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Three competitors ran double clears Cross Country before the lunch break. They are all in the top four after twenty-three starters in the morning session.

The Top Five after the Morning Session:

1. Tim Lips (NED), Concrex Oncarlos - 42.0 (DCXC) (Tim and Concrex Oncarlos are pictured at the right at The Head of the Lake.)
2. Oliver Townend (GBR), Carousel Quest - 45.2 (DCXC)
3. Stephen Bradley, Brandenburg's Joshua - 48.6 (.4 Time XC)
4. Phillip Dutton, Woodburn - 48.6 (DCXC)
5. Ashley Adams, Vaunted - 58.5 (2.8 time XC)

The Afternoon Session of Cross Country

Lucinda Fredericks and Bettina Hoy switched places after the Cross Country. Lucinda and Headley Brittania moved up to first on the strenght of a double clear round, while Bettina Hoy and Ringwood Cockatoo dropped to second with 9.6 time faults.(Lucinda and Headley Brittania are pictured at the left jumping into the Infield Water.)

Lucinda commented, "I had a fantastic ride over the second half of the course. We did motor! I don't think I've ever been so fast!"

Bettina said regarding her 9.6 time faults with Ringwood Cockatoo, "I never really pushed hard. He went down behind in the dcouble of corners. I'm very very proud of him!" "Bettina and Ringwood Cockatoo are pictured at the right at at the Trakehner."

Buck Davidson and My Boy Bobby held their third place adding only1.2 time faults to their Dressage score. Buck stated, "Both my horses were terrific. A dog chased me and bit Ballynoe Castle RM (Bucks other horse who is currently standing 29th) and bit him right above the hock." Buck was charged with a refusal as a result of the incident. The latest up date (5:45 PM, Sat.) is that Buck's stop will be taken away as well as some of his time faults (Buck and My Boy Bobby are pictured at the left below at the fence into the Infield Water.)

Tim Lips, of the Netherlands, the leader after the morning Cross Country runs, finished in fourth place with a double clear Cross Country.

The Top Ten After the Cross Country Phase:

1. Lucinda Fredericks (AUS), Headley Brittania - 32.3 (DCXC)
2. Bettina Hoy (GER), Ringwood Cockatoo - 38.4 (9.6 time XC)
3. Buck Davidson, My Boy Bobby - 40.2 (1.2 time XC)
4. Tim Lips (NED), Concrex Oncarlos - 42.0 (DCXC)
5. Nicholas Touzaint (FRA), Hidalgo de L'Ile - 44.3 (DCXC)
6. Lucy Weigersma (GBR), Woodfall's Inigo Jones - 44.4 (1.2 time XC)
7. Oliver Townend (GBR), Carousel Quest - 45.2 (DCXC)
8. William Fox-Pitt (GBR), Seacookie - 45.9 (2.4 time XC)
9. Phillip Dutton, Connaught - 47.0 (DCXC)
10. Stephen Bradley, Brandenburg's Joshua - 48.6 (.4 time XC)

The Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event published the following Press Release on Saturday:

"It is with Great sadness that we announce that Kingpin, ridden by Mike Winter and owned by the rider and the Kingpin Syndicate, died while competing it the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event and died at the scene.

The rider was evaluated by medical personnel on site and sent to Georgetown Community Hospital for further evaluation.

Veterinary and medical personnel were in attendance at the time of the fall. The cause of the horse's death will be announced when determined after a necropsy.

* * *

Fredericks Flies to the Lead; Buck Davidson Remains Top-Placed American in Third at the 2009 Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event

By Joanie Morris

Lexington, KY – The top two places shuffled but the names on top of the leaderboard remained the same after the cross country at the 2009 Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event.

Australia’s Lucinda Fredericks had a lightning fast round on her chestnut mare Headley Britannia. Trying to duplicate her husband Clayton’s winning feat in 2007, Fredericks blazed around and made the optimum time of 11 minutes despite having to go the long way at the Head of the Lake.

