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Fredericks Tops The Field At Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event
A prelude to the Eventing World Championships of the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games |
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For Further Information Please Contact: 859-233-3368 or info@classic-communications.com A prelude to the Eventing World Championships of the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games
LEXINGTON, KENTUCKY-April 26, 2009 - By adding no penalties to their stellar dressage score of 32.3, Lucinda Fredericks of Australia and Headley Britannia earned the $80,000 first prize at the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event today.
Bettina Hoy of Germany and Ringwood Cockatoo, who lost their dressage lead by adding 9.6 time penalties on cross-country yesterday, also jumped faultlessly today to take home $37,000 for second place.
Buck Davidson, of Riegelsville, Pa., rode My Boy Bobby to third place and collected $30,000 and the Pinnacle Cup as the highest-placed U.S. rider. Davidson, 33, has competed in the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event ever since it became a CCI4* in 1998, but this is the first time he's finished in the top five. He also finished 15th on Ballynoe Castle RM.
Phillip Dutton and Connaught, the 2008 Rolex Kentucky winners, finished seventh overall and second among U.S. riders. Dutton said that he plans to retire Connaught, 16, after this competition. Stephen Bradley finished 10th on Brandenburg's Joshua, the third-best U.S. rider. A record 22 foreign horses started the event this year. The Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event is a part of the HSBC FEI ClassicsTM Series. This year marked the 12th championship for the U.S. Equestrian Team Foundation Pinnacle Cup, signifying the zenith in eventing competition in the United States. This year's event drew 80,599 spectators and millions more via worldwide telecasts, including a one-hour special in the U.S. on NBC on Sunday, May 3.
Some 19,090 spectators enjoyed the show jumping competition in the brand-new main arena, built to prepare the Kentucky Horse Park for the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games. "We don't have anything like this in the U.K. or in Europe," said Fredericks.
Hoy had never been to the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event before, even though her husband, Andrew Hoy, won it in 2006. "Rolex lived up to everything I've heard about it over the years, and I can't wait to come back again," she said.
In front of the dark green stadium, riders negotiated the course of 16 jumping efforts designed by Richard Jeffery of Great Britain. Jeffery uses fences featuring the logos and colors of some of Lexington's legendary Thoroughbred-breeding farms, starting with replicas of the famous Churchill Downs spires and finishing over the Calumet Farm triple combination. He also added a jump commemorating the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games. Fifteen horses jumped faultlessly today.
The $350,000 Rolex Grand Slam of Eventing is awarded to any rider who wins the Rolex Kentucky, Mitsubishi Motors Badminton and Land Rover Burghley Four-Star Events in succession. In 2003, Pippa Funnell of Great Britain became the first, and to date only, rider to win the Rolex Grand Slam of Eventing. Now Fredericks, 43, and Headley Britannia, 16, have won all three, but not in succession. They won Burghley in September 2006 and Badminton in May 2007, one week after her husband, Clayton Fredericks, won Rolex Kentucky.
"We hoped that since between the two of us we'd won the Rolex Grand Slam they'd give us a watch, but that didn't happen," said Lucinda. Today she threw away her old watch when presented with the Rolex watch that goes to the winner at Kentucky.
Lucinda said that she and Clayton are both aiming to be members of the Australian team at the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games. "We're definitely going to be trying for the gold medal," she said.
Davidson smiled and said, "Maybe next year they'll let me get the gold instead."
As the only four-star event in the Western Hemisphere, the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event is the premier competition for the top horses and riders in eventing. Past winners include U.S. Olympic Medalists David and Karen O'Connor, Kim Severson and Phillip Dutton, New Zealand's Blyth Tait and Nick Larkin, Pippa Funnell of Great Britain and Andrew Hoy and Clayton Fredericks of Australia.
Eventing fans could watch live action from Rolex Kentucky on Pay-Per View webcasts on www.rk3de.org, featuring coverage of dressage and of cross-country. Free live coverage of the show jumping was available online at www.universalsports.com. NBC-TV will air a one-hour broadcast on Sunday, May 3.
For more information on the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event, please visit the Rolex Kentucky website at www.rk3de.org.
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Dutton Scores First Victory At Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event, Presented by Farnam
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For Immediate Release Contact Marty Bauman (859) 357-8936 or info@classic-communications.com
Lexington, KY, April 27 - With a completely faultless show jumping round on Connaught, Phillip Dutton, of West Grove, Pa., scored his first victory in the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event, presented by Farnam.
Becky Holder, of Mendota Heights, Minn., lowered two rails with Courageous Comet to surrender the lead she'd narrowly held since Thursday. Dutton's final score was 41.7 penalties; Holder's was 47.3.
Missy Ransehousen, of Unionville, Pa., urged her Critical Decision to a four-fault score (one rail down) to climb from fourth to third place (57.3).
