Lexington, Ky.- April 23, 2014 – In front of an eager crowd of about 500 people on a sunny and warm afternoon, the international ground jury accepted 60 of the horses presented for the first horse inspection at the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event, presented by Land Rover. The event begins on Thursday, April 24, and runs through Sunday, April 27.
A record number of horses-82-were entered for this year’s event, and riders presented 62 horses this afternoon to the ground jury of Sandy Phillips (Great Britain), Christina Klingspor (Sweden) and Gillian Rolton (Australia). Five horses were held for re-inspection, and three were accepted. Laine Ashker withdrew Anthony Patch before re-presenting him, and the jury did not accept Sir Oberon, ridden by Ellen Doughty.
Riders from seven nations-the United States, Canada, Great Britain, New Zealand, Australia, Ireland and Brazil -will be aiming for the top prizes that will be awarded on Sunday, including the coveted Rolex watch. The total prize money is $250,000, of which $80,000 will go to the winner.
For the first time, The Dubarry of Ireland Nations Team Challengewill award $20,000 in prize money, while helping national teams prepare for the team competition at the 2014 World Equestrian Games this summer. The standings of the teams from the United States, Canada and Great Britain will be determined each day by the overall scores of their three top-placed horses.
Dressage gets underway on Thursday at 10:00 a.m., continuing until 4 p.m., and resumes Friday from 10:00 to 4:00. Saturday features the cross-country phase, the heart of the competition, with the climactic show jumping phase on Sunday.
The Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event Presented by Land Rover, April 24-27 at the Kentucky Horse Park, is one of the world’s most prestigious equestrian competitions and features the world’s best horses and riders vying for their share of $250,000 in prize money, as well as a shot at the $350,000 Rolex Grand Slam of Eventing, which is awarded to any rider who wins the Rolex Kentucky, Mitsubishi Motors Badminton and Land Rover Burghley four-star Events in succession.
The 2014 Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event is a selection trial for the 2014 FEI World Equestrian Games and will crown the 17th Rolex/USEF National CCI4* Champion. The only four-star event in the Western Hemisphere, Rolex Kentucky draws an estimated 60,000 to 70,000 spectators and is seen by millions more on worldwide telecasts.
This year, for the first time ever, Rolex Kentucky includes a team challenge. The Dubarry of Ireland Nations Team Challenge will award $20,000 in prize money, while helping national teams prepare for the team competition at the World Equestrian Games this summer. The winning nation will be the nation with the fewest penalties after adding together the final scores of the three highest-placed individuals from that nation.
Rolex Kentucky is a fun time for all in attendance. Aside from the competition, the event features exquisite shopping in the Sponsor Village; an International Trade Fair with almost 200 booths and tents displaying designer clothing, artwork, gifts, sport clothing, horse-related items, and event souvenir items; and the brand-new “Kentucky Uncovered,” which highlights products unique to the Commonwealth of Kentucky. Rolex Kentucky also features a variety of other entertaining attractions. General admission to the Kentucky Horse Park, America’s only theme park dedicated to horses, is included with each Rolex Kentucky ticket.
Coverage of America’s only Four Star Event includes an NBC broadcast – the Rolex Equestrian Championships presented by Land Rover – which will air on Sunday, May 4. All four days of the competition is being streamed online LIVE on USEFNetwork.com, presented by SmartPak, beginning on Thursday, April 24.
For equestrian fans throughout the rest of the world, FEI TV is airing LIVE coverage of Saturday’s cross-country and Sunday’s show jumping competitions. To sign up for FEI TV, visit www.feitv.org.
The broadcast schedule is listed below, and is also available on the USEF Network coverage page,www.usefnetwork.com/featured/2014Rolex/. All broadcast times are subject to change.
* April 24: LIVE Dressage on USEFNetwork.com, 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. EDT
* April 25: LIVE Dressage on USEFNetwork.com, 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. EDT
* April 26: LIVE Cross-Country on USEFNetwork.com, 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. EDT
* April 27: LIVE Show Jumping on USEFNetwork.com, 1:15 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. EDT
Awards Ceremony on USEFNetwork.com, 3:00 p.m. EDT
* May 4: Rolex Equestrian Championships on NBC, 2:00-3:00 p.m. EDT
Equestrian Events, Inc. (EEI) is a non-profit charitable Kentucky corporation that was established initially to produce the 1978 World Three-Day Event Championships at the Kentucky Horse Park. Following the success of those championships, EEI established an annual event which quickly evolved into what is today the only Four Star three-day event in the Western Hemisphere, the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event. The Kentucky Reining cup was incorporated as part of the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event schedule in 2011.
For complete information, please visit www.RK3DE.org.
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