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Lexington, KY—April 13, 2006—As always, Eventing’s biggest names are expected to compete at America’s most prestigious equestrian competition – the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event, presented by Farnam. This year’s Rolex Kentucky CCI**** returns to the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, KY, April 27-30.

The Event will host many of the world’s best horse-and-rider pairs as they compete for one of the most coveted purses in equestrian sports and one of the most prestigious championships in the sport of Eventing.

Heading the list of U.S. riders entered are four of the five riders on the United States’ Bronze Medal team from the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens. Led by Individual Silver Medalist Kim Severson, the team also included Darren Chiacchia, of Springville, NY; Amy Tryon of Duvall, WA; and John Williams of Middleburg, VA (as well as Julie Richards who is not entered at this year’s Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event).

Severson, Tryon and Williams were also part of the 2002 Gold Medal World Championship Team and are defending World Champions.

Five-time Olympian and six-time Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event champion Bruce O. Davidson, Sr., of Unionville, PA (Bruce is pictured at the right above on Jam in the Dressage Phase at the Fork Horse Trials.)and three-time Olympian Karen O’Connor, of The Plains, VA, another Rolex Kentucky champion, (Karen is pictured on Upstage at the left below jumping the turtle in the water at the Turtle Pond, at the Fork Horse Trials.) also return for this year’s event.

Other former Olympians entered are Stephen Bradley (Barcelona 1992), of Leesburg, VA; Mara Dean (Atlanta 1996), of South Hill, Virginia; and Nina Fout (Sydney 2000), of Middleburg, VA.

International stars are also expected to compete including Olympic veterans; Stuart Black, who competed in the Olympic Games for Canada; but, now a U.S. citizen; Andrew Hoy, a Team Gold Medalist, (Andrew and Master Monarch are pictured at the right below jumping the Wadsworth Barrels at the Mitsubishi Motors Badminton CCI****, last May,) and two-time Team Gold Medalist Philip Dutton both ride for Australia; and Leslie Law, the reigning Individual Olympic Champion (Athens 2004) and William Fox-Pitt of Great Britain. (William is pictured at the left below on Tamarillo jumping into the Lake at the Mitsubishi Motors Badminton CCI****, last May.)

William is the reigning Land Rover Burghley CCI**** champion and will be trying for his second leg on the Rolex Challenge, a $250,0000 purse to be awarded to anyone who can win the Land Rover Burghley CCI****, the Rolex Kentucky CCI****, and the Mitsubishi Motors Badminton CCI**** consecutively. In 2003, Pippa Funnell, of Great Britain, became the first rider to win the Rolex Grand Slam.

This year’s event, a United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) Selection Trial for the Eventing World Championships at the 2006 World Equestrian Games in Aächen, Germany, will be run under the “without Steeplechase” (short) format for the first time, consistent with requirements for FEI Championships.

The Kentucky Horse Park was chosen as the site for the FEI Games (more familiarly known as the World Equestrian Games or the WEG) in 2010. This will mark the first time the Games, which feature World Championships in seven equestrian disciplines, are to be held outside of Europe. This will undoubtedly make the opportunity to see the Rolex action from the Kentucky Horse Park that much more exciting for the many thousands of fans around the world who are thinking of traveling to Kentucky for the 2010 Games.

The Rolex Kentucky Three Day Event is one of only five annual competitions in the world with the CCI**** classification and the only CCI**** in the United States. There are four levels of competition in Eventing, designated by stars (one star through four stars). As the number of stars increases, the degree of difficulty increases progressively. A Four Star Event presents the most challenging competition existing for horses and riders.

Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event organizer, Equestrian Events, Inc. (EEI), is a non-profit charitable corporation created in 1975 to stage the 1978 World Three-Day Event Championships, the first time those championships had been held outside of Europe. Following the success of those World Championships, the U.S. Equestrian Federation asked EEI to organize an annual Three-Day Event in the spring and the Kentucky Three-Day Event was born.

For more information on the 2006 Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event, presented by Farnam, please visit the Rolex Kentucky website at www.rk3de.org. Advance ticket sales are now closed, but General Admission tickets will be available at the Rolex Kentucky Ticket Booths at the Kentucky Horse Park beginning Thursday, April 27. Reserved grandstand seats and a limited number of Patron Club, Patron Plus and Equestrian Club subscriptions may be purchased at the Event Ticket Tent upon entry into the Horse Park. To receive the ticket brochure for the 2007 Event, send your name and address to Equestrian Events, Inc., PO Box 12110, Lexington, KY 40580-2110, (859) 254-8123 (9:00 am – 4:00 pm, Monday-Friday), (859) 254-5116 (fax), or rktickets@alltel.net.