Stephen Bradley, of Leesburg, Va., surrendered second place on From by adding 20 jumping penalties, to finish eighth, but a faultless round on Brandenburg's Joshua catapulted him from 10th to fourth. Three-time winner Kim Severson, of Keene, Va., finished fifth, with 8 jumping faults on Tipperary Liadhnan. Dutton also claimed 10th on Woodburn.
Dutton, 44, had finished second at Rolex Kentucky five times previously. Connaught, owned by Bruce Duchossois, was making his fourth start at Rolex Kentucky, with a previous best finish of fourth place in 2006.
"It feels a lot better to win than to be second," said Dutton. "But, really, everybody else seemed more worried about it than I was." He said that only once before did he think he should have earned the Rolex watch that goes to the victor, on True Blue Girdwood at the 1998 Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event.
Holder, 39, had entered show jumping in first place before, in 2006, eventually finishing 13th. "I would have rather won, but I'm thrilled with my round this time," said Holder.
She added that she expected Dutton and Connaught to jump faultlessly, so she knew the pressure would be on her, since he was just 2.4 penalties behind. "So I'd mentally prepared myself for that pressure, and I was pleased with the way I was able to keep my concentration and my focus," she said.
Ransehousen, 37, made her first start at Rolex Kentucky in 2007, finishing 16th after having one refusal on cross-country. Ransehousen bought Critical Decision, 12, as an unbroken 3-year-old and has now trained and competed him successfully to the sport's highest level. "I remember all his firsts," she said.
Ransehousen was also pleased with her four-fault round because large crowds can unnerve Critical Decision. "But I felt like we really worked together out there today," she said.
Rolex Kentucky is a U.S. Equestrian Federation selection trial for eventing this year. And with their performances, Dutton and Holder put themselves into strong contention to make the U.S. Olympic eventing team. (Ransehousen did not apply to the USEF to be an Olympic candidate.) But Dutton wouldn't speculate as to whether Connaught might be his Olympic mount, especially since he has three other horses who are candidates. This would be Dutton's first U.S. Olympic team, although he's ridden on three Olympic teams for his native Australia, winning team gold medals in 1996 and 2000.
Holder said she hadn't really considered whether she and her gray gelding would be riding at the Olympic equestrian events in Hong Kong. "Rolex has been my goal ever since last fall, and now I'm going to take him home, turn him out, and let him get as dirty as he possibly can," she said.
Some 20, 462 spectators cheered for the horses and riders as they jumped around the Sheila C. Johnson arena, over the course designed by Richard Jeffery of Great Britain. The four-day total of 103,521 is a new record for North America's only fur-star three-day event.
During Saturday's cross-country phase, Sarah Hansel and The Quiet Man fell. The Quiet man was immediately transported to nearby Hagyard Equine Medical Institute, where his condition was stabilized. On Sunday morning, an examination by specialists confirmed that he had sustained a severe fracture of the distal scapula and shoulder joint of the right leg.
The Quiet Man's prognosis was very poor, and his owners agreed that euthanasia was the most humane option for him. Everyone at the event is saddened by the loss of this brave horse and extends their condolences to Sarah Hansel and her family.
Watch all the action from the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event, presented by Farnam, through live video streaming, for $12.99 for four days, at www.rk3de.org. Video streaming of the entire event will still be available following the event's conclusion.
For full results, go to www.rk3de.org.
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| 2008 Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event - Day 3: Cross Country Roundup |
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Holder Conquers Cross-Country At Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event, Presented by Farnam
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For Immediate Release Contact Marty Bauman (859) 357-8936 or info@classic-communications.com
Lexington, KY, April 26 - With a faultless cross-country round, Becky Holder moved a giant step closer to winning her first Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event, presented by Farnam. Holder, of Mendota Heights, Minn., has kept her No.-1 placing since Thursday, aboard Courageous Comet, her gray Thoroughbred gelding.
Holder and Courageous Comet were the only pair in the top 10 to record a completely clear performance on Saturday, although Phillip Dutton, on Connaught, received .4 time faults to move up from third to second, and Stephen Bradley, on From, received 5.2 time faults to move up from fourth to third. Missy Ransehousen, of Unionville, Pa., rode Critical Decision to a fault-free round to climb from 12th to fourth, and Alison Springer, of Marshall, Va. rode Arthur to a fault-free round to climb from 13th to fifth.
Three-time winner Kim Severson is sixth on Tipperary Liadhnan, after placing 16th in dressage.
Holder, 39, has a lead of 2.4 penalties over Dutton, with Bradley 6.1 penalties behind him.
After being held on course because another rider had fallen, Holder made a mistake when she restarted her stopwatch to start again. She accidentally double-punched the start button, resetting it to 0. "I'm not very clever at math, and then I thought, 'Maybe this is a good thing. It will make me concentrate on jumping the jumps,'" she said.
"He was still full of run at the end, and he'd just hit another gear every time I put my hands down to pat him," Holder added.
