2010 Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event At Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, KY From Rod Kohler and FEI Communications; edited by Nancy Brannon William Fox-Pitt (GBR) went clear in the Show Jumping on the final day, April 25, of the 2010 Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event to crown his first win at “The Rolex” with his starting dressage score of 42.8 (penalty points). Placing first after dressage, William Fox-Pitt (GBR) held his first place position after day two of Cross Country. “The Rolex,” held each April at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, KY, is the premier event in the world of combined training and three-day eventing. This year’s event was April 22-25. The top three final results are as follows: 1st William Fox-Pitt (GBR), Cool Mountain, 42.8 2nd Phillip Dutton (USA), Woodburn, 47.7 3rd Becky Holder (USA) Courageous Comet, 49.2 Rolex Grand Slam Contender Oliver Townsend (GBR) was 9th on ODT Master Rose after Dressage with a score of 49.8, and in 7th place on this horse after day two Cross Country. He was in 6th place on Ashdale Cruise Master with a dressage score of 46.2, but had a fall on Cross Country with Ashdale Cruise Master and had to be taken to the hospital. Having won both the Badminton Horse Trials and the Burghley Horse Trials in 2009, Townend's wins had set up a thrilling competition in Lexington, Kentucky, when he could become only the second rider, after Pippa Funnell, to scoop the $350,000 Rolex Grand Slam for winning the Mitsubishi Motors Badminton Horse Trials, the Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials, and the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event, all in succession. But so far the Rolex Grand Slam feat has only been achieved by Pippa Funnell, who won all three competitions in 2003 on two different horses. William Fox-Pitt (GBR) gave a masterclass in Cross Country riding at the Rolex Kentucky Three Day Event, the first leg of the 2010 HSBC FEI Classics, and maintained his overnight lead. Giving a confidence-boosting ride to the 10-year-old Cool Mountain, for whom it is a first 4-star, he finished easily inside the optimum time. However, Fox-Pitt, a superb horseman and already the winner of Badminton, Luhmuhlen and Burghley (five times), did not have the luxury of a Jumping fence in hand in which to tick the box on winning the USA’s premier event, and he had four leading riders from the host nation behind him, all determined to secure their places at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games in Kentucky in September. Kim Severson (USA), a three-times winner of the Rolex, was a magnificent sight on Cross Country on the grey Tipperary Liadhnan and was just 2 penalties in arrears in second place. Becky Holder (USA) and Courageous Comet, another grey, showed all their experience coming home inside the optimum time in 3rd, within a whisker of winning. Phillip Dutton (USA) was as consistent as Severson, and was in 4th and 5th places after Cross Country, ahead of the hugely experienced Karen O’Connor (USA), who slipped four places to 6th with 4.4 time faults on Mandiba. However, she said: “I am thrilled. I got a little nervous landing over the 4th fence when I lost a shoe and thought, now what is my plan? But Mandiba felt really ready for today and he gave me a great ride.” Oliver Townend’s best hope for the Rolex Grand Slam, Ashdale Cruise Master, fell at the influential Hollow fence. The partnership had looked superb up to that point, but the grey gelding just didn’t get high enough at the rail in. Townend, who was in 7th place with ODT Master Rose, was quickly helicoptered to hospital for examination, where he was reported to be in good spirits. The horse was uninjured in the fall. Allison Springer (USA), lying 2nd after dressage on Arthur, suffered a disappointing refusal going into the Hollow when they missed the stride to the rail in. Leslie Law (GBR), 13th after Dressage on Fleeceworks Mystere du Val, had a determined shot at this horse’s first 4-star, and Law’s first for five years, but the horse’s inexperience eventually showed and he retired after a run-out at the brush corner in the Head of the Lake and at the narrow 'squirrel' brush. Geoff Curran’s journey from Ireland was as long as Townend’s, and that ended unfortunately as well, with a refusal into the Head of the Lake on The Jump Jet. Amy Tryon withdrew her first horse, Leyland, apparently with a view to saving him for the WEG, and retired after a couple of run-outs on Coal Creek. The last rider to go, Dutton, standing in for Jan Byyny, who was reported to be recovering well after a fall, had a run-out at the second part of the coffin and, having been held due to Townend’s fall, retired. The penultimate rider on course, Boyd Martin, deputising for Bruce Davidson, who had an operation, wore Davidson’s famous red and yellow colors on Rock On Rosa. He had the track to himself, having been held during Townend’s fall. After Cross Country, he was lying in 8th, 14th and 15th places on his three horses. There were four Canadian riders in the top 12, pleasing their team trainer, David O’Connor. The nation, which won the first World Championships at Kentucky in 1978, was putting in a determined challenge 32 years later. Plaudits abounded for Course Designer Mike Etherington-Smith (GBR). The organizers decided to eschew the traditional lunch-break and carry straight through the day as a storm was forecast, but in the end the black clouds held off and everyone enjoyed a beautiful sunny day, with all riders reporting the footing to be perfect. One-fifth of the field achieved the optimum time of just over 11 minutes.