Eventing’s
Best to Compete at Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event CCI**** Presented
by Bayer
Lexington, KY—April 21, 2004—Eventing’s biggest names
are ready to compete at America’s most prestigious equestrian
competition, the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event, presented by Bayer,
running April 22-25, at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, KY.
The
Event is hosting many of the world’s best horse-and-rider pairs
as they compete for one of the most coveted purses in equestrian
sports and one of the most prestigious championships in the sport
of Eventing.
Husband-and-wife
Olympians, David and Karen O’Connor of The Plains, VA, both
past Rolex Kentucky champions, are back for this year’s event.
David is the reigning Olympic champion, having won the Individual
Gold Medal for the United States at the 2000 Olympic Games riding
Custom Made. He was also a member of the Bronze Medal Team in Sydney
riding Giltedge and previously won the Team Silver Medal at the
1996 Atlanta Olympic Games. Karen was David’s teammate on both
medal-winning occasions.
Other
top U.S. riders competing include five-time Olympian and six-time
Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event champion Bruce O. Davidson, Sr. of
Unionville, PA, and 2000 Sydney Olympic Games Team Bronze Medalists
Linden Wiesman of Bluemont, VA and Nina Fout of Middleburg, VA.
Other
leading U.S. riders entered include the 2003 Pan American Championship
Individual Gold Medalist Darren Chiacchia of Springville, NY, and
Jan Thompson of Purcellville, VA, who claimed Team Gold and Individual
Bronze Medals at the Pan Ams.
Additionally,
2002 World Equestrian Games Team Gold Medalists Amy Tryon of Redmond,
WA, John Williams of Middleburg, VA, Kim Severson of Scottsville,
VA, who won the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event CCI**** in 2002 will
compete in this year’s event alongside the Individual Bronze
Medalist from the first FEI World Cup held in 2003, Gina Miles of
Creston, CA.
International
stars competing include Olympic veterans Stuart Black of Canada,
Heidi Antikatzidis of Greece, two-time Team Gold Medalist Philip
Dutton of Australia, 2002 FEI Global Leading Rider William Fox-Pitt
of Great Britain who placed third at Rolex Kentucky in 2003 and
Polly Stockton of Great Britain who was second at Rolex Kentucky
last year.
NBC-TV
will present a 90-minute telecast of the 2004 Rolex Kentucky Three-Day
Event, presented by Bayer. The national network broadcast will be
titled the “Rolex Equestrian Championships” and will air
Sunday, May 2, from 1:30-3:00 p.m. Eastern Time. As has been the
case for the past six years, the Rolex Kentucky telecast will be
produced by Carr-Hughes Productions of Greenfield Center, NY. The
company’s principals, Robert Hughes and his partner Jim Carr,
a multiple Emmy Award winner, will serve as Executive Producer and
Producer/Director respectively. In addition, the Cross Country portion
of the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event will air on the Outdoor Life
Network (OLN) on May 9 from 5:00-6:00 p.m. EDT and will re-air on
Friday, May 14 from 12:00 noon-1:00 p.m. EDT. The Stadium Jumping
portion of the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event, which will include
a Cross-Country recap, will air on OLN on Sunday, May 16 from 5:00
– 6:00 p.m. EDT and will re-air on Friday, May 21 from 12:00
noon - 1:00 p.m. EDT. The Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event also will
be broadcast in Europe on CNBC Europe, which will air coverage on
Sunday, May 2 at 10:00 pm (Central European Time).
This
year’s Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event will host two separate
divisions. The CCI**** division, Kentucky’s hallmark competition
with $190,000 in prize money, is a qualifying competition for the
2004 Olympic Games and includes the 7th competition for the USET
Foundation Pinnacle Cup, signifying the zenith in Eventing competition.
The U.S. Equestrian Federation requested that Rolex Kentucky also
host a special competition, a Modified Four Star that is in part
patterned after the format to be used for the Athens Olympic Games,
for competitors who have already qualified for the Olympic Games.
Recognized only by the U.S. Equestrian Federation, this division
is open to U.S. Citizens and Foreign Riders residing in North America
who as a combination with the entered Horse have qualified for the
Olympic Games as per FEI rules and have been approved by their National
Federation for entry. It will be the first time ever that horses
and riders will run the shortened distance prescribed for Athens.
The
Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event is one of only four CCI**** events
in the world and is the only one held in the Western Hemisphere.
The other Four Star events are the Mitsubishi Motors Badminton Horse
Trials and the Burghley Horse Trials in Great Britain and Adelaide
in Australia. The Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event is also part of
the Rolex Grand Slam of Eventing that awards $250,000 to any rider
who can win, in succession, Rolex Kentucky, Badminton and Burghley.
Along
with the exciting equestrian action, the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day
Event features an international trade fair with more than 125 merchants,
the United States Pony Clubs Prince Philip Cup and a variety of
other fun family activities and entertaining attractions.
Tickets
for the 2004 Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event may be purchased at
the Rolex Kentucky Ticket Booths at the Kentucky Horse Park beginning
April 22. For full information on the Rolex Kentucky Three Day Event,
presented by Bayer, please visit the official Rolex Kentucky website,
www.rk3de.org.
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