Clark Montgomery rode Loughan Glen into the lead at the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event ©FEI

Clark Montgomery of the United States has taken the lead onboard Loughan Glen at the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event after the first day of action.

The 35-year-old produced a smooth ride in front of a home crowd in Lexington to move into first place at the event, which is the third leg of the International Equestrian Federation (FEI) Classics.

His performance earned a score of 33.6 points, putting him ahead of defending champion and triple Olympic gold medallist Michael Jung of Germany, who is 3.5 behind riding FischerRocana FST.

“My horse felt super,” Montgomery said afterwards.

Triple Olympic champion Michael Jung is currently second in the standings ©Getty Images
Triple Olympic champion Michael Jung is currently second in the standings ©Getty Images

“This morning was pretty tight, but he was up, which is what we wanted.

“He felt good in his body and good in his mind.”

Another US rider, Kim Severson, currently sits in third place on 41.0 with her horse Cooley Cross Border.

Competition continues tomorrow with the cross-country section before the show jumping element the following day.