Kristin Schmolze and Ballylaffin Bracken (Shannon Brinkman/USEF photo)
Lexington, KY – The excitement of the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event presented by Land Rover is about to begin at the Kentucky Horse Park. Forty-six horses were presented at the first horse inspection and all were accepted. Riders from seven nations will vie for top honors at America’s only CCI4* event which also serves as the Rolex/USEF National CCI4* Championship.
The competition begins tomorrow with the first of two days of dressage. It will be live streamed on the USEF Network presented by SmartPak. In addition to the broadcast, the order of go, results, and photos can be found here: http://www.usefnetwork.com/featured/Rolex3Day2013/.
This year’s field is filled with seasoned veterans and first time competitors in what will surely be an exciting competition. Many of the America’s top horses and riders hope to prove their mettle this week in a star-studded field. Three-time Rolex/USEF National CCI4* Champion Phillip Dutton will ride Bruce Duchossois’ Mighty Nice and Team Rebecca, LLC’s Fernhill Eagle, while two-time Rolex/USEF National CCI4* Champion Buck Davidson will ride three horses; Carl and Cassandra Segal’s Park Trader, Leigh Mesher’s Mar De Amor, and Cassandra Segal’s Ballynoe Castle RM.
“I am very excited to be here. I think I am on a really, really good quality horse and I can’t wait to get started,” said Boyd Martin about riding Trading Aces LLC’s Trading Aces in the horse’s first CCI4* event.
Future stars of the sport will be displaying their talent at the event. Land Rover grant recipient from the 2012 Boekelo CCIO3*, Jennie Brannigan, will contest Kentucky’s CCI4* for the first time with Nina Gardner’s Cambalda. Two 2013 Developing Riders/Eventing 25 List riders, Meghan O’Donoghue with her own Pirate and Caitlin Silliman with her own Catch a Star, will be competing in their first CCI4*.
“I think we are as ready as we are going to be. I am excited,” said Brannigan about tackling Kentucky with Cambalda. “He is a good horse. I have gotten to ride him in Europe a couple times so I think all that experience is going to hopefully help me handle the pressure of being here.”
Andrew Nicholson (NZL) hopes to achieve a win here with one of his two mounts to be in contention for the Rolex Grand Slam of Eventing after winning the 2012 Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials. The Rolex Grand Slam of Eventing awards $350,000 to the successive winner of Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event, Mitsubishi Motors Badminton Horse Trials, and Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials. After winning the 2011 Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials and the 2012 Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event, William Fox-Pitt (GBR) is currently in the running to win the Rolex Grand Slam of Eventing. After the 2012 Mitsubishi Motors Badminton Horse Trials was canceled due to excessive rain leading up to the event, a win next week at the 2013 Mitsubishi Motors Badminton Horse Trials could win Fox-Pitt the coveted title.
The Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event presented by Land Rover is also part of the HSBC FEI Classics series. The HSBC FEI Classics is a series uniting the top end of the international Eventing circuit, namely the five four-star Eventing competitions currently on the calendar. HSBC has supported the FEI Classics series since 2008 and will be contributing $1 million over the next three years, making this the biggest prize pot on offer in the sport of Eventing on an annual basis.
Dressage begins tomorrow at 10:00am with William Fox-Pitt (GBR) and Seacookie TSF.
For more information about the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event presented by Land Rover, visit www.rk3de.org.
Follow the 2013 Land Rover U.S. Eventing Team at http://usefnetwork.com/featured/2013Eventing.