2005 Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event, Presented by Farnam Welcomes the Sport’s Top Riders

Lexington, KY—April 27, 2005—The 2005 Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event presented by Farnam, which will be held Thursday through Sunday at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, has attracted a stellar list of riders and horses for the 28th anniversary of the competition, considered one of the most challenging in the equine world.

Presenting horses at the veterinary inspection on Wednesday were some of the top riders in eventing, including the defending champion and 2004 Athens Olympic Individual Silver Medalist Kim Severson, who was named the 2004 leading rider by the U.S. Eventing Association. The crowd-pleasing Severson, of Scottsville, Va., will try for her third Rolex Kentucky victory aboard Winsome Adante, who won in 2002 and 2004.

Spectators also will be cheering on international rider Andrew Hoy of Australia, who rode on his country’s Gold Medal Olympic Team in Sydney in 2000. Hoy is chasing the elusive Rolex Grand Slam of Eventing, a feat comparable to the Triple Crown of horse racing. The Rolex Grand Slam awards $250,000 to any rider who can win Rolex Kentucky as well as the Burghley and Badminton CCI**** competitions in England in succession. Hoy and his Kentucky entry, Moonfleet, won at Burghley in September. Only one rider — Great Britain’s Pippa Funnell in 2003 — has claimed the $250,000 prize so far.

Other top riders from the United States who will compete are Team Bronze Medalists from the 2004 Athens Olympics Darren Chiacchia (Windfall 2) and Amy Tryon (Poggio II), as well as previous Olympic medalists Karen O’Connor (Upstage) and Nina Fout (3 Magic Beans).

Rolex Kentucky always attracts the best international riders, and this year is no exception. Hoy’s Olympic teammate, Phillip Dutton, will ride three horses, including the well-known Nova Top. Leslie Law, the 2004 Olympic Individual Gold Medalist from Great Britain, will be aboard Coup de Coeur. Representing the Dutch Antilles is veteran rider Eddy Stibbe, who first competed at the Kentucky Horse Park at the 1978 World Championships.

“Rolex Kentucky with its rolling green hills always attracts riders who cannot resist the chance to compete on this magnificent cross country course,” said Alston Kerr, President of Equestrian Events, Inc. (EEI), producer of Rolex Kentucky. “Rolex has a certain mystique among riders, who look forward to coming back to the Kentucky Horse Park each spring. Every year we have a wonderful mix of Olympic veterans, world champions, seasoned veterans as well as the young stars of tomorrow.”

In Eventing, horses and riders are judged on three phases of competition that test the all-around ability of the horse: the elegant dressage test; the exciting endurance and cross-country jumping phase; and the thrilling show jumping finals. Eventing is often called “an equestrian triathlon.” No other equestrian sport tests horse and rider so completely.

Held annually at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington the last weekend in April, the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event is organized by Equestrian Events Inc. (EEI), a non-profit charitable corporation created in 1975 to stage the 1978 World Three-Day Event Championships. Following the success of those World Championships, the U.S. national federation governing international horse sports asked EEI to organize an annual three-day event in the spring, and the Kentucky Three-Day Event was born.

Rolex Kentucky usually draws crowds of around 70,000. Ticket information is available on the Rolex Kentucky website (www.rk3de.org), and tickets are available at the park, which opens at 9:00 a.m.

The park is located at 4089 Iron Works Parkway, Lexington, at Exit 120 off Interstate 75.