Lexington, KY - April 11, 2001 - The Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event, presented by Bayer, America’s only four star event, will host a record international field of competitors including members of the 2000 Olympic Gold, Silver and Bronze Medal teams. This impressive gathering of international athletes will converge at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, KY, April 26-29.

Two members of the Olympic Gold Medal-winning Australian team lead the slate of Rolex Kentucky entries. Phillip Dutton, who also won a team Gold Medal at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, is scheduled to compete with House Doctor (his Olympic mount), Drizzle, and Simply Red. Ian Stark, a 2000 Olympic team Silver Medalist from Great Britain, who also finished 10th individually, has entered with his Olympic individual partner, Arakai, and Rangitoto.

The U.S. Olympic Bronze Medal Team will have three members represented at the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event. David O'Connor of The Plains, VA, is expected to be a crowd favorite after winning the individual Gold Medal in Sydney with the best score in Olympic history. A seasoned Rolex Kentucky competitor, O'Connor will return with both of his Sydney Olympic mounts, Custom Made and Giltedge, to try for his first Rolex Four Star Championship (he has won the Three Star Championship twice including with Custom Made in 1995).

Two of O'Connor's U.S. Olympic teammates, Nina Fout and Linden Wiesman, will also vie for the Rolex Kentucky crown with their Olympic mounts. Fout of Middleburg, VA will ride her 3 Magic Beans, while Wiesman of Bluemont, VA will compete with Anderoo.

Other Olympic competitors are expected to travel to Kentucky including Great Britain's Karen Dixon who finished 11th individually in Sydney. Eddy Stibbe of the Netherlands Antilles will compete with his Olympic horse, Eton, as well as Century Fox. Canadian Bruce Mandeville will ride his Olympic partner, Larissa.

Two-time World Three-Day Event Champion and five-time U.S. Olympian Bruce O. Davidson, Sr. of Unionville, PA, will compete with three horses—Apparition, Eagle Lion, and Little Tricky. He was a member of two Gold Medal-winning U.S. Olympic squads, at Montreal in 1976 and Los Angeles in 1984, as well as Silver Medal-winning teams at Munich in 1972 and Atlanta in 1996. Davidson is also a seasoned Kentucky competitor, having won the individual Gold in the 1978 World Championships at Kentucky and the CCI in 1983, 1984, 1988, 1989, and 1993.

"The boost in appeal after the Sydney Olympics, combined with the cancellation of the Badminton four star event in England, has boosted our entries to a record level,” said Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event Director Jane Atkinson. "With such a strong class of decorated competitors entered in this year’s event, we expect the battle for first place to be fierce."

Four star events, the most challenging level of the sport, are held at just four venues each year, in addition to the Olympic Games and World Championships held every four years. Of the world’s four annual four star events, only one, the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event presented by Bayer takes place in the United States.

Stars are used by the Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI), the world's governing body of equestrian sports, to denote the level of Eventing competitions. Four star events are open only to experienced horses and riders at the international level.

The other annual events are at the Badminton Horse Trials and the Burghley Horse Trials in Great Britain, and at Adelaide in Australia. As an added bonus, the $250,000 Grand Slam of Eventing is awarded to any rider who wins the Rolex Kentucky, Badminton and Burghley four star events in succession. Andrew Nicholson of New Zealand, who won Burghley 2000, is also entered at Kentucky.

The sport of Eventing evolved from cavalry competitions around the world used to test the training and fitness of cavalry mounts. The competition consists of three distinct elements: dressage, cross-country and show jumping. The horse-and-rider combination with the lowest overall score from the three tests is the winner.

In addition to the exciting equestrian action at the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event, the International Trade Fair has something for everyone. With more than 50 booths, dog agility competitions, and a variety of other entertaining attractions, those attending Rolex Kentucky will find many interesting activities to experience away from the equine competitions.

For more information on the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event, please call Equestrian Events, Inc. at (859) 233-2362, or fax at (859) 254-5116. General event and ticket information can be obtained at the show’s web site: www.rk3de.com or by calling (859) 254-8123. Advance ticket sales are closed, but General Admission tickets will be plentiful at the Rolex Kentucky ticket booths at the Kentucky Horse Park beginning Thursday, April 26.