Dutton, 44, said, "Sometimes I wish he didn't try quite so hard over the jumps, because it slows him down, and the galloping is really hard for him. But there's not a better horse to ride over fences. I'm so proud of my horse.
"This is the fastest I've ever gone with him [at Kentucky]. He just gets better and better all the time," added Dutton about Connaught's fourth start at Rolex Kentucky. Connaught is a 15-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding.
From, a 15-year-old Russian-bred Thoroughbred gave Bradley some anxious moments at the first and third water jumps when he added strides at the last moment. "He was getting a little bit tired and a little behind my leg. He was really genuine," said Bradley. "That's why I keep telling people that, as I get older, I only ride horses who are really good jumpers."
Said Bradley about finishing 13 seconds slower than the 11-minute optimum time: "I jumped around as quickly as I could, so I'm pleased."
Of the 40 horses that started on the cross-country course, designed by Michael Etherington-Smith, 13 finished with no jumping or time faults, and another 12 finished with only time faults-a total of 25 horses (50%) finished without jumping faults. Five horses finished with one refusal, including Bonnie Mosser and Merloch (seventh after dressage). Two horses finished after their riders fell off, including Northern Spy with Heidi White (second after dressage) and Dobbin with Corrine Ashton (fifth after dressage). Three riders retired after refusals on course, including sixth-placed Emilee Libby on Cahir and ninth-placed Polly Stockton on Charles Owens Tangleman. Four horses were eliminated, three for fall of horse.
One of those was Frodo Baggins and Laine Ashker, who fell at fence 5. Ashker sustained injuries but was conscious, talking and able to move all extremities when she was transported to the University of Kentucky Hospital. She is currently under the care of the emergency and trauma services staff.
Frodo Baggins was immediately attended by a team of veterinarians. He was given intravenous fluids and supportive medications for shock and pain. After he was stabilized, he was sedated and transported by horse ambulance to nearby Hagyard Equine Medical Institute, where he was immediately attended by emergency personnel.
Further tests showed that Frodo Baggins had sustained a fracture at the base of his skull, as well as severe lung injury. As the prognosis was very poor, a representative of the family concurred that euthanasia was the most humane option for the horse. A complete necropsy examination will be performed. Everyone at the event is saddened by the loss of this brave horse.
A record crowd off 50,275 spectators watched the cross-country phase of North America's only four-star CCI. A total of 83,059 have attended over the first three days.
Watch all the action from the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event, presented by Farnam, through live video streaming, for $12.99 for four days, at www.rk3de.org. Video streaming of the entire event will still be available following the event's conclusion.
For full results, go to www.rk3de.org.
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| | 2008 Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event - Day 3: Cross Country Day Rating |
[Lexington, Kentucky] The 2008 Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event Cross Country was exciting to say the least, especially in a year when the weather actually was seemingly on the rider’s side. The morning started out almost cold but by the afternoon session the skies had cleared and temperatures rebounded up to near 70 making for a glorious day.
>> Read more
| 2008 Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event - Day 3: Cross Country Pictures |




| 2008 Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event - Day 2: Dressage Roundup |

Kim Severson and her lovely Tipperary Liadhnan [31] started the second day of Dressage with a score of 54.6 and 16th place going into Cross Country
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Northern Spy [33] and Heidi White moved into second place with a score of 40.6, behind the two day leader Becky Holder.
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Arthur [42] looked keen during his test, giving rider Allison Springer an effort worth a score of 53.7 puting her in 13 place to go into Cross Country.
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Karen O'Connor and Hugh Knows showed that she has more than one lovely horse in her stables, ending the day in 17th place, ahead of Karen's other mount, Theodore O'Connor who is heading into Cross Country at 24th place.
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From, ridden by Stephen S. Bradley, put on quite a show before entering the ring but continued to dazzle inside of it as well and ended the day in fourth place with a score of 42.6.
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| 2008 Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event - Day 1: Beautiful Start |
#1 Karen O'Connor on Theodore O'Connor Dressage Score 58.2 places them in 9th.
Karen and Teddy were obvious favorites in the morning and gave their adoring fans a lovely ride.


#20 Courageous Comet gave rider Becky Holder the best birthday gift that she could have asked for, a score of 39.3 which sent them straight to the top of the leader board.

#6 Brandenburg's Joshua [Stephen S. Bradley] Dressage Score 50.7 places them in 2nd
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#4 Boyd Martin [AUS] on Neville Bardos. Dressage Score 55.0 places them tied for 6th with #2 Woodburn and Phillip Dutton.
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The Irish-bred gelding #12 Dun To A T caught everyone's eye with his lovely color and continued to dazzle them with his forward movement, with Jonathan Holling in the irons for Darren Chiacchia the pair ended the day in Dressage in 12th place with a Score of 62.8.
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