“Things didn’t go quite as planned at the Head of the Lake,” said Fredericks. “ She’s a funny little thing, she can get strong and be difficult to manage at the beginning of the course, I had always planned to take the long route at the sunken road, I just had a bee in my bonnet about that. Then I was making up the time and she had really opened up, I came around the corner and didn’t quite get the distance I wanted (at the Head of the Lake). I had planned for six (strides to the corner) and I got four.”

The pair stands on their dressage score of 32.3. A winner at Burghley in 2006 and Badminton in 2007, the diminutive 16-year-old Thoroughbred cross is poised to become the first mare to win this CCI****.

“I don’t think I’ve ever gone so fast – she just motored,” said Fredericks.

Dressage winner Bettina Hoy gave her 18-year-old Irish Sport Horse veteran, Ringwood Cockatoo, a sympathetic ride around Mike Etherington-Smith’s course. The German rider swapped places with Fredericks when she picked up 9.6 time faults. Their two-day score of 38.4, keeps them less than a rail clear of the top placed American.

“He was a little bit backed off,” said Hoy. “He wouldn’t be the most confident horse with drop fences, and there were a lot of drops out there. But we are like an old married couple out there, I’m very, very proud of him.”

Buck Davidson, who gave Carl and Cassandra Segal’s My Boy Bobby a fantastic ride, picked up 1.2 time faults along the way. They lead the 12th Rolex/USEF National CCI**** Championship.

The 13-year-old Irish Sport Horse jumps with the very best, but lacks a little bit of gallop. Davidson, who is one of the top up-and-coming professionals in the country at 32 years old, rode very accurately, looked after ‘Bobby’ and got him home safely at his first CCI****.

“Bobby stuck in there and tried harder than I thought he ever would,” said Davidson. “I had a few time faults but I’m very, very proud of him. He gave me everything he had. He was so good through the Lake to go to the corner on a long stride. It was hot out there and he just kept trying.”

Davidson shared the course with his father at the end of the afternoon, Bruce Davidson, Sr. Bruce has won the event five times, Buck has been the leading young rider on numerous occasions and was fourth in 2003.

“I was so excited and relieved to see Dad come home on Cruise Lion,” said Davidson. “He was so proud.”

Davidson had a mishap on his first horse, BallyNoe Castle RM. Just before the sunken road a dog ran onto the course and BallyNoe Castle RM had a refusal at the first element. Despite that, Davidson was really proud of both his horses at their first CCI****.

“Both horses were terrific,” said Davidson. “I couldn’t have asked for better rides on either.”

Perfect weather and conditions greeted the competitors and the track rode well, a great test run for the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games to be held at the Kentucky Horse Park next September.

For complete results and a live web cast please see: www.rk3de.org.

William Fox-Pitt is live in the Rolex Grand Slam, which offers $350,000 to any rider who can win the three most prestigious CCI**** events in the world (Badminton, Burghley and Rolex Kentucky) in any order, in succession. Fox-Pitt won last year’s Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials with Tamarillo, if he wins Rolex Kentucky he will head to Badminton in two weeks time to attempt to accomplish a feat only done once before. Fellow Brit, Pippa Funnell won the Rolex Grand Slam in 2003. Currently he lies eighth on 45.9 with Seacookie.

For the first year ever, the Rolex Kentucky Three Day Event is part of the HSBC Classics Series. This series features $150,000 in prize money to the rider who accumulates the most points at the five global CCI****s. The series begins in Lexington and finishes in Pau, France in October. For more information, please visit: http://www.fei.org/Disciplines/Eventing/Pages/HSBCFEIClassics.aspx.

ENDS

For more information, please contact Joanie Morris, jmorris@usef.org.

The vision of the United States Equestrian Federation® is to provide leadership for equestrian sport in the United States of America by promoting the pursuit of excellence from the grassroots to the Olympic Games, based on a foundation of fair, safe competition and the welfare of its human and equine athletes.