Severson, 30, of Keene, VA, and Winsome Andante, winners of the 2002 Rolex Kentucky Three Day Event, posted a dressage score of 37 penalty points to put them well into the lead from a starting field of 44 entries.

“It was his best test ever!” praised Severson, a member of the Gold Medal Team at the 2002 World Equestrian Games in Jerez, Spain. “He was totally with me, paying one hundred percent attention to me, and was not looking at the crowd and getting excited. He had been a little naughty and inattentive when I was riding him on Thursday, so I wasn’t sure what to expect.”

Despite already having two other horses that have met the qualifying criteria for Athens, Severson is hoping to qualify Winsome Andante, her preferred partner for the 2004 Olympic Games, at Rolex Kentucky.

“I broke my leg in the spring, then the horse had colic surgery in the fall, so we didn’t get to do a three day event at all last year,” noted Severson. “Somehow, it has made our bond stronger. I prefer to ride him if I am selected for Athens as I know him the best and we have a strong partnership.”

Moving into second position was Phillip Dutton, a two-time Olympic Team Gold Medallist for his native Australia. Riding Nova Top, a 13-year-old English thoroughbred gelding owned by Shannon Stinson, Dutton posted a score of 43 penalty points to move ahead of Great Britain’s William Fox-Pitt, 35, and Coastal Ties, an 11-year-old Australian-bred gelding. Fox-Pitt held the early lead following the opening day of dressage competition with his score of 43.4 penalty points.

Abigail Lufkin of Middleburg, VA, is currently in fourth position with her dressage score of 45.8 penalty points riding Kildonan Tug while New Zealand’s Donna Smith rounds out the top five with Call Me Clifton after earning a score of 46.6 penalty points.

Offering $190,000 in prize money, the CCI**** Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event is a qualifying competition for the 2004 Olympic Games and includes the seventh competition for the USET Foundation Pinnacle Cup.

In addition to the CCI**** division, this year’s Rolex Kentucky Three Day Event is also hosting a Modified Four Star Three-Day Event that is in part patterned after the format to be used for the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens. Open only to U.S. Citizens and Foreign Riders residing in North America who have already qualified for the Olympic Games under FEI rules, the Bayer Modified Four Star division marks the first time ever that horses and riders will have the opportunity to run the shortened distance prescribed for Athens.

The Bayer Modified Four Star division leader board saw a dramatic shake-up with the conclusion of dressage. Nathalie Bouckaert of Chatsworth, GA, got the international panel of judges’ attention, posting a score of 37.4 penalty points aboard West Farthing, an 11-year-old English thoroughbred gelding.

“All season he just keeps getting better and better,” praised Bouckaert, 23, who leads a field of 38 entries. “As soon as I got the main arena, he was on the job and paying attention.”

Reigning Pan American Champion Darren Chiacchia, of Springville, NY, moved into second position with a score of 40 penalty points riding Windfall II, an 11-year-old black Trakehner stallion owned by Timothy Holekamp.

“I was very happy with his steadiness in this atmosphere, it is biggest he has ever faced,” noted Chiacchia, 39, who has his sights firmly set on Athens.

Heidi White of Chadds Ford, PA, moved into third position with a score of 41.2 earned aboard Northern Spy, her 10-year-old English thoroughbred gelding while Thursday’s leader, Amy Tryon of Redmond, WA, moved down to fourth position but remains in the thick of things with a score of 42 penalty points with her long-time partner, My Beau, a 14-year-old Canadian thoroughbred gelding.

On Saturday, the four-star division competitors will tackle the cross-country course designed by Michael Etherington-Smith of Great Britain on Saturday morning before the riders in the Bayer Modified Four Star division go to work at 1 p.m. The 2004 Rolex Kentucky Three Day Event, presented by Bayer, concludes on Sunday with stadium jumping.

NBC-TV will present a 90-minute telecast of the 2004 Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event, presented by Bayer, on Sunday, May 2, from 1:30-3:00 p.m. Eastern Time. 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).

The Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event is one of only four CCI**** events held in the world. The three other 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 Rolex Kentucky, Badminton and Burghley in succession.

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. For full information on the Rolex Kentucky Three Day Event, presented by Bayer, please visit the official Rolex Kentucky website at www.rk3de.org.

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