Michael Jung Dominates Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event on Day 2 Dressage

Michael Jung and La Biosthetique – SAM FBW.

Lexington, USA, 24 April 2015 – Michael Jung stamped his class on the 2015 Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event on Day 2 of the dressage phase by taking the joint lead on his second ride of the competition on La Biosthetique – SAM FBW. Jung also lies in fourth position on his other horse Fischerrocana FST, who was yesterday’s overnight leader. Jung is tied in first place with New Zealand’s Tim Price and Great Britain’s William Fox-Pitt is in third.

Unfortunately just minutes before Rolex Eventing Testimonee Zara Phillips was due to compete in her first Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event in the dressage phase, Phillips had to withdraw due to her horse High Kingdom being lame, having picked up a minor injury earlier in the morning.

Jung has happy memories of the Kentucky Horse Park, having become World Champion there in 2010 and now has a double chance of claiming the Rolex title with both his rides going into the cross-country phase tomorrow in top form. However, Great Britain’s William Fox-Pitt who has won the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event title three times – in 2010, 2012 and 2014 – is in a strong position lying just 2.2 points behind Jung on his Bay My Hero, and is ready to defend his title.

The competition is extremely tight with 37 horse and rider partnerships within just one cross-country fence penalty so everything is to play for.

TOP 5 PLACINGS AFTER DAY 2 DRESSAGE

1st=   Michael Jung (GER), La Biosthetique – SAM FBW, 36.3
1st=   Tim Price (NZL), Wesko, 36.3
3rd     William Fox-Pitt (GBR), Bay My Hero, 38.5
4th     Michael Jung (GER), Fischerrocanna FST, 39.3
5th     Colleen Rutledge (USA), Covert Rights, 42.3

For full results, please visit: www.rk3de.org/results.

RIDER QUOTES

Michael Jung: “I feel very happy; both my horses have done a wonderful job. Sam was a little bit nervous but everything works well. It was a very big atmosphere and we are only at the beginning of the season and I am very happy about it.”

Tim Price: “I was very aware that it was a very strong field this year and that made the challenge quite serious – I came to do what I did today because he is a very capable horse and I just wanted to put my best foot forward. The preparation prior to the test over the last three days – just the suppleness of the horse and when we got into the ring today and the atmosphere gave him the lift and the extra dynamic I think to use to our advantage.”

Great Britain Performance Manager, Yogi Breisner, talking about the withdrawal from the competition by Zara Phillips riding High Kingdom: “Basically he is fine; about an hour before he was starting his warm up for the dressage test he kicked in the stable and split the skin (in his fetlock) so he had a wound which we tended to immediately straight away, but as Zara started to warm up it was quite clear that the horse was not 100% so we made the decision to withdraw him which was very very sad for Zara.”

ZARA PHILLIPS UNVEILS ROLEX GRAND SLAM OF EVENTING TROPHY

The first ever Rolex Grand Slam of Eventing Trophy was officially unveiled today by Zara Phillips at the Rolex Kentucky Three Day Event. The magnificent silver trophy standing 60cm was specially commissioned in London and features four stars at the top, with three handles, each representing the three legs of the Rolex Grand Slam of Eventing made up of Kentucky, Badminton and Burghley.

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
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