Michael Jung and Fischerrocana FST.
Lexington, USA, 23 April 2015 – Michael Jung made the best possible start to the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day event in his bid to repeat his success of 2010 by taking the lead after Day 1 of the Dressage phase riding Fischerrocana FST. USA’s Laine Ashker and Phillip Dutton lie in second and third place overnight having delighted the 7,000+ fans watching from the magnificent Rolex Stadium.
On a score of 39.5 Jung, who won individual gold at the World Equestrian Games in Kentucky in 2010 and who is the current Olympic title holder, still has arguably his strongest ride to come tomorrow with his other horse La Biosthestique – SAM FBW. On 31 July 2012, his 30th birthday, Jung made eventing history becoming the first rider to ever hold the Olympic, World and European championship titles at the same time.
Boasting a record 88 entries from the world’s top eventing riders, the 2015 Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event continues to go from strength to strength. For the first time in her Eventing career, Rolex Eventing Testimonee and 2006 World Champion Zara Phillips will be competing at the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event tomorrow on her horse, High Kingdom, who she won silver medals with at the 2012 Olympic Games and 2014 World Equestrian Games. Other contenders still to go include Great Britain’s William Fox-Pitt who has won the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event trophy three times – in 2010, 2012 and 2014 – and he returns with Bay My Hero to defend his title.
TOP 5 PLACINGS AFTER DAY 1 DRESSAGE
1st Michael Jung (GER), Fischerrocanna FST, 39.3
2nd Laine Ashker (USA), Anthony Patch, 44.2
3rd Phillip Dutton (USA), Fugitive, 47.3
4th Francis Whittington (GBR), Easy Target, 47.6
5th Jolie Wentworth (USA), Goodknight, 50.6
For full results, please visit: www.rk3de.org/results.
RIDER QUOTES
Michael Jung: “It is a very nice stadium, a quiet stadium and very good that we can work in the stadium before the dressage – it helps a lot for the horses. Today my horse gave me a really good feeling – she was calm and quiet – I could do everything that I wanted. She was fantastic to ride and one of the best tests she has done. Today she is the leader but tomorrow Sam is in very good form, but you never know.”
Laine Ashker: “I feel amazing. It feels like a dream come true – this is my eighth Rolex, but my first time in the press conference! I am extremely elated with Al’s performance and it seemed to all come together today so I couldn’t ask for anything better. He was a total workman, so rideable today I felt like I could have just kept going – we were dancing – I had a lot of fun.”
Phillip Dutton: “I was pleased’ish – Fernnhill Fugitive is the greenest of all my rides; he is a very laid back character so I didn’t ride him this morning which goes against all my instincts. We go down to the arena and he was a little on the fresh side but then he worked in well and he did about the best test he has ever done. There are still a lot of good horses to come tomorrow, so it is shaping up to be an exciting competition.”
THE ROLEX GRAND SLAM OF EVENTING
When Rolex was inspired to link the three foremost eventing competitions in the world into a Grand Slam in 2001, it was immediately apparent that it would require a series of outstanding performances from a remarkable athlete to complete the challenge.
Kentucky and Badminton – the British horse trials on which the modern sport of eventing was founded – run two weeks apart in the spring, and Burghley, in the east of England, is the autumn highlight of the global sport. All three have stunning settings and attract vast crowds over the four days of competition.
To date, only one rider – Rolex Eventing Testimonee Pippa Funnell – has won this most prestigious series. In 2003 the much-medalled mainstay of British teams for many years took the Rolex Kentucky crown on Primmore’s Pride. She progressed to Badminton a week later and won there on Supreme Rock, her double European Champion, and added the Burghley title that autumn on Primmore’s Pride – beating Zara Phillips into second place on her four-star debut at the same time. Pippa Funnell immediately joined the ranks of sporting greats, respected by her peers and the media alike as an exceptional athlete.
Since then, two of the three legs of the Rolex Grand Slam of Eventing have been won by four riders: the Australian Andrew Hoy, Britain’s William Fox-Pitt and Oliver Townend, and the New Zealand hero of six Olympic Games and current live Rolex Grand Slam contender, Andrew Nicholson. None of these top-class riders have yet succeeded in triumphing over the series and winning the final element of the Rolex Grand Slam.
ABOUT ROLEX
Leading brand of the Swiss watch industry, Rolex, headquartered in Geneva, enjoys an unrivalled reputation for quality and expertise the world over. Its Oyster watches, all certified as chronometers for their precision, are symbols of excellence, performance and prestige. Pioneer in the development of the wristwatch as early as 1905, the brand is at the origin of numerous major watchmaking innovations, such as the Oyster, the first waterproof wristwatch, launched in 1926, and the Perpetual rotor self-winding mechanism introduced in 1931. Rolex has registered over 400 patents in the course of its history. A truly integrated and independent manufacturing company, Rolex designs, develops and produces in-house all the essential components of its watches, from the casting of the gold alloys to the machining, crafting, assembly and finishing of the movement, case, dial and bracelet. Rolex also actively supports the arts, sports, exploration, the spirit of enterprise, and the environment through a broad palette of sponsoring activities, as well as philanthropic programmes.
Website:
www.rolex.com
Revolution Sports + Entertainment
Merrick Haydon
merrick@revolutionsports.co.uk
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