Rolex
Grand Slam of Eventing Ups the Ante
Release: January 30 2008 $350,000
Purse to Any Rider Who Wins The Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event, The Mitsubishi
Motors Badminton Horse Trials and The Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials in Succession By
Joanie Morris When the Rolex Grand Slam of Eventing was first offered in
2002 it seemed like an impossible feat. Many of the world’s top riders
spend their entire career trying to win just one CCI**** event. To win three in
succession would be historical. Then, in 2003, British rider Pippa Funnell
rewrote history. She won, with two different horses, the three premiere CCI****
events: America’s Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event and England’s duo of
four-stars, The Mitsubishi Motors Badminton Horse Trials and The Burghley Masterfoods
Horse Trials. Australia’s Andrew Hoy got very close to duplicating
Funnell’s feat in 2006 after winning The Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event and
The Mitsubishi Motors Badminton Horse Trials the following weekend, but penalties
in the show jumping phase at The Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials left the coveted
prize unclaimed. Beginning in 2008, the pot is even sweeter. Any rider
who can duplicate Funnell’s achievement will now win $350,000. Another
of Britain’s top competitors, William Fox-Pitt, is the only rider
currently live in the Rolex Grand Slam. He won The Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials
last fall, an enormous achievement in itself. In order to pull off the Rolex Grand
Slam he would have to travel to Lexington, KY, win Rolex Kentucky (April 24-27)
and then return to England and win The Mitsubishi Motors Badminton Horse Trials
the following week (May 1-4). If someone else wins either of those two competitions,
the Rolex Grand Slam begins again. The three events must be won in succession;
but, don’t have to be won on the same horse. Winning all three, in
one stretch, the Rolex Grand Slam of Eventing is an unbelievable gauntlet and
a timeless accomplishment. ENDS For more information please contact
USEF High Performance Communications Manager, Joanie Morris at jmorris@usef.org
or 859.225.2052.
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