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Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event Highlights Sunday, May 7, 5:00 - 6:00 p.m. EDT

Mark you calendar! Don't miss the showdown in Lexington when NBC Sports airs highlights of the 2006 Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event presented by Kentucky – where there are thousands of ways to discover your unbridled spirit. The broadcast is scheduled to air on Sunday, May 7, from 5:00-6:00 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT).

Rolex Kentucky is undoubtedly the most prestigious three-day event in the United States, and one of the three Grand Slam eventing competitions attracting the top riders and horses in the world. Don't miss the broadcast, May 7, on NBC.

With a clear round in the jumping phase, Australia's Andrew Hoy moved from sixth place after cross-country to win the 2006 Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event presented by Farnam.
Marc Manning Photos

Australia’s Andrew Hoy Comes From “Down Under” to Take the 2006 Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event presented by Farnam

By Brian Sosby

Rails fell like raindrops during the final day of the 2006 Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event presented by Farnam at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, on Sunday, April 30. The performances were as unpredictable as the weather, which opened the door for Australia’s Andrew Hoy and his Master Monarch to prove they were indeed the masters of the three-day CCI**** grueling showdown. The pair was atop the leaderboard and winners of one of the most coveted prizes in the eventing world. It was a first Rolex Championship win for Hoy in his four starts. There were only seven total clear rounds of the show jumping course, which was designed by Richard Jeffery.

Going into the show jumping phase, American Becky Holder knew she would have to control her nerves. And it was a series of downed rails that cost her 16 penalties plus 8 time penalties on the 90-second course that left her sliding down the final standings, just as she and her partner Courageous Comet slid about during the final test. She ended her Rolex campaign on a score of 67.7 in 13th place.

Despite leading after the cross-country phase, Becky Holder and Courageous Comet ended in 13th place overall after several downed rails during her show jumping round.

Taking the reserve champion title and the finishing as the highest-placed American combination was South Carolina’s Heidi White and her 13-year-old bay Thoroughbred, Northern Spy. The pair had clawed their way from 10th place after dressage to sit at third after their cross-country challenge, where they kept their earlier dressage score of 49.4 intact. She inched her way up a spot to end her work by adding eight penalty points (with no time penalties).

“It’s all a bit overwhelming,” said White. “I’d like to thank my horse, who yesterday, without a doubt, was absolutely brilliant.”

As the highest-placed American rider, White does not leave without a championship title. She is the proud recipient of the 2006 United States Equestrian Federation National CCI**** Eventing Championship and the Pinnacle Cup.

Coming into the final phase, Britain’s Polly Stockton and her 14-year-old bay Thoroughbred Tom Quigley were sitting pretty in second. She had come into the final test as the highest-placed foreign rider, but was overtaken by Hoy and his mount. Four penalty points were accumulated when she and her mount blew out the Kentucky Fence and had to pause their efforts while the clock was stopped and the jump was reset. She continued and cleared the jump perfectly, but downed an additional rail, picking up a total of eight penalties across the course, plus five time penalties. She finished on a respectable score of 61.2, ending up in seventh place.

Hoy and Master Monarch, a 15-year-old bay Thoroughbred gelding, were seated in sixth place coming into the final phase on a score of 53.1 after dressage and the expansive cross-country challenge. With a flawless clean and clear round, Hoy took home a check for $65,000 and a Rolex watch.

As the highest-placed American in second, Heidi White and Northern Spy captured the USEF's National Eventing Championship and the Pinnacle Cup.
PhelpsPhotos®.com

“It’s not too often that you come from 15th place after dressage to actually win a four-star competition,” said Hoy. “I thought the cross-country course yesterday was a very good course…it was interesting how yesterday changed the leaderboard so much.”

Hoy said that he had potentially five different horses that he could campaign at the four-star level, and he was certainly glad that he had chosen Master Monarch as one of them.

American Stephen Bradley and his Brandenburg’s Joshua ended their effort at third place with a score of 59.7. Posting 2.8 time penalties from their cross-country effort to their dressage score led them into the show jumping round with 59.7 points. Even their clean and clear show jumping round couldn’t
raise their final standings.

Another Australian, Phillip Dutton aboard Connaught, rounded out their 2006 Rolex effort on a score of 59.8 in fourth place.

Amy Tryon and Woodstock – one of two mounts brought to compete, the other being her 2004 Athens Olympic partner Poggio II – ended up in fifth place on a score of 60.1. She had elected to pull Poggio II after the dressage phase to save the horse, saying tongue-in-cheek that he “owed her nothing, and he was very angry in his stall right now.” It is hoped that she will be competing Poggio II at the FEI World Equestrian Games (WEG) in August.

As the defending Gold medal team from the 2002 WEG, the American contingent has much to live up to at the upcoming August FEI World Equestrian Games in Germany. The final results of this year’s Rolex will have a hand as an important qualifier for the U.S. to determine who will be representing Team U.S.A. at the 2006 WEG.

Rounding out the top 10 placings were: Will Faudree and Antigua (sixth on 60.2); Nathalie Bouckaert-Pollard (eighth on 63.0); Andrew Hoy on Yoeman’s Point and John Williams on Sloopy finished together on a score of 63.8.

Top Ten Placings from the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event Presented by Farnam
Place	Rider	Country	Horse	Cumulative Score
1.	Andrew Hoy	AUS	Master Monarch	53.1
2.	Heidi White	USA	Northern Spy	57.4
3.	Stephen Bradley	USA	Brandenburg's Joshua	59.7
4.	Phillip Dutton	AUS	Connaught	59.8
5.	Amy Tryon	USA	Woodstock	60.1
6.	Will Faudree	USA	Antigua	60.2
7.	Polly Stockton	GBR	Tom Quigley	61.2
8.	Nathalie Bouckaert Pollard	USA	West Farthing	63.0
9.	Andrew Hoy	AUS	Yeoman's Point	63.8
10.	John Williams	USA	Sloopy	63.8

For In-Depth Coverage of the Rolex Kentucky-Three Day Event

The United States Equestrian Federation®, Inc. (USEF), as the National Equestrian Federation of the U.S., is the regulatory body for the Olympic and World Championship sports of dressage, driving, endurance, eventing, reining, show jumping, and vaulting, as well as 20 other breeds and disciplines of equestrian competition. As the country's largest multi-breed organization, the Federation has over 80,000 members and recognizes more than 2,800 competitions nationwide each year. It governs all aspects of competition, including educating and licensing all judges, stewards and technical delegates who officiate at these shows.

VISION STATEMENT

The vision of USEF is to provide leadership for equestrian sport in the United States of America, promoting the pursuit of excellence from the grass roots to the Olympic Games, based on a foundation of fair, safe competition and the welfare of its horses, and embracing this vision, to be the best national equestrian federation in the world.

May 1, 2006