The Thoroughbred event horse Phelps and his longtime partner, rising U.S. event star Mia Farley, make their first run around the country's most well known three-day event, the Defender Kentucky five-star, this week at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington. International events are graded on a “star” system, with a five-star being the most difficult – there are only seven such events in the world. The U.S. hosts two – the Kentucky event, with a long and established history, and the five-star at Fair Hill in Maryland in October, which was inaugurated in 2021 and has thus far drawn smaller – but still quality – fields. The Kentucky event, which runs both five-star and four-star divisions, is set for April 25-28. The competition begins with a dressage test, which demonstrates the communication and cooperation between horse and rider, and the balance, rhythm, and suppleness of the horse. The team is given a score of penalty points, which follows them throughout the weekend; the goal is to avoid adding jumping or time penalties over the next two phases, as the lowest score wins. The second phase is cross-country, featuring solid jumps and natural obstacles such as water and ditches over several miles of varied terrain. It tests the horse’s courage and stamina – and Thoroughbreds have long been prized in eventing for their prowess in this phase. Stadium jumping the final day examines technical skills of horse and rider, and provides a final fitness challenge at the end of a long weekend. Merely completing a five-star event is considered an accomplishment. Farley, 24, has ridden Phelps, one of six Thoroughbreds expected to contest the five-star as of Sunday, since he was 4. The now-11-year-old Tiznow gelding – who is from the family of Kentucky Derby winner Super Saver and several other Grade 1 winners – was bred and trained to race, but never made a start. He was acquired for a dollar by Farley's coach, decorated U.S. Olympian David O'Connor. “As an underdog, he’s always just proved everyone wrong,” Farley told Chronicle of the Horse, a prominent equestrian magazine of record. “I think David honestly might have been one of the very few people who really saw it in him from the beginning.” This will be Phelps and Farley's first trip around Kentucky. At the first five-star for both last fall at Fair Hill, they were the only pair in the field to go double-clear, with no jumping or time faults, on cross country. They ultimately finished a strong fifth. Farley is “truly one of the best up-and-coming riders in the country,” and Phelps is an “amazing Thoroughbred,” Canadian Olympian Kyle Carter said of the pair in handicapping the Kentucky field for Chronicle of the Horse. Following early withdrawals as of the preceding weekend, there were five Thoroughbreds expected to compete in the five-star - not all of whom raced. In alphabetical order by rider name, the others are Twilightslastgleam, with Jennie Brannigan of the U.S.; Sorocaima, with Bruce Davidson Jr. of the U.S.; Harbin, with Joe Meyer of New Zealand; and Artist, with Monica Spencer of New Zealand. War horse Sorocaima will be familiar to followers of equestrian sport, with multiple five-star finishes, including a ninth at Fair Hill last year for Davidson – a board member for the Retired Racehorse Project. The 13-year-old Rock Hard Ten gelding won four times from 43 starts in his racing career – including winning a pair of claiming races nine days apart in the summer of 2015 at Presque Isle Downs. "I'm particularly a fan of American Thoroughbreds, and this is an excellent example of one," Carter said in the Chronicle. Kentucky’s four-star event, running alongside the five-star, also has several Thoroughbreds among the entrants, and is especially competitive this year, with the Paris Olympics looming. Eventing at the Olympics is contested essentially at the four-star level of difficulty, to allow the participation of more countries, as many may not have the infrastructure to run a five-star event, or to support their team athletes in extensive international travel. As a result, many riders who are already considered Olympic candidates are entered in this year's Kentucky four-star, to save their horses' legs while continuing to compete at a high level; for example, this year’s four-star field includes last year’s five-star winner, the German Sport Horse Mai Baum with Tamie Smith aboard. In this highly competitive four-star division, the Thoroughbreds entered are Lovely Assistant with Hanna Bundy, Sea of Clouds with Olivia Dutton, Fly Me Courageous with Janelle Fleming, Vincent Chase with Heather Gillette, High Tide with Rachel Lawson, Eye of the Storm with Jen Moody, Shakedown Street with Melanie Smith, and Corture with Briggs Surratt. All are from the U.S. except Bundy, who rides for Canada.