British Domination Continues as Pippa Funnell Maintains
the Lead at Rolex
Kentucky Three-Day Event, Presented By Bayer, April 24–27
Lexington,
KY—April 26, 2003—There was no change at the top of
the standings as Great Britain’s Pippa Funnell held onto
her lead at the 2003 Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event, Presented
by Bayer, held at Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, KY.
By
posting one of 16 clear cross-country rounds over the test set
by Michael Etherington-Smith, Funnell, 33, added no penalty points
to her dressage score of 38.6 following the second phase of the
three-day event.
“Since
my watched stopped while I was out on course, it was a fluke,
really, that I made the time,” laughed Funnell, a two-time
European Champion. “The whole lay-out of the Park really
allows the competitors to go out and have good run, the course
just keeps flowing.”
Funnell
and Primmore’s Pride, a 10-year-old English thoroughbred
gelding owned by Roger and Denise Lincoln, will led the remaining
45 of the 55-horse starting field into Sunday’s final phase
of stadium jumping.
Countryman
William Fox-Pitt remains hot on her heels, having also posted
a clear round to keep his score at 42.6 with Moon Man.
“My
horse was fantastic, he is a very easy horse to ride,” commented
Fox-Pitt, 34, who has been riding the Irish-bred Moon Man since
the horse was five.
Having
finished fourth last year at the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event,
Fox-Pitt will be looking to improve his placing tomorrow during
the final phase of stadium jumping.
A
change in the standings did occur when Amy Tryon of Redmond, WA,
who had been in third position, added 52 penalties to her dressage
score with My Beau to drop out of contention. British competitor
Polly Stockton, who had been lying fourth, moved up into the top
three with a two-day total of 43.4 penalty points after turning
in a clear round with Tangleman.
Legendary
American rider Bruce Davidson became the top American in the standings
when a clear round with Little Tricky moved him from seventh into
fourth position.
“In
all the years that I have competed at this event, the conditions
certainly were the best they have ever been,” remarked Davidson,
who won his second consecutive World Championship title in 1978
at the inaugural Rolex Kentucky Thee-Day Event. “The weather
was perfect and the ground was the nicest it has ever been.”
Enjoying
a beautiful day at the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event were 24,500
spectators, who took in the cross-country action as well as more
than 125 merchants, the Priefert Six-Horse Percheron Hitch, the
USPC Prince Philip Cup and a variety of other fun family activities
and entertaining attractions.
The
Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event, Presented by Bayer, concludes
on Sunday with the third and final phase of stadium jumping. Horses
will be inspected at 8:30 a.m. to ensure that they are fit to
continue the final leg of the three-phase test with show jumping
action beginning at 10:45 a.m.
The
CCI**** Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event, the only three-day event
in America to be held at the Olympic level, serves as the U.S.
Equestrian Team (USET) Four-Star Championship. The race for the
Championship title will be tight as five American riders - Bruce
Davidson, Robert Costello, Peter Green, Will Faudree and Karen
O’Connor - are within four points, or one show jumping rail,
of each other.
Current results and other interactive features
are available on the official Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event web
site, www.rk3de.org. For ticket
sales or additional information, please contact Equestrian Events,
Inc. at (859) 254-8123, or by faxing (859) 254-5116.
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