INAUGURAL 1998 FOUR STAR RETROSPECTIVE DVD

April 24th, 1998, marked a new and exciting chapter in Eventing history as the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event became only the third annual Four Star event in the world and, more importantly, the first in the United States. With a true international field of 33 entries, the 1998 Rolex Kentucky Four Star kicked off with one of America's greatest riders, Bruce Davidson, leading the way! With names such as O'Connor, Dutton, Crowell and Stark, the always-passionate Rolex fans knew they were in for a great competition!

Hosted by three-time Olympian and Rolex winner Jimmy Wofford, with retrospective interviews by Event Director Jane Atkinson and Four Star winner Nick Larkin, we invite you to go back in time and enjoy some of the exciting highlights from America's first Four Star, the 1998 Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event.

Purchase this new DVD and DVDs covering many other Rolex Kentucky Events through The Sport House.

TOWNEND EYES ROLEX KENTUCKY IN ATTEMPT TO BE SECOND TO CAPTURE ROLEX GRAND SLAM OF EVENTING

In September of 2003, Pippa Funnell of Great Britain became the first rider in history to win the Rolex Grand Slam of Eventing when she rode Primmore's Pride to victory at the Burghley Horse Trials in England following back-to-back wins in the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event in April aboard Primmore's Pride and the Mitsubishi Motors Badminton Horse Trials in May aboard Supreme Rock. Funnell completed her sweep of the three CCI**** events at Burghley to win $250,000, the purse at that time, and a Pink Gold 18-carat Datejust Rolex watch. The payoff was the largest in Eventing history.

Townend, 26, claimed a victory in May in the Mitsubishi Motors Badminton Horse Trials aboard Flint Curtis and in September won another leg of the Rolex Grand Slam when he and Carousel Quest bested a field of 49 to win the Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials. Carousel Quest placed eighth at Rolex Kentucky last spring. It was the first four star outing for Ollie and Carousel Quest as a pair and served as another indication of how Rolex Kentucky and its courses designed by Mike Etherington-Smith continue to build champions.

"We all took note when this young combination of Oliver Townend and Carousel Quest performed so well at Rolex Kentucky last spring," said Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event Director, Jane Atkinson. "Mike Etherington-Smith has a unique ability to bring out the talent in young horses and help them develop, and we can't wait to welcome back Ollie and Carousel Quest next spring as the new Burghley Champions!"

Townend's success comes as no surprise. His father rode at Burghley and his mother showed sidesaddle at County level so it was not unexpected that success came early for him in the form of a place on the Pony Eventing Team and countless show jumping victories. Now, with two major four star wins, he is poised to take his place in Eventing history.

Will he be able to join Pippa Funnell as the only riders to sweep the Rolex Grand Slam? We will find out at the 2010 Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event next April 22-25!

BADMINTON & KENTUCKY AGREE ON 2011 AND 2016 DATES
The organizers of the Mitsubishi Motors Badminton Horse Trials and the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event have been able to avoid a clash of dates in the future.

Badminton announced earlier this year that it would be running over the weekend of the May Day Bank Holiday in Great Britain from 2010, with cross-country day on the Sunday and show jumping on the holiday Monday. Unfortunately, this very occasionally clashes with the traditional Kentucky date, the cross-country for which has been the last Saturday in April since 1987.

It has now been agreed that in 2011 Badminton will run one week earlier, i.e. April 22-25, which, being the Easter weekend, will still enable the event to climax on a bank holiday Monday. In 2016, Kentucky in turn has agreed to run a week earlier than it otherwise would so that Badminton can maintain its holiday Monday schedule.

Both Event Directors, Hugh Thomas and Jane Atkinson, salute the agreement as demonstrating the good relationship between the leading international events and being in the best interests of the sport of eventing, which would not have been well served by a clash of two of the three Rolex Grand Slam events or indeed two of the HSBC FEI Classic Four Star Events.

Event dates until 2016 are now as follows:

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