair Hill. Last year, he was 13th in Kentucky in his fourth finish at the event. The four-star level can either be a pipeline to five-stars or a step down for a more experienced horse now helping a younger rider move up. The four-star also most closely aligns with the Olympic level, which is not set at maximum difficulty in order to allow more countries to compete, since not every country has the infrastructure to hold a five-star or the financial resources to have riders compete abroad with any frequency. In this year’s four-star, the Thoroughbreds entered are Argyle (registered as Office Hours, by Private Gold), ridden by Skyeler Voss; Beautiful Storm (by Get Stormy), ridden by Jan Bynny; Creative Genius (by Creative Cause), ridden by Alexander O’Neal; Little Hail (by Malibu Moon), ridden by Ali Kuhn; Sea of Clouds (by Malibu Moon), ridden by Olivia Dutton; and Venezuelan River (by Mucho Macho Man), ridden by Tracey Bienemann. Sea of Clouds has multiple five-star finishes with Dutton’s father, Olympian Phillip Dutton. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.